My cat Pepper has been vomiting a couple of times a week ever since I’ve had her (for about a year or so now). She’s adopted, so I’m not 100% sure how old she is, but she’s probably about five or so, a shorthair mix.
Usually, her puke comes out as a lump of about 1/2 cup of mostly undigested dry food (it’s damp, of course, but clearly her dry food). You can pick it up with a paper towel and it barely leaves any residue on the carpet. I let the cats have access to dry food throughout the day and they eat however much they want. Each night, around 7pm, they each get about 1/3 of a cup of wet food mixed with water.
But tonight, Pepper did something that scared me a bit. Instead of the usual hacking and a lump being left, she ran to the edge of the chair she was sitting on, just opened her mouth, and a lot of very liquidy vomit silently came out. It was the same colour as the vomit lumps — a beige-ish colour.
I’ve never seen that kind of puke from her before, and besides even the “regular” puke can’t be normal.
Any ideas? She sheds, but I do brush her a lot. Should I take her into the vet? Is this normal?
My cat Ozzy pukes up his cat food like a dry lump of clearly visible cat food. Sometimes he pukes up a bit of liquid when he’s try to hack out a hairball. My Vet said it was normal, I did switch cat food and added a extra bowl of water and it seems to happen less now.
I am not a vet, but have own many cats.
Cats puke. Period.
Most of the time it’s hardball related ( the one you usually see), but it can be induced by almost anything (string off the bottom of your couch? Dropped leftover ?)
If it’s not happening a lot – like every hour, or two the cat us probably fine.
If it continues, then see a vet. You don’t want to see the cat get dyhdrated..etc.
Also, consider putting your cat on wet food, it’ll puke less.
Or at the very least, use a corn gluten free dry food. That usually helps too.
A) She should be assessed by a Vet asap—like last year.
B) Despite popular belief, cats puking is never “normal”. You need to determine the cause. When was her last checkup?
C) Despite popular belief, dry food no matter how reputable the brand, is not the ideal food for animals. Food allergies or poor quality ingredients are frequently contributory factors to regular vomiting.
DM me @MacVegan for assistance
Great thanks Jeff.
Hi Tod,
FirstCat also, celebrates my superior cat-feeding skillz by barfing.
Pepper, like her, sounds to be a delicate flower. Like the other commenters, I recommend changing cat food to something that may be a bit gentle on her stomach, though it’s strange that she did it out of her normal routine. FirstCat barfs when she eats too fast, could that be the case?
Do get her checked out for a possible obstruction, if you can. And give her big scritches for me.
is she drinking more water than usual and is her fur sticking up? I had a cat with crf – chronic renal failure (caused by eating dry cat food). Kidney problems. She vomited up her food a lot, became very unsteady on her feet, drank more than normal water.
The best food for cats is soft food or food they would otherwise find in the wild. This is because of the water that is in it. Dry food not good for cats and can cause CRF. They can test her with a blood test.
I have 2 purebred Persians, and they both have some serious health issues, so I have some experience in the vomit department. It’s true that wet food is a better choice than dry.
one of my boys is also prone to wolfing down dry food, then horking it back up. I resigned myself to this as “normal” behaviour for him. However, he started vomiting exactly as you described above, and was recently diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, which is a serious condition. For some reason, my previous vet failed to pick up on a pattern of symptoms. He’s apparently been sick for many years, and we missed the opportunity to get him started on some dietary supplements that support his condition and make him feel better.
To control vomiting, a med called Famotidine (one 5mg capsule once per day) really helps reduce vomiting. It was recommended by an Internal Medicine specialist at Canada West Critical Care Vet Hospital, and your vet can send a prescription to Northmount Pharmacy in North Van.
If Pepper was my baby, I’d get him checked out. I wish I’d been more aggressive about investigating my kitty’s symptoms.
I wish you both luck!
Thanks so much — yes, the consensus seems to be to take her to the vet, which I’ll do tomorrow.
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One of my cats pukes up her dry food often, like Pepper and why, oh why does it always have to be on the carpet?! But I digress…
I agree, the slient, liquidy puke doesn’t sound good. Maybe check to see if she seems dehydrated at all? If you pinch a bit of her skin between your fingers and it doesn’t immediately go back down when you let go, then she could be dehydrated.
I’d keep an eye on her and if she does it again, maybe a vet trip is in order?
LOL! — Yes, not once on the tile has she puked.
I’ll check on dehydration, thanks. Though they do have a fresh water supply at all times, but I’ll do that pinch test.
Professional cat sitter here. How old is she? Are her litterbox habits normal?
Going to the vet would be a good idea to get immediate attention, but do follow up with proper care and attention to diet. Your vet may prescribe lactulose which is gooey and sticky and you have to administer orally by syringe which can be a messy cat-in-the-towel experience.
It is possible she is constipated and a hairball the cause of the obstruction. Adding a few drops of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of purréed pumpkin to wet food is helpful. Consider making your own cat food at home. The extra prep time is a bummer, but you can make it ahead and alongside your own food in volume and freeze it and it could save you money in reduced vet visits and actual cost of ingredients. One of my cat clients does this following specific recipes. Another client feeds raw rabbit and still another buys frozen raw food.
NOTE: Be careful of food and substances that the cat eats. Chocolate is toxic. A sweetener commonly used in candy and beverages Xylitol has amazing benefits for humans including fighting cavities and reducing blood pressure, combating allergies, etc. This is NOT the case for cats and dogs. Xylitol is LETHAL for animals.
This is awesome advice, thanks so much!
my oldest cat was puking a lot – enough to be concerned, like Pepper, undigested food. When i took him to the vet, they tested several things and it turned out that he had a thyroid problem. He’s on meds now (2x a day, liquid) and the puking has stopped. All this to say, yes, take her to the vet. like, Monday.