My Cat is Throwing Up: Understanding the Causes and What To Do

Discovering that your cat is vomiting can be concerning for any pet owner. It’s a common issue, but understanding why it’s happening and what steps to take is crucial for your feline friend’s health. This guide will walk you through the potential reasons behind your cat throwing up, what the different types of vomit might indicate, and when it’s time to seek veterinary care.

Decoding Cat Vomit: What Can It Tell You?

While the appearance of cat vomit isn’t a definitive diagnosis, it can offer valuable clues for your veterinarian. Observing what your cat throws up can be a helpful first step in figuring out the issue. Here’s a breakdown of different types of cat vomit and what they might suggest:

• Yellow Vomit: The presence of yellow in vomit usually indicates bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver. Yellow vomit can sometimes be associated with liver issues, but more often, it simply means your cat has an empty stomach. It can also occur if your cat ingested something yellow.
• Clear Vomit: Clear vomit can be caused by regurgitation from the esophagus or stomach, often when the stomach is empty. This could be due to mild irritation or eating too quickly.
• White, Foamy Vomit: Similar to clear vomit, white and foamy vomit is often linked to regurgitation or an empty stomach. This type of vomit may also appear if your cat has been retching but hasn’t brought up much stomach content.
• Blood in Vomit: The presence of blood in your cat’s vomit is a serious sign. The blood can originate from the mouth, esophagus, or stomach itself. It’s important to note the amount and color of the blood and seek veterinary advice promptly.
• Coffee-Ground Vomit: Vomit with a “coffee-ground” appearance is also indicative of blood, but in this case, the blood has been partially digested in the stomach. This type of vomit is frequently associated with stomach bleeding, often from ulcers.
• Brown, Smelly Vomit: Brown, smelly vomit can point to bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. However, it can also simply mean your cat has eaten something brown and unappetizing. The smell is often a key indicator of a more serious issue in this case.
• Undigested Food in Vomit: Seeing undigested food in your cat’s vomit suggests that the food hasn’t had time to leave the stomach. This can be triggered by food intolerances or allergies, obstructions in the digestive tract, or various conditions that irritate the upper gastrointestinal system. Noting the time since your cat last ate is important. If your cat vomits undigested food after a long period of fasting, it could signal a more serious issue like an obstruction or a motility disorder.

Questions Your Vet Might Ask When Your Cat is Throwing Up

To help your veterinarian understand why your cat is throwing up, be prepared to answer questions about your cat’s recent history and habits. These questions can help narrow down the potential causes and guide the next steps in diagnosis. Expect your vet to ask about:

• Potential Toxin Exposure: Has your cat been around any plants or substances that could be toxic to cats? This includes household cleaners, certain human medications, antifreeze, and poisonous plants.
• Onset of Vomiting: When did you first notice your cat starting to vomit? Is it a sudden onset or has it been gradual?
• Normal Diet: What does your cat typically eat? Knowing your cat’s regular food, including brand and type, is important. Have you recently changed their food?
• Outdoor Access and Hunting: Does your cat go outside? If so, does your cat hunt and potentially eat prey animals? This could expose them to parasites or toxins.
• Vomit Contents: As detailed above, observing and describing what the vomit looks like is very helpful.
• Medications: Is your cat currently taking any medications, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs?
• Presence of Diarrhea: Is your cat also experiencing diarrhea in addition to vomiting?
• Appetite: Is your cat still eating normally? Has their appetite decreased or increased?
• Vomiting Pattern: When does the vomiting occur in relation to eating or other activities? Is it right after meals, in the morning, or seemingly random?
• Weight Loss: Have you noticed any weight loss in your cat recently?
• Drinking and Urination: Is your cat drinking more or urinating more than usual? These can be signs of underlying health issues like kidney disease or diabetes.
• String or Toy Play: Does your cat play with string, yarn, or toys they might ingest? Foreign body ingestion is a common cause of vomiting in cats.

Veterinary Examination and Diagnostic Tests

After gathering information about your cat’s vomiting and performing a thorough physical examination, your veterinarian will determine if further diagnostic tests are needed. The physical exam will involve checking for:

• Abdominal Pain: Palpating the abdomen to check for tenderness or pain.
• Abdominal Masses: Feeling for any abnormal lumps or masses in the abdomen.
• Foreign Bodies: Checking for obvious foreign objects, like string, particularly under the tongue.
• Weight Loss: Assessing for signs of weight loss.
• Heart Murmurs: Listening to the heart for any abnormal sounds.
• Enlarged Thyroid Gland: Palpating the neck area to check for thyroid enlargement.
• Fever: Taking your cat’s temperature to check for fever.

Based on the physical exam and history, your vet might recommend some of the following diagnostic tests:

Abdominal X-rays and Blood Work

Initial diagnostic tests often include abdominal radiographs (X-rays) and blood work with a urinalysis.

• X-rays: X-rays can reveal valuable information about the internal organs. They can show:

  • Abnormalities in organ size and shape.
  • Foreign bodies that are radiopaque (visible on X-ray).
  • Tumors or masses.
  • Constipation.
  • Other structural abnormalities not detectable during a physical exam.

• Blood Work and Urinalysis: Blood tests and urinalysis are crucial for assessing organ function and identifying underlying health conditions. They can help detect:

  • Organ dysfunction (liver, kidneys, pancreas).
  • Endocrine disorders such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism.
  • Kidney disease.
  • Urinary tract infections.

Blood work can also sometimes provide clues about toxin exposure, such as antifreeze poisoning, although specific toxin tests are often limited. Suspicion of toxin exposure often relies on the owner’s knowledge of potential exposure and the presence of classic clinical signs.

Advanced Imaging and Procedures: Barium Study, Ultrasound, and Endoscopy

If initial X-rays and blood work don’t provide a definitive diagnosis, or if they suggest further investigation is needed, your veterinarian might recommend more advanced procedures.

• Barium Study: A barium study involves administering barium, a contrast agent, orally or rectally and then taking a series of X-rays. This can help visualize the digestive tract and identify:

  • Foreign objects that are not radiopaque.
  • Motility problems within the intestines.
  • Obstructions or structural abnormalities.

• Ultrasound: Abdominal ultrasound uses sound waves to create detailed images of the internal organs. Ultrasound is excellent for assessing the architecture of organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and spleen. It can also be used to guide fine needle aspirates or biopsies of organs for further diagnosis.

• Endoscopy: Endoscopy involves using a flexible scope with a camera to directly visualize the inside of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be used to examine the:

  • Stomach (gastroscopy).
  • Upper intestines (duodenoscopy).
  • Colon (colonoscopy).

  Endoscopy is valuable for:

  • Detecting and sometimes removing foreign objects that are not visible on X-rays.
  • Visualizing the lining of the stomach and intestines to identify inflammation, ulcers, or tumors.
  • Collecting biopsy samples of the gastrointestinal tract for microscopic examination.

Exploratory Surgery

In cases of persistent vomiting that doesn’t respond to initial treatments, or when there’s a high suspicion of a serious underlying condition, exploratory surgery might be necessary. This can be considered in both acute and chronic vomiting cases.

• Acute Vomiting: If there is strong suspicion of a foreign body obstruction that cannot be diagnosed or removed non-invasively.
• Chronic Vomiting: To investigate for conditions like:
  • Intestinal cancer.
  • Non-intestinal abdominal diseases.
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Exploratory surgery allows for a comprehensive examination of the entire intestinal tract and other abdominal organs. During surgery, veterinarians can:

• Remove foreign objects.
• Take biopsies of the intestines, stomach, liver, pancreas, lymph nodes, and any other abnormal tissues. These biopsies are crucial for diagnosing conditions like IBD or cancer.

While surgery offers a more comprehensive diagnostic view, it’s more invasive and has a longer recovery time compared to endoscopy. Endoscopy is often less expensive and less invasive, allowing for quicker recovery, but it may not provide as wide a view or allow for biopsies of all organs. The best approach depends on the individual cat’s situation, the suspected causes of vomiting, and the owner’s preferences and financial considerations.

Treatment Options for a Vomiting Cat

Treatment for a cat throwing up will be tailored to the underlying cause. However, some general supportive treatments are commonly used to manage vomiting and improve your cat’s comfort and hydration.

Fluid Therapy

Fluid therapy is a cornerstone of treatment for vomiting cats. Vomiting leads to fluid loss and dehydration, which can worsen the cat’s condition.

• Subcutaneous Fluids: In mild cases of dehydration, or as a preventative measure, veterinarians may administer fluids subcutaneously (under the skin). This is a less invasive way to rehydrate and can be done on an outpatient basis.
• Intravenous (IV) Fluids: For more severe dehydration, weakness, or when a cat is unable to keep down oral fluids, IV fluids are often necessary. IV fluids are administered directly into a vein through a catheter, providing faster and more effective rehydration. IV fluid therapy usually requires hospitalization.

Anti-Vomiting Medications (Antiemetics)

Antiemetics are medications specifically designed to stop vomiting. They are commonly used to:

• Control vomiting and reduce fluid loss.
• Relieve abdominal discomfort and nausea.
• Encourage appetite.

Various antiemetics are available, and your veterinarian will choose the most appropriate one based on your cat’s condition.

Stomach Protectants

Medications like Pepcid (famotidine) or sucralfate are sometimes used as stomach protectants. Their role in treating vomiting is debated, but they are generally considered safe and may help reduce stomach acid or protect the stomach lining in some cases.

Pain Medication

If vomiting is causing abdominal pain or discomfort, pain medication may be added to the treatment plan to improve your cat’s comfort.

Dietary Changes

Dietary management is crucial for both acute and chronic vomiting.

• Easily Digestible Diet: For acute vomiting, a temporary switch to a highly digestible diet is often recommended. Examples include prescription diets like Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Energy, Hill’s i/d, or bland homemade options like plain cooked chicken (no skin or bones) or meat-based baby food (ensure no onion or garlic). These diets are gentle on the digestive system and easier to absorb. However, these are not nutritionally complete long-term diets and should only be used short-term.
• Dietary Trials for Chronic Vomiting: In cases of chronic vomiting, dietary changes can be both therapeutic and diagnostic. Switching to a novel protein diet (limited-ingredient diet with a protein source your cat hasn’t eaten before) or a hydrolyzed protein diet (proteins broken down to be less allergenic) can help identify and manage food sensitivities or allergies and may help manage inflammatory bowel disease. Diet trials for chronic vomiting require patience and consistency, typically lasting several weeks to assess effectiveness. It’s important to use prescription or veterinary-recommended limited-ingredient diets to ensure nutritional completeness and balance.

Prednisone and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

If inflammatory bowel disease is suspected as the cause of chronic vomiting, prednisone, a corticosteroid medication, may be prescribed. Prednisone reduces inflammation in the digestive tract. However, prednisone has potential side effects, including increased thirst and urination, increased appetite, weakened immune system, and muscle weakness. It’s crucial to have a thorough discussion with your veterinarian about the risks and benefits of prednisone before starting treatment. Furthermore, prednisone can worsen certain conditions like pancreatitis, diabetes, and kidney disease, so it should only be used after appropriate diagnostics or careful consideration of the risks and benefits.

Important Note: Never administer any medications, including over-the-counter human medications, to your cat without consulting your veterinarian first. Many human medications are toxic to cats.

When to Seek Veterinary Care for Your Vomiting Cat

While occasional, mild vomiting might resolve on its own, it’s essential to know when vomiting in cats warrants a veterinary visit. Seek immediate veterinary attention if your cat exhibits any of the following:

• Frequent or Severe Vomiting: Vomiting multiple times in a short period or forceful vomiting.
• Lethargy or Weakness: If your cat is acting tired, weak, or less responsive than usual.
• Blood in Vomit: Any amount of blood in the vomit (red or coffee-ground appearance).
• Dehydration Signs: Dry gums, sunken eyes, skin tenting (skin that stays raised when gently pinched).
• Abdominal Pain or Distension: If your cat seems painful in the abdomen or the abdomen looks bloated.
• Vomiting and Diarrhea Combined: Especially if severe or persistent.
• Known or Suspected Toxin Ingestion.
• Difficulty Breathing or Wheezing.
• Vomiting in a Kitten or Senior Cat: Young kittens and older cats are more vulnerable to dehydration and complications from vomiting.
• Vomiting that Persists for More Than 24 Hours.

Even if your cat’s vomiting doesn’t fall into these urgent categories, if you are concerned or if the vomiting is persistent or recurring, it’s always best to consult with your veterinarian. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve your cat’s comfort and prevent more serious health problems. Your veterinarian is your best partner in ensuring your cat’s health and well-being.