Home Remedies for a Cat's Upset Tummy

Several natural home remedies can settle a cat's upset stomach. In many cases, home remedies are a fine choice for simple upset tummies. Indicators that your cat is suffering from a stomachache include diarrhea, vomiting, straining to eliminate, excessive gas and bloating. If you think your cat is suffering from a condition more serious than a common tummyache, however, home remedies are not a good solution. In that case, see your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the ailment and prescribe a remedy.

  1. Pumpkin

    • Canned pumpkin (100% pureed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling) is a successful home remedy for cats with indigestion or an upset stomach due to constipation or diarrhea. Add one or two teaspoons to your cat's food for quick relief. Pumpkin has a natural stool softening agent that relieves constipation. Furthermore, the fiber in pumpkin absorbs water, which helps firm up the loose stools associated with diarrhea.

    Bland Food

    • A diet of boiled chicken and cooked rice is easy for a cat to tolerate on an upset stomach. This combination is bland enough to provide your pet nutrition without worsening its stomachache. Start by offering small amounts of chicken and rice to see if the cat can keep it down. Gradually increase the amount of food presented as its appetite increases. Once your pet's upset stomach begins to improve, slowly reintroduce its regular cat food.

    Grass

    • Cats enjoy grazing on grass, even though it is indigestible. The fiber in grass helps induce regurgitation of other undigested material, including hairballs. A cat with an upset stomach will induce vomiting to eliminate the offending substance, thereby removing the cause of its stomachache. Make sure your cat has access to fresh grass. For indoor cats, pet stores offer grass seeds or germinated grass in pots.

    Eliminate Dairy

    • Most cats are lactose-intolerant; they lose the enzyme necessary to digest the sugars in milk at an early age. If your cat consumes dairy products, its stomach can be upset by the undigested lactose passing through its intestines. To compound the discomfort, the undigested sugars will ferment in its colon and cause diarrhea and dehydration. In the case of an upset tummy caused by dairy products, avoidance is the best remedy.