My Cat Ate & Then Vomited

Most cats will vomit at some point -- it's one of the most common reasons people take their cats to the vet. It's a little concerning when the cat throws up directly after eating; but again, vomiting is common for cats. A cat could vomit directly after eating for multiple reasons. It could be a hairball, something disrupting the digestive tract or there could be an underlying illness of some kind.

  1. Just Because

    • The thing about owning a cat is that you must accept that, from time to time, your cat will throw up. If the vomiting occurs rarely, the cat is eating and drinking, its fur is thick and shiny and its eyes are still bright, then it is safe to assume that the cat is fine.

    Regurgitation

    • One of the important things to find out is whether or not the cat is heaving up partially digested food -- vomiting -- or if the food is not even getting to the stomach, and it's just being "burped" back up immediately after eating -- regurgitating. The latter can mean a blockage in the esophagus or stomach, and should be looked at by a vet.

    Hairball

    • Vomiting due to a hairball is common, even if the vomit does not actually bring up a hairball. The hairball sometimes will get stuck somewhere in a cat's digestive system and cause a lot of nausea and vomiting. You can purchase hairball remedies at your local pet store or the pet section in your nearest big box retailers. At the time of publication, these remedies can cost approximately five dollars and can help your cat pass the hairballs and eliminate nausea.

    Food Issues

    • If a cat is eating really quickly, it may be eating so fast that this bothers its digestive tract and causes the cat to burp it all right back up. Changing how you feed your cat can solve this problem. Instead of free feeding, you can start to use an automatic feeder, or you could elevate the food bowl. It also may be a reaction to the food itself, if you have recently changed the cat's food, or if the recipe that the company uses has recently changed.

    Underlying Health Issues

    • There are a large number of reasons that a cat could be throwing up regularly after mealtimes. A tumor could be squeezing the cat's esophagus, causing discomfort, or there could be some foreign matter stuck in the cat's stomach. The cat also could be sick due to kidney issues -- it's hard to tell at home. If your cat is regularly throwing up after mealtimes, and this lasts more than a few days, you need to take your cat to the vet. There are some serious possibilities for underlying health issues, and some of them can only be detected by blood work.