What to Do If a Cat Keeps Throwing Up Food

It is normal from cats to vomit occasionally. Cats spend a third of their time, once they decide to wake up, grooming themselves by licking their fur with the rough surface of their tongue. This process causes your cat to ingest a fair amount of fur daily which creates a hairball in the stomach that will ultimately end up on your carpet or in the litter box. When you live with a cat it is important to know when vomiting is a sign of a problem and what to do it your cat keeps throwing up food.

  1. Hairballs

    • Cats vomit for many reasons with the most common reason being your cat is regurgitating a hairball. Cats swallow their own fur each day while they groom. Normally a hairball passes through your cat and ends up in the litter box. Occasionally, a hairball doesn̵7;t move past your cat̵7;s stomach making the stomach uncomfortable. To solve this problem a cat will go looking for a few blades of grass to eat when troubled by a hairball. Eating grass helps the regurgitation process for your cat. A sign your cat has a hairball is a dry, hacking, wheezing, cough that makes you cringe. There are several ways to treat your cat for hairballs. Let the cat eat grass or go outside and cut a handful of grass and give it to your cat. Expect a small clean up project soon after. Give your cat 1 tsp. of mineral oil or petroleum jelly at least once a week. You can also visit the pet store to buy a commercially produced hairball medicine and follow the directions on the label.

    Diet or Overeating

    • Your cat̵7;s stomach may have become sensitive or developed an allergy to her regular dry or wet food or your cat may be overeating. Change your cat̵7;s food. Try a food that is easy to digest, hypoallergenic, and age appropriate for your cat. The best place to find food for a sensitive cat is at your veterinarian. Experiment with a new food and feeding times. Try feeding your cat a few small meals a day instead of leaving food out all of the time. This will discourage overeating. If the vomiting has stopped, you have likely found the cause.

    When to Visit the Veterinarian

    • If your cat is throwing up food more than once or twice a week or passing out with vomiting it is time to check with your veterinarian. Frequent vomiting can be a sign of a serious problem like inflammatory bowel disease, heartworms, inner ear disease, a virus, or several other conditions that require medical treatment. If your cat is throwing up daily, call your veterinarian immediately.

    Tips

    • Your cat will tell you when something is wrong. A cat will do something to get your attention that is contrary to his normal behavior. If the cat you lived with for years suddenly urinates on your robe on the floor next to your bed, or is going into the cat box every few minutes, he is telling you something is wrong.