Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
This is urgent. My 4-year-old female cat threw up and then proceeded to have an excessive amount of saliva on the floor after I cleaned up the vomit. Her nose appears to be pulsating and she growls when you attempt to pick her up, which is not her. She seems lethargic as well. I put her up in her room with the door closed and she isn’t meowing to get out, which is really not her. She eats dry food, refuses to eat wet food. What is wrong with my angel?
~Lori
Siouxsie: OK, first things first. If your cat is still acting lethargic or her condition has gotten worse — for example, she’s not eating or drinking, she’s hunched up as if she’s in pain, or she’s glassy-eyed and feels hot to the touch — call the vet right now! Vomiting and lethargy can be symptoms of a serious infection or injury, especially when accompanied by growling when touched and/or fever.
Thomas: If her condition has improved and she’s acting more like herself, then read on.
Dahlia: Cats vomit more easily than most animals because the “vomiting centers” in our brains are easily stimulated by irritants or stress.
Siouxsie: When a cat senses the need to vomit she may appear anxious and seek attention or reassurance. You’ll also see the cat begin to salivate and make repeated attempts to swallow. Humans do this, too.
Thomas: This is followed by the typical harsh gagging sound and ejection of the stomach contents. Vomiting is typically followed by more salivation and perhaps episodes of dry-heaving.
Dahlia: The most common cause of vomiting is swallowing hair or some other indigestible material, such as grass, which irritates the stomach. Sometimes cats deliberately eat grass so they can vomit up hairballs or other irritants. Intestinal parasites can also cause vomiting.
Siouxsie: Other reasons cats may vomit include overeating or eating too fast, or exercising right after eating. Sometimes Dahlia does that: she scarfs down her food and then — HURK! — it’s on the floor. Then she eats it again! Ew!
Dahlia: Shut up, Miss Poopy-Bloomers! At least Mama didn’t have to wipe my bum this morning!
Siouxsie: Grrrrrrr….
Thomas: Anyway … most cats don’t like be picked up before, during, or immediately after vomiting. That’s because their stomachs are upset and vomiting is so very unpleasant!
Dahlia: You can understand more about your cat’s problem by noticing how and when she vomits. Note whether she vomits more than once, and if so, whether it only happens once in a while or if it happens often. How soon after eating does she vomit? Is it projectile vomiting?
Siouxsie: Check the vomitus to see what’s in it. Is there fresh food? A hairball? A foreign object like a bunch of grass or a piece of cloth? Blood?
Thomas: If your cat continues to retch after she vomits and brings up a frothy, clear fluid, then she probably got into spoiled food, has a hairball, or ate grass or some other indigestible thing. Sometimes this persistent vomiting can be associated with a disease that irritates the stomach lining.
Dahlia: If your cat vomits off and on over a period of days or weeks, there doesn’t seem to be any relation to meal times, and the cat is haggard-looking or tired, she may have liver or kidney disease, a heavy worm infestation, or a hairball. A foreign object in the stomach is another possibility.
Siouxsie: There are three vomiting symptoms that are signs of a potential emergency. Those are vomiting blood (either fresh and red or dark like coffee grounds), vomiting feces (which indicates an intestinal blockage), and projectile vomiting (which may indicate anything from a hairball to a complete blockage of the intestinal tract or diseases like encephalitis).
Thomas: If your cat vomits blood or feces, you need to go to the vet right away. If your vet is closed, go to the nearest emergency vet clinic. We mean it! These symptoms indicate a very serious and potentially fatal problem, and treatment can’t wait until your vet is open or you have the money.
Dahlia: If your cat is projectile vomiting, call your vet and see whether they suggest you bring your cat in. If your vet’s office is closed, they may have an answering service that will page your vet or give you the phone number for an emergency clinic. Like your regular vet, the emergency clinic staff will ask you about your cat’s symptoms and then tell you whether or not they think you should bring the cat in.
Siouxsie: Vomiting can also be a symptom of poisoning. If your cat goes outside, this is more likely because they can get into skunk bait or eat a rat that’s eaten poison, or they can get into a toxic substance like antifreeze or motor oil. Indoor-only cats can be poisoned, too, but the likelihood is much lower. Poisoning is an emergency, and any cat that may have ingested poison needs immediate veterinary treatment.
Thomas: But honestly, the vast majority of cat vomiting is caused by hairballs or overly rich foods. If your cat is acting healthy aside from the vomiting — she’s eating and drinking, and she resumes her normal activity level after she’s recovered from the episode — it’s most likely safe to treat the condition at home.
Dahlia: If your cat vomited a hairball, give her a petroleum jelly-based lubricant such as Petromalt or Laxatone to help grease up any remaining hairballs so they can pass through the digestive system. Follow the directions on the package. We don’t recommend giving thes lubricants for a long time because they can interfere with the absorption of several very important vitamins.
Siouxsie: You can prevent or reduce the risk of hairballs in the future by regularly grooming your cat, especially during shedding season. Even short-haired cats need to be groomed so that they don’t swallow excessive hair. There’s a wide range of grooming tools available for cats with all hair types. Here’s a good list of the types of combs and brushes available and their functions.
Thomas: We’re also quite fond of the Furminator. It pulls dead hair out and it works on long-haired and short-haired cats. And it feels nice, too!
Dahlia: We’ve had a lot fewer hairballs since Mama started Furminating us. And our fur is so shiny and beautiful and soft! Purrrrr!
Siouxsie: Whatever the case, if the vomiting persists for more than 24 hours, consult your veterinarian. A veterinary consult is also in order if one or more of the following occurs: 1) vomiting continues even if the cat has received no food or water for several hours; 2) the cat vomits when you re-introduce food and water; 3) the vomiting is accompanied by diarrhea; or 4) the cat shows signs of systemic illness such as lethargy and weakness.
Thomas: Good luck, Lori. Please let us know how things turn out.
She seems to be better now. Thank you so much for your reply!!!
Hi my name is catherine,
We have three male cats and one of them is vomiting right after his meals. He projectile vomits and its food. This only occurs when he eats.. What should i do
My Tabby cat has had his second bout of this attack, he makes a loud moaning sound and than vomits. He falls to the ground after this and starts to breathe very bad, his mouth open and he dribbling from his mouth, it takes him about 1 hour to get moving again, I have VET APPOINTMENT TOMORROW,but if you can get back with me .
Bill Meschnark
2yr old neutered silver tabby/male. Stopped eating and drinking 2 days ago; hunched and lethargic. Ran his bowel and does not seem to have any food contents. Acted like lower intestine was sensitive on 2nd run down bowel, vomitus late last night was clear. I have a cat run/cage that he has free access to from laundry window and he has been hiding under the wheelchair ramp. He finally came inside 3am and I gave him equivalent of 1 or 2 spoonfuls of water 3, 4, and 5am, until he became exasperated with me and is now hiding from me again.
I was going to take him to Vet this morning… as I am disabled, now I must wait until someone helps me bring him in or if he would respond to my coaxing and come inside sooner,…
I have several other cats and they seem to be fine. Any ideas?
I got up this morning to find our cat laying in our bed and not being himself but did notice there was vomit in our kitchen, which looked like fresh food. When we talk to him he will look at us but just stays lying down and this is not him. Is this a case to panic and call the vet or give it a little more time to see if it passes? He is 8 years old and an inside cat.
My four year old cat started vomiting a lot, mainly clear fluid. He also stopped eating, drinking and pooing. He became very lethargic and rapidly went down hill, just wanting to sit hunched up under a chair. He improved after being given fluids, but then went down hill again. The vet found a lot of fluid in his stomach, some of which they drained off. When the fluid began to build up again, dysautonomia was suspected. An intestinal blockage was ruled out after two ultrasound investigations showed nothing. As a last resort, we took him to the veterinary hospital where another ultrasound investigation detected a slight shadow in his intestine. They operated on him straight away and found a huge furball blocking his intestine. It is two weeks later and he is doing great, although he was in a poor state initially after having not eaten for almost a week and having surgery. I’m hoping that this might help someone else get the right diagnosis. I thought it was inevitable that he would have to be put down, because he was so ill and I’m so grateful to the veterinary hospital.
Can someone PLEASE help?? The cat I’m caring for is sick n breathing heavy.. Her appetite is gone as well, she keeps TRYING to throw up n CAN’T get it all up..what do i do???? I love her like my own now n it’s thanksgiving?????
The other week she got stuck in my pullout couch but seemed fine till now??? She doesn’t act like Anything hurts.. ? But she’s lethargic n not herself!??
I’m sorry my question don’t fit in the discussion but I have advice if possible I have a 8 month old female cat and for that last 3 days she has been throwing up off and on and it seems like after she is done throwing up she appears to not feel good and goes and lays down but after a little she seem fine and is playing and she is eating and drinking just fine I don’t know if it’s something I should be considered about or if I should keep an eye one her and see if she ends up getting worce or better but I would appreciate the advice any one may have I’m just concerned about her thank you
My cat is 9 years old when she eats or drinks her water she will vomit. She will not eat her favorite treats. If I pick her up or pet her she will meow and hiss at me. Her eyes look so glossy. I have no money to take her to the vets because I lost my job 4 months ago. So if you can help me to make her feel better please let me know.
Thank You
Heather Bullock