Feline Vomiting

Cats can vomit for various reasons, such as gastritis, worms, or foreign bodies. Identifying the cause and seeking prompt veterinary care ensures effective treatment and a good prognosis.
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cat eating from the plate

What is Vomiting?

  • Cats vomit just like people!
  • They often look sick and may lick their lips and drool.
  • Then they will retch.
  • Finally they will vomit which may be liquid, food or frothy looking.

Differentials (what could be causing my cat to vomit?)

Vomiting can be a sign for many different diseases in cats. Below are a few of the more common reasons cats can vomit:

  • Gastritis – this literally means an irritation in the tummy – so a tummy upset – sometimes we never find the cause of this if it is just a one off upset.
  • Worms
  • Foreign body – this means having eaten something they shouldn’t have and it getting stuck! (like a toy or string!)
  • Toxin ingestion – eating something poisonous
  • Inflammatory bowel disease – just like people cats can get IBD and sometimes this can cause them to vomit.
  • Pancreatitis – a disease of their pancreas that can also cause a very painful tummy.
  • Kidney disease
  • Thyroid disease
  • Cancer – although less common we have to consider cancers, especially in older cats that vomit a lot.

Diagnosis of vomiting

  • It is essential that your cat has a full check over at the vets if they are vomiting.
  • The vet will take a thorough history – this means they will ask a lot of questions to find out as much as possible about what could be causing the vomiting.
  • Tests that we may choose to perform include:
  • Blood tests
  • Tummy x-rays
  • Tummy ultrasound
  • Biopsies (taking a little portion of the stomach or intestines for the laboratory to see if there are any abnormal cells present)

Treatment of vomiting

  • Obviously the treatment given depends on what the cause is!
  • We may give drugs to stop them feeling sick.
  • We may also give medication to settle their tummy (similar to antacids in humans).
  • Staying hydrated is vital! So we may recommend a stay in our hospital and a drip.

Prognosis for vomiting (how likely is a cat to do it afterwards)?

  • Vomiting cats often recover fully with quick and appropriate treatment.
  • Obviously some of the conditions are more serious and may require long term medication.