Have you seen your cat throwing up undigested food?
Is it too frequent? Well, if yes, then she might be suffering from an illness. Vomiting is normal, but vomiting on undigested food isn’t. It is a matter of concern.
As a cat parent, it is essential to take complete care of your kitty. And scrutinize the reason for the cat throwing up food. In this article, we have listed various medical reasons, what makes a cat vomit, and wrong practices that will help you to overcome this situation.
To control this, look for rapid eating solutions, make her eat slowly, and feed your cat in small portions.
Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Undigested Food?
Cat throws up food more than her occasional hairball and leaves partially digested or undigested food around the corner of your home. Then you must rule out the reasons why she is doing it.
Maybe your feline friend is sick, cats eat food too fast, or she has a food allergy. Well, you will get to know every reason why cat throws up food in the list given below.
If nothing works, and she continues to vomit, then visit a veterinarian so that he can make a treatment plan!
Does She Eat Her Food Rapidly?
Vomiting in cats can be caused by rapid eating. They have a habit of eating too quickly, but their body can’t take it. As a result, they end up vomiting after eating.
If your cat is eating too fast, you should avoid feeding her dry food as it gets expand in her stomach later.
This happens because of the pressure created on her digestive tract. But, the reason why cats eat their food fast is because of food anxiety. She feels that if she doesn’t finish her food rapidly, she won’t get more food to eat.
Food anxiety occurs due to a lack of proper feeding time or because there are other cats to share the food.
If you are a cat owner of multiple cats, then you should probably get separate food dishes for each cat and feed smaller amounts of food to them in a separate space. Write down and fix their feeding schedule and make them understand that you will give your cat to eat proper food throughout the day.
Overeating
I don’t know why is your cat throwing up undigested food?
Well, the cat vomiting issue can be a result of overeating. Most the cats overeat even beyond their body limit, which can cause health problems.
The causes of cat overeating food can be due to issues in the pancreas, diabetes, pregnancy, medical side effects, and hypertension.
But sometimes, the reason can be very simple. It can be due to the cat’s greedy nature and unhealthy eating habits. So, make sure to give her enough meals throughout the day.
In addition to vomiting, she can also suffer from diabetes, so keep the amount of calories intake low.
Sensitive Stomach Issue
The reason cats vomit is due to their sensitive digestive system. Any change in her diet can end up giving her stomach trouble and food allergies.
Sudden changes in her diet can lead cat throwing up food hours after eating. Their stomach is sensitive and if you are getting new cat food for her, then make sure you change her food slowly. The cat may vomit even if you give her the best cat food.
So, to prevent such conditions keep the transition pace slow. You have to keep the ratio of old food and the amount of new food less. Gradually increase the portion of the new food, and eventually, she will become habitual to new cat food.
Heavy Body Movement After Eating
Heavy body movement can make her stomach upset. And undigested food will spill in the form of vomiting.
Cat vomiting after eating can be because she is moving or playing a lot. After finishing the meal, a cat should have a rest. She should avoid heavy body movement. Otherwise, your cat will end up throwing her food.
To avoid it, one should make her schedule. In which you should keep her playing time before eating. There are two benefits of keeping time table like this first, it will make your cat happy and exhausted, and second, she won’t move after eating. Thus, she will not vomit after eating and will fall asleep easily.
Gastric Issue
Cat throwing up undigested food can be because of gastric issues!
Cats throwing up food tell us that they have gastric issues, which cause stomach problems. Sometimes their vomit can come with blood or bile too!
Your cat can lose her appetite and may become lethargic, which can further lead to depression, diarrhea, and dehydration. If your vet has ruled out reasons why is your cat throwing up undigested food, then they can easily tell you whether it is because of a gastric issue or any other reason.
If your cat is suffering from gastrointestinal issues, she will show the following symptoms.
- Constipation
- Bad Gut
- Parasites
- Intestinal blockage
To overcome these problems, you should feed her fibrous food and give her enough fluids. A good ratio of fiber in a cat’s diet will help her to flush out intestinal blockages. Other than this, you can also apply some Vaseline to her paws so that when she licks her feet, she swallows it. And, this will help her digestive tract to become lubricated.
Hairball
Hair in your cat’s digestive tract that was swallowed while grooming may cause her to vomit.
You already know cats are creature who likes themselves to be meticulously clean. They are also well-groomed. But, it can also become the reason for your cat throwing up the food!
Wondering how? Well, it is because while cleaning and grooming themselves, cats use their tongue. By mistake, when hair spills into her stomach, it can create problems in the digestive tract. Most of the time, hair easily gets out while eliminated. But, when it fails, her body forms a hairball it can cause cat nausea. And, thus cat throws up food!
Wet and Dry Food
Wet food should be your pick if your cat throws up daily!
The cat keeps throwing up dry food. It is not good for them, especially if her stomach is sensitive. It is because dry food consumes more time to break. Also, after eating the kibbles, it gets expanded in her belly, plus dry food is made up of grains, and as cats are carnivorous animals, it can cause digestive issues to her.
If your cat is old, you should feed her more wet food as they face bad gut problems. And, feeding wet food can keep her stomach healthy and not heavy.
Cat Vomiting and Regurgitation
First, you should know the variation between regurgitation and vomiting. To know the reason why is your cat throwing up undigested food!
When your cat keeps her head down and expels any food accidentally, then it’s the case of cat regurgitation. You will see the regurgitated food will be in a tube shape, covered in slimy mucus.
Your cat is most likely vomiting if she retches and heaves before throwing up. You will see digested food particles with a yellow liquid called bile. This clearly means that the food is in her stomach or intestine instead of the esophagus.
Cat throwing up food might be because of allergies caused by some type of food, feline panleukopenia virus, cancer, Addison’s disease, stomach ulcers, when she is experiencing anxiety, or due to an occasional hairball blockage in the intestine.
According to Washington state university, if a cat vomits or if a cat is regurgitating food, she can suffer from liver and kidney failure.
Stress Can Mess!
Cat throwing up undigested food hours after having her food can be due to stress. If she is upset, her body may react in various ways one way which is vomiting.
Stop your cat from vomiting by making your cat eat wet food, give a healthy nutritional diet, offer her an active lifestyle, make her drink enough water, provide her toys, and take her on walks.
A cat throwing food simply is a sign of stress!
Speak to Vet
Speak to the vet to rule out the disease. You can take a small sample of your cat’s vomit in a sealed container. He will medically test her blood and urine. He may go for an ultrasound to detect the gastrointestinal tract.
He will ask you to give her a hypoallergenic diet. It has unusual protein, and when the medical condition is treated, it will stop your cat from vomiting.
Summing It All Up!
If the cat ingests a toxin, she is suffering from a gastric issue, or if she swallows a foreign object, then it can be a reason why your cat throwing up undigested food!
Cat throwing up food is not common, especially if it is frequent. If she throws up daily, then it can make her fall sick. Take veterinary help, and check for a good diagnosis plan.
Avoid giving her cold food, encourage her to eat slowly, and change her plastic bowl as she can also be allergic due to this.
If you have any queries, do leave a comment below!
References
- Stomach Issues in Cats: Why Cats Vomit and What to Do – IAMS
- Digestive System, Liver, and Abdominal Cavity – NCBI
- Cat Vomiting: Types, Causes, and Treatments – Best Friends Resource Center