Seeing your beloved cat vomiting can really break your heart, we know. But, cats do vomit from time to time, for various reasons. Usually, swallowing hair or grass will irritate your pussy’s stomach. Also, an irritation can be caused by intestinal parasites. But, don’t forget overeating or eating too fast! Your lovely furry companions are very likely to vomit if they gobbled food right before exercising. But, what if it’s something more serious? How to recognize symptoms and provide your pet a medical treatment?
If your pet vomits rarely and seems to behave perfectly normal before and after it, the chances are this health issue can be treated at home. If vomiting is not related to eating habits, it might be a sign of kidney or liver disease, central nervous system disorder or an infectious disease. Also, it’s important to inspect the content: is it fecal material, hair, blood or food?
In case of a persistent vomiting that brings up a clear, frothy fluid, the cause of this behavior might me hairballs, grass, spoiled food, as well as infectious enteritis and similar diseases irritating the stomach lining. If, however, your pet vomits on and off over a period of days/weeks and you can’t find how it’s related to meals, the cause might be more serious. Cats with poor appetite and a haggard look might suffer from irritable bowel disease, kidney disease, chronic gastritis, heavy worm infestation or even diabetes mellitus. In case of an older cat, intestinal or gastric tumor might be the reason for stomach irritation.
When it comes to vomiting content, what can it say about cat’s health condition? If you see red blood, it indicate an active bleeding somewhere between the upper small bowel and the mouth. The cause is most possibly a foreign body. In that case, you should have your cat seen by a vet immediately. If, however, the content looks and smells like feces, your beloved four-legged family member might be suffering from peritonitis or intestinal obstruction. This is also an alarm to seek immediate medical treatment.
Treating your cat at home is appropriate only when it comes to healthy, normal adult cat who shows no signs other than vomiting. On the other hand, cats with preexisting health issues, older cats and kittens should be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.