Cat Vomit
Cat Vomiting - What Causes it and How Can it Be Treated?
There are few things worse than having to watch your cat vomiting. As a pet owner, you do your best to try to ensure that your cat is healthy and well taken care of. However, sometimes despite your best intentions, you just can’t stop a cat from getting sick and vomiting. So what causes cat vomiting and how can it be treated and prevented?
Cat vomiting is often caused by the cat eating or digesting something that doesn’t agree with it. This could be plant matter, grass, or hairballs. Sometimes, cats eat too quickly, too, and that can lead to vomiting. For the most part, this type of vomiting doesn’t need to raise any concerns. In fact, the best thing that the cat can do in these cases is to vomit so that the matter which didn’t agree with their systems is able to come out.
However, there are some cases in which cat vomiting can turn serious. Some causes of concern include peritonitis, intestinal parasites, central nervous systems disorders, ingestion of toxic substances, infectious diseases, kidney or liver diseases, tonsillitis, feline panleukopenia, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic renal failure.
If a cat acts fine before it starts vomiting, and then acts fine afterwards, then there is probably not any cause for concern. However, if the cat is not vomiting up hairballs or has not just consumed any grass or plant matter then there might be something more serious causing the vomiting. There are some signs to look for in this case.
If the cat or kitten is vomiting up worms, then it is probably a sign that there is a severe case of worm infestation in the cat. The cat should be taken to the vet immediately. In addition, a cat vomiting feces or blood should also raise an alarm. If the blood looks like coffee grounds then there could be internal bleeding. If the cat continues to vomit then it might have an infectious disease or eaten spoiled food. Lastly, if the cat has sporadic vomiting that is accompanied with a loss of appetite and listlessness then it might be a sign of irritable bowel syndrome, severe case of hairballs, or kidney or liver disease.
One of the complications that can arise from persistent vomiting is dehydration. This is especially true is the vomiting is accompanied by diarrhea. If the cat continues to vomit for more than 24 then care should be sought.
If there are no other symptoms present, then withholding food for 24 hours is usually recommended. Once food is reintroduced, you might want to start the cat back on a bland diet consisting of meat-based baby food. However, other food should be reintroduced as soon as the cat is able to handle it.
If the cat has other medical problems, however, then it might need medicine in order to treat dehydration, salt imbalances, and weakness. Sometimes, a cat must even stay in a hospital and be treated with intravenous fluid.
Even though most cats vomit from time to time, there are still preventive measures that you can take to ensure that your cat doesn’t vomit unnecessarily. Giving your cat smaller portions of food to eat can prevent it from eating too quickly. You can also try putting a ball in the food dish which will encourage the car to eat around the item, thus slowing down its food intake.
If the cat continues to throw up then it might be the food that you are feeding it. Changing brands or ingredients might help. You still need to ensure that your cat is getting the right amount of fats, carbs, and proteins, however. Some cats find canned food more digestible than dry food.
Learning to pay attention to your cat and the signs that it exhibits is very important. If your cat suddenly loses its energy, stops eating, and begins vomiting, and you know that this is not normal behavior for your cat, then medical attention should be sought.