The sound just haunts you now, doesn’t it?Every time you hear your cat making a hacking sound, you know your kitty is going to throw up and you tend to wonder what led to this point. No cat owner thinks of cleaning its mess when planning on getting a cat but it’s a part of having a cat.If you have a cat at your home, you are no stranger to spoiled carpets or a messed-up backyard porch. Even though it is common among cats to throw up, it happens only when your cat is going through something which is upsetting its digestive system. At the same time, every time your cat throws up you do not need to rush it to a veterinarian immediately. The best way is to keenly observe your pet, and if it has been experiencing this issue for a prolonged time period, it is better if you take your cat to the vet. It can be some reaction to something your cat has consumed, an allergy, or it can also be your cat regurgitating its food. However, if you are convinced that isn’t something trivial, take your cat to a professional for immediate treatment.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about why cats sneeze and why cats growl here on Kidadl?Is it normal for cats to vomit?Some of the most common causes of cats’ vomiting include undigested food in the form of a hairball, eating part of a houseplant or mistakenly consuming a part of a toy. Another reason for cat vomiting which is actually normal but can be dangerous is over-grooming and cats vomit this in the form of a hairball. If it becomes constant, it can cause serious harm to a cat.There is a prevalent myth that we need not worry if a cat vomits as it is normal for them to throw up, but is it really so? Cats throw up several times during their lifetime but you cannot just accept it as a normal routine and ignore it. With proper care, vomiting in cats can be reduced. Even a healthy cat can sometimes throw up but it does not throw up randomly without a reason. It is not normal for cats to vomit and they certainly do not enjoy it themselves. Cat owners have been quite vigilant and noted some of the most minute reasons which have led to cats vomiting. One such reason is eating food too quickly. Whenever cats ingest their food hurriedly, it doesn’t get digested and they end up vomiting. Since it isn’t quite normal for a cat to throw up every now and then, how do we know when a cat requires a veterinarian? You should be concerned about your cat and take it to a veterinarian only if your cat is throwing up quite regularly and shows no signs of improvement.What should I do if my cat keeps throwing up?If your cat keeps vomiting, the first and foremost step is to figure out the ‘why’. Until and unless you know the main reason or the cause of your cat throwing up on a frequent basis, you won’t be able to medically treat your cat. After determining how serious the cause is, you can solve the issue by following the recommendation of a veterinarian. The health-related reason behind cats throwing up food can be food allergies, diabetes, entering of a foreign body, blockage in the digestive tract, cancer or kidney disease.Once the issue is detected, you can now move on to getting it treated. The key is to detect the problem as soon as possible and start the necessary treatment. When you take your kitty to the veterinarian, the vet will probably look at your cat’s past medical records and history and probably diagnose or even take X-rays if needed. The most usual things to diagnose are inflammatory bowel disease or a form of cancer. It is better if you keep a regular check on your cat’s weight change, a change in diet, frequency of cat vomiting or any other relevant medical record. If the reason behind your cat vomiting is regurgitation, start to feed your cat at the same time every day, and make a definite routine. Along with feeding your cat routinely, feed it what has been recommended by the vet and provide it only fresh, clean water to drink. Cats who keep vomiting become dehydrated very often, so it is important that you always provide your cat with enough water and encourage it to drink. These tips lead to preventing eating too quickly, and thus, vomiting. You can also give your cat healthy dry food with large chunks to slow down its eating speed and this might prevent it from throwing up. If the issue at hand can be treated only by a vet, your cat may need to go through some medical examinations such as blood work along with urine analysis, chest and abdominal X-rays. These tests can show signs of any sort of inner ailment such as a tumor, kidney disease, diabetes, or stomach infection. If no such serious cause can be determined behind your cat’s vomiting, try supplying your cat with enough fluids. A vet often suggests providing healthy fluids to a cat under its skin to fight dehydration; it prevents the cat from falling ill. Another common solution is providing your cat with anti-vomiting medication to reduce the frequent vomiting and the loss of fluids from your cat’s body. You can even discuss with a vet to change your cat’s diet to deal with the vomiting. At times, when a cat is eating its food quickly, changing its diet or feeding it in smaller portions can reduce its vomiting-related issues.Why do cats throw up undigested food?Over consumption of food and consuming food at a fast rate are primary reasons for a cat vomiting undigested food. If a cat is vomiting undigested food, regurgitation might arguably be the main cause behind it.When your cat eats too fast, it can cause regurgitation of undigested food, and this shows that the food never left the stomach of your pet. Feeding your cat through a food puzzle slows down the speed at which your cat eats and can reduce regurgitation by a great extent. Food allergy can be another reason behind this issue of vomiting undigested food. If a cat has intestinal sensitivities, it may be causing a cat to vomit or throw up undigested food. A common remedy, in this case, is feeding your pet cat food made for sensitive digestive systems. If still there is no improvement, the last option is to begin a hydrolyzed diet for your feline friend. A change in food schedule or skipping meals at usual times can be a reason for your cats throwing up. At the same time, it has often been noted that whenever owners changed their cat’s diet or schedule, they threw up undigested food. You need to make sure that when you make such changes, they are gradual and not sudden. Sudden changes in diet and schedule often lead to cat vomiting.Kitty Vomit Colors And What They MeanDifferent diseases in a cat result in different colors of vomit, and it is important that you identify the color of the vomit to better understand what issue your pet might be suffering from. The appearance of the vomit can help narrow down your cat’s ailment. The different vomit colors include the following:Yellow: The vomit color of a cat is yellow when cats have had an empty stomach for as long as 24 hours, and it can also happen when a cat is anorexic.Bloody: Sometimes you can notice blood mixed with your cat’s vomit. This is usually due to ulcerations or when your cat vomits many times in a short time.White foam: When the abdominal lining and/or small intestines are inflamed in a cat, you can see white foam coming out along with the vomit.Brown: This color vomit usually indicates digested blood further down the intestinal tract, and it occurs when your pet is suffering from an ulcer.Green: If food omitted is brought up from the small intestine, the color of the vomit becomes green. It is primarily the mixture of vomitus and bile that gives the green color to the vomit.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do cats throw up, then take a look at why cats pant or Persian cat facts.
The sound just haunts you now, doesn’t it?
