What to Do When Your Cat Throws Up

1 Common Causes

Eating too fast or too much: vomits undigested food once or twice, stays bright, and still wants food.

Bad or spoiled food: cats tolerate few human foods; when changing diet, go slow. Food straight from the fridge or left too long can trigger vomiting and may lead to gastroenteritis.

Hairballs: easy to spot, with fur in the vomit; heavy hairballs cut appetite and can upset the gut.

Gastroenteritis: repeated vomiting, soft stools, strong thirst but no eating; without prompt care it dehydrates and can fail organs.

Pancreatitis: obvious discomfort and low spirits, with yellow-fluid vomiting and sometimes fluid in the belly.

Serious viral infections: these often begin with non-stop vomiting, fever, and refusal to eat.

2 What to Do

Use elimination to gauge the state. If early vomiting is food only and not constant, offer probiotics and warm water and watch; if it is hairballs, give a hairball remedy. For constant vomiting, see a vet.

Do not take vomiting lightly; even gastroenteritis needs a vet if it persists, since anti-emetic and anti-inflammatory shots are cheap and work fast, and a stomach-protectant helps. A cat that drinks but won’t eat may recover with rest after the vomiting stops.

Some cats stay dull even after shots, or drool; keep up the treatment and, crucially, feed by syringe if the cat will not eat, because eating is a matter of life and death for such a small animal.