Common causes and treatments for cat vomiting

As a cat owner, it is a common occurrence to see your cat vomit! Some may panic, while others remain indifferent. Some even take their cats to the vet. Today, let's understand some of the reasons behind cat vomiting. There may be dozens of reasons for cat vomiting.

1. Hairball Disease

This is the most common reason for cat vomiting, regardless of whether the cat has long or short hair. Even dogs and rabbits have this issue. The typical symptoms of hairball disease are vomiting about 1 to 3 times a week, with the vomit consisting of a hairball. If you often feed your cat grass, there may be coarse fiber fragments vomited out.

Prevention: Help your cat groom its hair to maintain normal metabolism, reducing the amount of hair shed so that the cat will not inhale too much hair when cleaning itself. If possible, you can also feed your cat special cat food, which can help the cat vomit out hairballs or aid in digestion by promoting bowel movements.

2. Eating Too Fast

Many pet owners may have experienced their cats wolfing down food, as if they were starving. After eating, they may vomit up the food, which is caused by overeating.

Prevention: Feed your cat on a regular schedule and in limited quantities; if you have more than one cat, feed them separately. Prepare multiple feeding stations for your cats.

3. Stress

Cats under stress are prone to vomiting, and there are many reasons behind it: buying a new pet, purchasing new furniture or renovating the house, having guests at home, cleaning the carpet, and even owner-induced stress.

Prevention: Besides playing with your cat more often to build trust and emotional communication, remember that cats are sensitive animals, and your actions may affect them.

4. Food Allergies

For certain breeds of cats, some ingredients you give them may become potential allergens; however, food allergies usually occur when you feed your cat something they don't usually eat. Common allergens include grains, food dyes, chemical additives, and preservatives. Allergic reactions are usually mild, but the affected cat may vomit a few times a week, with most incidents occurring within two hours after eating. Cats with food allergies may also experience intermittent diarrhea, but the severity doesn't always correspond to the degree of vomiting.

Prevention: Determining allergens is not easy, so it's best to exclude potentially allergenic foods from your cat's diet and feed them a fixed menu.

5. Gastric Ulcers

Gastric ulcers are rare in cats, but they can occur. Symptoms are not obvious or only intermittent vomiting. Diagnosis requires X-rays or endoscopy.

Treatment: Control symptoms with human equivalent medications, aiming to reduce gastric acid secretion and gastrointestinal peristalsis.

6. Pyloric Obstruction

The pylorus controls food and water entering the intestine, transferring the stomach and duodenum. Acute vomiting occurs when the pylorus is paralyzed, but a pyloric fistula is painless and doesn't affect appetite. Diagnosis can be made through dietary assessment and endoscopy. If food therapy and medication don't work, surgical enlargement of the pylorus to reduce obstruction can be considered.

7. Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is more common in cats over 10 years old. Although they appear weak, they still exhibit drowning while eating. Their fur is thick and hard, and they experience diarrhea and vomiting. Heart rates often exceed 220 beats per minute. Veterinary medical checks are required to confirm the detailed medical history and blood tests. Cats with hyperthyroidism have thyroid hormone levels three to four times higher than normal, causing metabolic issues.

Treatment: Medication or thyroid removal. Note that this disease requires long-term medication control.

8. Invasive Gastroenteritis

Invasive gastroenteritis is a condition where several cells infiltrate the villi of the intestine, including eosinophils and lymphocytes. The mechanism triggering this reaction is unknown, but the consequence is inadequate absorption of nutrients. Veterinarians often refer to this condition as inflammatory bowel disease, which is common in cats. Apart from diarrhea, vomiting is more common, but vomiting is usually a precursor.

Treatment: Biopsy is required for diagnosis. Once diagnosed, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs can control the condition.