What to do when a cat wants to vomit but cannot

Cat vomiting refers to the situation where a cat wants to vomit but cannot, usually characterized by dry heaving. There are many causes of dry heaving in cats, such as hairball syndrome, indigestion, foreign body obstruction, upper respiratory infections, and more. It is recommended that owners pay attention to observe their cats. If the frequency of dry heaving is low, consult a pet doctor for medication. If the frequency of dry heaving is high, or even severely affects the cat's spirit and appetite, it is necessary to go to the pet hospital for inspection. Then, based on the cause of the cat's illness, choose surgical treatment or medication.

Dry heaving caused by hairball syndrome

Cats often lick their fur, so more and more hair accumulates in their digestive system. Over time, this forms hairballs that the cat cannot digest or vomit up, resulting in dry heaving. In this case, owners can feed their cats some hair removal paste or catnip to help them expel the hairballs.

Dry heaving caused by indigestion

If a cat eats too quickly or too greedily, it may cause food to remain undigested and result in vomiting. In this case, owners can feed their cats a suitable amount of probiotics to promote digestion and alleviate the burden on the stomach and intestines.

Dry heaving caused by foreign body obstruction

If a cat accidentally eats a foreign object such as a plastic bag or a bone, the foreign object may block the throat or digestive tract, stimulating the cat to dry heave. To deal with this, owners can gently open the cat's mouth to check if there is a foreign object stuck in the throat. If the object is shallowly lodged, remove it with your hand. If the object is sharp and deeply lodged, take the cat to the pet hospital for treatment promptly.

Dry heaving caused by respiratory infection

If a cat experiences dry heaving along with symptoms such as sneezing and running nose, it may be due to an upper respiratory infection, which causes an overproduction of phlegm and leads to dry heaving, coughing, and other symptoms. In this case, the cat is not vomiting but coughing because cats do not cough up phlegm voluntarily. Instead, they clear their throats by coughing. Therefore, treat the cat with expectorant and anti-inflammatory drugs.