Help! My Cat Is Vomiting!
Rocket and Gunner
Chronic Vomiting In Cats
Sooner or later every cat will throw up, and it’s not a pretty sight. Over the years I’ve had many deep sleeps interrupted by the sound of a cat about to hurl, and somehow I manage to wake up coherent enough to grab the cat and put it on the floor before it disposes the contents of its stomach on to my sheets or myself. When you start to notice that your cat is having more frequent episodes it’s time to investigate. Despite what your vet or other cat parents may tell you, chronic vomiting in cats is not normal.
Why do cats vomit?
Dr. Karen Becker, DVM, has a great article explaining why throwing up is not normal, despite what we as cat owners may perceive. “Vomiting is a sign that something’s not right inside your pet’s body, whether minor or serious.” By far the most common reason is related to the cat’s diet. This is understandable when you consider the number of inappropriate ingredients in cat food. Grains, by-products, carbohydrates, food dyes, additives, preservatives, etc, are often found in poor quality food and treats. The amount of “junk” in the food can easily cause GI upset.
Another diet related cause is food sensitivity. Many cats develop food sensitivities because of a lack of variety; they get used to eating the same food and/or proteins all the time. The most common food sensitivities are to chicken and fish. Do you realize how often you’ll find a chicken product listed on a cat food or treat label? It’s in everything!
Lady Bug
Some kitties like to gobble up their food which can result in vomiting. This may be more common in a multi-cat household, and the cats are fed in the same area. The gobbler hurries to finish her food so that the other cats can’t take it from her. This kind of behavior is best dealt with by feeding the cat separately away from the other cats. Offering smaller, more frequent meals may also help.
A lack of enzymes can also cause vomiting. Dr. Becker goes on to say that “a cat’s pancreas sometimes doesn’t produce enough lipase, protease, and amylase, which creates a chronic or acute low-grade case of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is very common in kitties. In fact, we’re finding as veterinarians it’s a lot more common than we assumed as the underlying cause of intermittent vomiting.”
Other common causes of vomiting in cats include hairballs, ingesting something toxic or poisonous, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and even hyperthyroidism. If your seemingly healthy kitty suddenly starts throwing up pretty regularly it’s time to start asking the question why. A visit to the vet to rule out the serious diseases may also be in order.
Ebony
True Stories
Rocket and Gunner
I’ve worked with a lot of cats who had issues with vomiting, including my own twins, Rocket and Gunner. They’ve both been eating a raw diet for several years now and had no issues with the ground up food. One day I decided to offer them raw quail. The quail was restaurant grade had already been cleaned and frozen with all the bones still in tact. I cut the quail into about 8 pieces and offered the boys a couple of pieces each. They ate every single bite–bone and all–and begged for more.
Over time I started to find vomit the next morning with little pieces of quail vertebrae in it. I suspected they had a food sensitivity, and that was easily confirmed with muscle testing. Our naturopath was able to remove the sensitivity using a holistic energy medicine technique called ECR. This modality allows the body to release any association of sensitivity at the cellular level. Now they have no issues eating raw quail, and it continues to be one of their favorites.
Rocket also used to have serious issues with fur balls. He used to spend lots of time in our enclosed courtyard soaking up the sun, especially during the warmer months. I started finding fur balls every morning when I’d come downstairs and by muscle testing I was able to determine they were all from him. Needless to say cleaning up fur balls every days was not something I looked forward to. It wasn’t feasible to me that he would have that much fur in his stomach on a daily basis.
I tried brushing him everyday to help alleviate the problem, but even that didn’t help. Then it occurred to me that he may have a sensitivity. I was finally able to determine that he was sensitive to his own fur and fur balls! Using ECR I was able to remove the sensitivities, and he hasn’t had any issues with fur balls since. I’m sure he feels better not vomiting everyday!
Morgan
Morgan, Bella, Lady Bug and Ebony
One of my clients, Vickie, has five beautiful Persian cats, and I have worked with four of them for various issues. She reached out to me initially because her cat Morgan was vomiting and had a few other issues going on. Bella began throwing up white, foamy liquid; Lady Bug would throw up large and small amounts of food, usually right after she gobbled some down. Just recently I worked on Ebony who began to throw up little bits of food, with and without fur. I used muscle testing along with each cat’s photo to determine which potential cause resonated. Then we were able to address their issues and get them some relief.
The results were very interesting, and all of them were food related. Morgan had a food sensitivity to chicken and wet food. This would explain why he avoided wet food all his life and would only eat dry. Bella was throwing up because she was hungry. It’s not uncommon for stomach acid to cause vomiting in anticipation of eating, especially when it’s close to mealtimes.
Lady Bug simply loved to eat and would eat too fast and too much. I found her to be sensitive to chicken and dry food, and she had an emotional sensitivity to eating. She needed smaller, supervised meals away from the other cats so she could eat more slowly and not have access to steal the others’ food. Ebony, who loved seafood recipes, had a food sensitivity to chicken, fur balls, tuna, whitefish and mackerel.
Bella
They were all sensitive to the carbohydrates in the grain free cat wet and dry food they had been eating. I was able to clear all the food and emotions using ECR, and Vickie switched them to human grade wet food and Stella and Chewy’s freeze-dried food. Now they get a buffet of healthier options! What a difference it has made in the life of these precious kitties, and I know Vickie appreciates not having to clean up cat vomit everyday, too.
Is your cat having chronic vomiting issues? Consider doing an Optimal Cat Health Analysis and see what resonates with your cat! If you liked this article please share it on your favorite social channel so we can help more cats.
