My cat threw up something unusual. Is it a hairball? Should I worry?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The vomit looks like foreign material like hay or some sort of basket or string material. I would look around the house or outside and see what she is getting in to. It doesn't look like round worms to me. She is eating something she shouldn't be. I advise locating where she is getting it and removing it before it causes a blockage. Have a great day

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tatum! The vomiting could be from residual irritation from the ribbon or there could be more ribbon that is causing an obstruction. It is also possible it is completely unrelated to the ribbon in general: intestinal parasites, hair ball, ate something else gross (plant, etc), pancreatitis, food allergy/intolerance, reaction to a new food/treat/table food. You can continue to watch him but if he continues to vomit or stops eating that is an emergency and he needs to see a vet for an exam and an X-ray to check for a blockage. I wish you the best!

Hello. My guess is Io will throw this back up in the next few days, but otherwise, I would just take a wait & see. If you are really concerned, you can take her to your vet to have her stomach emptied out ( peroxide does not work in cats ), but there is a good chance this will be irritating enough to her stomach that she will vomit on her own soon. Otherwise, please consult with your veterinarian & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes you always have to be worried with potential foreign body ingestions. Hair ties are pretty small so the chance that they can cause blockages are slim, but they can still get stuck in the intestines and cause problems There are two possibilities at this point: 1) There is another hair tie still in there ( this will take some deductive reasoning in your part) that is stuck. 2) All hair ties have been expelled and your pet now just has an upset stomach due to dietary indiscretion. The odds are good because it is very small and had no sharp edges. With small foreign bodies it is recommended feed the pet a bulking agent like 1/2-1 loaf of bread or canned food that will help bind any additional objects within the GI tract and potentially help expel them out of the system. Good luck with your kitty and I hope that things will progress uneventful in the next couple of days. - Dr.H

I am sorry we didn't answer your question sooner. Hopefully you have heard from your vet by now. The tissue in the picture is actually a couple of hairballs. I would recommend talking to your vet about what may be the best option for preventing additional hairballs (medications, dietary change, shaving the hair, etc).

Hello. Without a picture, I can only guess , but your cat probably vomited up some cord like material he swallowed. Cats do like to eat anything that looks like string. It is possible he tried to ingest a small snake, too, but whatever it was, I would just be happy he vomited it up rather than it becoming an obstruction in his intestines that could have required hospitalization. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is ot possible to identify the source from the photo but your vet may be able to examine to confirm if it is indeed cat hair or synthetic yarn. I would recommend feeding a diet formulated for hair ball reduction for 3-4weeks. A full health check and abdominal xrays would be recommended to rule out any partial obstruction or sooner if there is any weight loss