My cat is throwing up bloody foam. Is this an emergency for my cat?

This does appear like blood, but I would first want to know if he/she ate anything that was red colored. If she/he did eat something red colored within the past three hours, then I'd assume this is causing this appearance. If not, then it's likely blood, which indicates an esophageal or gastric ulcer. Bleeding from these locations can be dangerous, because they can lose a significant amount of blood in the stomach and intestines. For this reason, we consider this an emergency and recommend a visit to the vet as soon as possible for an accurate diagnosis and treatment.

It's not possible to say exactly what is causing this, as there are a few different possibilities. One possibility is that your cat ate something they were not supposed to like medication, a chemical (i.e. antifreeze), or a plant (i.e. lilies). Vomiting is often the first signs of an exposure to a toxin, so I recommend checking if it's possible for your cat to have eaten anything other than the normal diet.

Vomiting and nausea can also be due to an infectious disease, organ failure, or imbalance in the blood. In order to narrow down the possibilities, you would have to take your cat to the vet for an evaluation.

If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet.

I hope that helps and your cat gets better soon.