My cat throws up monthly with blood. Is this normal? What's wrong?

I'm sorry to hear that Hercules is not feeling well! I understand your concern for your little guy. You did the right thing by first withholding food after he vomited. However, the blood in his vomit is a bit more concerning. It could indicate irritation or ulcers in the esophagus or stomach, parasites, rat poison ingestion or blood clotting disorders. In young cats, one of the most common causes of recurrent vomiting is an intestinal or stomach foreign body obstruction. At this point, I recommend taking Hercules to his vet urgently for an exam and he may need abdominal x-rays and/or blood testing to get to the bottom of things. I hope that he feels better soon!

While vomiting hair occasionally is normal for some cats the increased frequency you have described is concerning. It is possible at Midnight is grooming more due to a seasonal coat shedding or she may have some underlying intestinal irritation contributing to the vomiting. Cats that hunt are at higher risk for parasites and this can also contribute to vomiting. If the increased frequency of vomiting continues or if you notice any other signs such as decreased appetite, lethargy or weight loss, I would recommend that you have her seen by your veterinarian. They may recommend checking a stool sample for parasites and possibly blood work to rule out other potential causes for vomiting such as kidney disease or thyroid problems.

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.

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that this is a hairball issue, so placing Beans on a hairball supplement or changing the diet to a hairball formulation may help. If this continues to happen, then I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound to see if there is any indication of what may be causing the nausea / vomiting.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are many different reasons why cats will vomit periodically. It could be an allergy or sensitivity to the food, to inflammation anywhere in the GI tract, pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease, and many more. These cases can be extremely frustrating and take lots of testing to figure out because of this. The first thing I recommend is screening blood work to look for organ dysfunction that could lead to vomiting. In the vast majority of cats who are acting normal other than the vomiting, the blood work is usually normal. X-rays are also performed to look for any obvious change in organ shape or size and to look for obstruction, masses, etc. Beyond that, the testing gets more involved and typically involves an abdominal ultrasound. Sometime this can give you an answer. Other times the only way to confirm a diagnosis is through biopsies of the affected organs. The other thing that is commonly recommended is a change in diet. If there is an ingredient that she is sensitive to, we want to try to eliminate it from her diet. This is best done with a prescription diet because over-the-counter diets can be contaminated with ingredients that are not on the label. Food trials need to be done for at least 6 to 8 weeks and they can't eat anything else during this time. If the vomiting resolves with the new diet, I recommend keeping her on that diet long-term.

It is not normal for a cat to vomit that frequently, so your cat may have inflammatory bowel disease or another type of chronic gastrointestinal disease. Since it has been going on for so, a diet change may not be enough at this point. The ideal situation would be to have your veterinarian do some testing to determine what is causing the vomiting. If that is not an option, then I would discuss treatment options with your veterinarian. There are a number of medications that may be able to resolve the vomiting. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.