Why does my 1-year-old cat vomit food occasionally but seems healthy?

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.

Poor Sweetie! In older cats, I would be concerned that the vomiting is caused by kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, a foreign body, or intestinal lymphoma. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can do a physical exam, routine blood tests, a urinalysis, x-rays, and possibly an ultrasound to determine what is causing her vomiting. Once the cause is found, the vet can recommend a possible treatment.

Common causes of vomiting in cats includes hairballs, food allergy, eating too fast, GI blockage, intestinal parasites, IBD, intestinal lymphoma, hyperthyroidism, systemic disease (liver, kidney, pancreas, diabetes), among others. You can remove her food and wait 6-12 hours to see if the vomiting stops. Then only give her small amounts of her food. If the vomiting continues tomorrow, Mochi should get checked out by her vet.

Draco may be eating his food too fast and then it expands (in the case of dry food) and the stomach wants to get rid of it, "thinking" it is overfilling, Better feed him smaller amounts of food over three to four times a day. Eating grass is a sign of a tummy ache or nausea. Draco may also be trying to get rid of a hair ball. In addition, there is a possibility of chronic pancreatitis and gastritis. Older cats also tend to get old cat diseases, such as hyperthyroidism or kidney disease, both of which can cause vomiting. Worst case scenario, especially since Draco is an older kitty, would be lymphoma. I suggest you take Draco to your veterinarian for a senior exam including blood tests, possibly x-rays, if the vomiting does not subside with changing to feeding smaller portions more frequently.

The possible causes of for vomiting are numerous. The fact that you recently moved (be in a month ago at this point) could play a role potentially as stress is a definite cause of GI upset in cats. Other causes can be dietary, gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, kidney / liver disease, allergies, foreign objects, and even cancer in some rarer cases in a young cat. Since there have only been episodes of vomiting total at this point, I wouldn't be particularly concerned as of yet. If you see this happening another couple of times over the next week, I think it is something worth investigating more. Hope this helps!

It depends on how soon after eating your cat vomits. If food is consumed and then almost immediately regurgitated (still looks whole, not digested), then s/he may be eating too fast. If it is several hours later and the food is partially digested, s/he may have a food allergy or intolerance, a gastrointestinal disorder, or some other underlying medical condition. For cats that gobble their food, it helps to feed more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. Or you can put a couple balls or small blocks (too large to be swallowed) in the bowl so your cat has to eat around the obstacles. This will slow down his/her eating.

Poor Splash! This vomiting could be caused by a GI illness, eating something rotten, a foreign body, or pancreatitis. Given that he has been vomiting since Friday morning, it's time to see a vet as soon as possible. The vet can diagnose what is causing the vomiting so he can be treated . I would take Splash into a vet now.