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My long-haired cat is throwing up hairballs and food. Is it normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed

My long-haired cat is throwing up hairballs and mostly-digested dry food (no blood or mucus). I thought a hairball now and then was normal, but this is the 3rd time she's had one in the last month. She doesn't have a signal (drooling, etc) that indicates she's about to throw up. She's an older indoor/outdoor cat and the second time she threw up lizard chunks also came out with it. I give her Lax'aire every so often (about once a week or so), but now I'm not sure if it's helping or not.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Menolly Cote, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on July 12th, 2017

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Bobbi Musgrove, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 6th, 2017
You are monitoring all the correct things to ensure your kitty doesn't get sick. If you haven't seen any vomiting, regardless of whether she vomits up hair, it is hard to interpret that this is a hair ball issue. Her walking changes could be due to a source of pain inside her body, such as joint pain, anal gland pain or even an area of the skin that is painful. I recommend looking her over closely, even under the tail, in the groin and underarm areas to ensure there are no areas of matted hair or skin changes. If you do not find anything, I suggest taking her to your veterinarian for a complete physical examination so that any abnormalities that could be contributing to her movements and lack of a good appetite be cared for as quickly as possible.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on November 29th, 2018
A change in behavior could be from pain or anxiety. Vomiting could have a range of causes, including hairballs, food allergy, eating too fast, GI blockage, intestinal parasites, etc. I would give her some time to calm down. If she is still acting odd or continues vomiting or has a poor appetite, I would definitely have her examined by the vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Is my longhaired cat's frequent hairball vomiting normal or serious?

It is pretty normal to regurgitate hair balls once in two weeks. Keep feeding the Hairball prevention formula. It actually helps with eliminating most of the hair via the feces, but a long haired cat, especially if she is a meticulate groomer, just may ingest too many hairs for this to solely happen and therefore she has hair balls to get rid off also.You can also get some hairball remedy (a malt and oil paste) from your vet or a petshop, which also helps with the elimination of hairballs. If you brush your kitty often , she will ingest less hair as well.

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My cat keeps throwing up hairballs despite daily brushing. What to do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lilly. A longhaired cat should only produce 3-4 hairballs per year. Any more than that is considered abnormal. If her initial blood panel came back normal, I typically recommend a secondary panel that checks for pancreatitis, a disease known as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency as well as cobalamin and folate levels. This can reveal the cause of the vomiting or give some treatment options for her. Inflammatory bowel disease is common cause of chronic vomiting. This will typically result in a low cobalamin levels. It can not be diagnosed without intestinal biopsies, but those are very invasive. An abdominal ultrasound can give a lot of information and rule out other causes of vomiting. If I suspect this to be the case, I will treat the patient with a prescription hydrolyzed diet to help decrease inflammation and sometimes medication as well. I hope this information helps!

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My cat frequently throws up food and liquid. Hairball or serious?

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

vomiting that frequently is not normal. The blood can be from an ulcer or acid reflux or rupturing of a blood vessel due to the retching. Frequent vomiting can be due to a food allergy or intolerance to an ingredient or inflammatory bowel disease. You can start by changing to a novel protein/hypoallergenic diet to see if this help. If the pattern continues then you will need testing such as an ultrasound or biopsy to find the underlying cause for medication to help control the symptoms.

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Why does my cat keep throwing up food and hairballs so often?

Brushing Meezer daily to remove excess hair will help reduce the hair balls and therefore the vomiting. You can also give cat laxative twice weekly to reduce the hair balls. Feeding several small meals will help too as cats who eat large amounts quickly tend to vomit more frequently. In general healthy cats tend to vomit off an on regardless. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Meezer.

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Cat throws up after eating in morning, but seems normal. Why?

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Why is my cat suddenly vomiting food and furballs more often?

Vomiting cats are a frequent problem and could indicate a problem that is rather mild or can have more severe causes. I've given a link to a short article below that explains common causes and gives advice about what to do. I hope this helps. https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-vomiting-in-cats/

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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