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Should You Feed A Cat After It Vomits? (Why It’s Risky…)

If you have witnessed your cat throwing up, it may just be she has eaten too fast (click here for my 3 best slow feed cat bowls to get around this). But, either way, you may be wondering if you should carry on feeding it as normal…

Should you feed a cat after it vomits?

You should not feed your cat immediately after it vomits. Give it a few hours first. Then, if it seems a bit better, re-introduce it to some simple, but digestible foods like cooked chicken or a diet recommended by your vet. Then monitor it for 24 hours and if all good, return to normal.

So, now you know. But, what should you feed it after it vomits? What is regarded as “chronic” vomiting? Does the color of the vomit mater? Keep reading for these answers and much more…

What to feed a cat who has been vomiting?

A cat should be fed simple, easily digestable food who has been vomiting. However, they need some time to recover before you even consider doing this. And, its also a good idea to consult your vet if you are unsure.

If its a one off many cat owners will move on from this. But, if it keeps happeing or seems to be chronic vomiting make sure you take it seriously. But, in general, if in doubt, check with your vet.

What home remedy helps cats from throwing up?

A home remedy for avoiding your cat continuously throwing up is to focus on bland foods that are easy for it to digest. Some cat owners even use a combination of water and ice cubes to help with this.

Regarding water and ice cubes, the method entails giving your cat small measures of water on regular basis, such as ever half hour. Or, giving them an ice cube to lick on until they are ready to consume some solid food again.

What is considered chronic vomiting in cats?

Chrnic vomiting in cats is often regarded as more than twice a month. But, this can vary. This could be caused from various things such as hairballs, or even a health issue making it regurgitate food.

If you have some concerns its worth taking your cat to see the vet to avoid any issues.

What does the color of cat vomit mean?

The color of your cat’s vomit gives your vet an indication of what the underlying issue could be. You can expect to see a variety of colors such as green, yellow, or even red.

The color varies depending on what is wrong with your cat and what they have consumed prior to vomiting.

What to do after your cat throws up?

You need to assess how often this has happened. If it’s a one-off it may not be serious. And a general clean up and rest will suffice. However, if it’s a regular occurrence you need to seek some advice from your vet immediately.

Now you know what you should be doing at a high level, let me explain how to look out for their body language. Also, when to take it more seriously, different types (levels) of throw up to look out for and more…

Gauging Their Body Language & Frequency.

As discussed, if this is the first time you’ve seen it happen, for example, you notice signs of grass that he may have been eating (click here to see if indoor cats need grass), then the chances are it’s probably nothing to worry about. Chances are, you could overlook it and allow them to sleep it off.

However, if this is happening regularly or displays any sign of discomfort, then you need to take it more seriously.

You have to study their body language, does she look normal in your opinion? Only you will understand what is normal for your cat. If there are any concerns, even the slightest concern, then I highly advise that you contact your vet.

What different types of vomiting (Throw up) is there?

In your mind you may be thinking sick is sick, right? However, there is different levels of sickness. In particular:

• Acute vomiting.
• Chronic vomiting.

Acute Vomiting

This is more of an unexpected, out of the blue occurrence. It may only last for 1 or 2 days. In some cases, it may even be just a one-off. An example could be, like what we discussed earlier, where your cat has consumed some grass.

Chronic vomiting

This is more serious. Can go on for days or even multiple times per day. This is something that needs to be taken a lot more seriously. You may also expect to see symptoms such as depression, weight loss, or excessive stomach pains.

What Causes Acute Vomiting?

This can be caused by several different issues. For that reason, I’m going to share some with you now…

Transitioning

Transitioning is a posh way of saying trying out new food. Effectively, this is when you make a drastic switch from one food type to another. The consequence is your cat throwing up.

Basically, the new food doesn’t agree with your cat. This can cause acute vomiting because your cat’s body is rejecting it.

Instead of making a drastic switch to a new food brand or product, it is advisable to transition gradually. Simply give them a portion of the new food along with the old one that they are used to.

Eating too fast

Another issue often seen by cat owners is cats that are eating too fast. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a real problem but it can cause your cat to throw up.

The reason for this is, if your cat is rather enthusiastic about the food, she can gobble it up without actually chewing it up properly. Basically, it cannot be digested properly.

Also, in the process of shoveling the food down, there is a good chance that they’ll be gulping down lots of air into their stomach. This doesn’t agree and therefore the food will be rejected.

This is also seen if multiple cats are competing with each other. This tends to happen if one cat feels that if they don’t eat fast they won’t have anything.

The best solution for this is looking into a slow feeder (click here to see my 3 best slow feed cat bowls for wet food) which will slow down the pace of their eating.

Eating random objects

Another habit that some cats have is eating things that they shouldn’t. In particular random objects such as toilet paper (Click here to learn how to stop your cat ripping this up), carpet, or even things like grass.

The problem with these items, as you can imagine, is they cannot be digested by your cat. Therefore, its body does the natural thing and rejects these items.

These items are not so bad when compared to other more serious objects. For example:

• Bits of string
• Kids Toys
• etc

If you are unfortunate and your cat consumes one of these objects, it can cause a serious problem. They can lodge in their intestines and can also cause severe pain along with vomiting.

Consuming cow’s milk

Not many cat owners know this, but you should not really be feeding cows milk to your cat. The problem is, unlike humans, cats do not have the appropriate enzymes to fully break down cow’s milk.

If you do want to give them some form of milk you need to make sure that it is special milk that your cat can consume (click here to see the price of this cat milk on Amazon #Ad).

When should you be concerned when you see your cat vomiting?

According to iams.com, if you see your cat vomiting two to three times in a month this is not necessarily a cause for concern especially if it’s not consecutive days. However, if it’s:

• more frequent than this (such as daily or multiple times per day).
• Notice blood in the vomit.
• Continuously retching.
• or seem in serious discomfort.

If any of these match your case then I strongly advise that you take your cat to see the vet to get advice immediately. To be honest, if there is any doubt, it’s better to be safe than sorry and take them to the vet.

What can you do to prevent this from happening?

We’ve talked a lot about why these things are happening and different types of vomit, etc. Now I’m going to talk to you about ways that you can actively prevent this from happening.

One of the biggest issues is your cat eating too fast. Here are some ways that you can get around this to make life easier for yourself…

Smaller portions

The first thing that you can consider is giving her smaller portions of food. This will cut down the amount that she can actually get into her body at any one time. She won’t have the luxury of overfeeding in a fast manner this way.

Slow Feeder

Another thing that you can consider it’s purchasing a slow feeding cat bowl (as discussed earlier). These are ideal because you can put a regular-sized portion in there but the design of the bowl will allow your cat to naturally slow down the food consumption.

This will also help because as they eat slower, they will feel fuller earlier. This may even help them to eat slightly less and lose weight.

Splitting up cats at dinner time

As discussed earlier if there is more than one cat in the household. You may notice them fighting to eat the food. This competition can result in eating too fast.

Instead, consider feeding them separately to avoid this competing. It may be a bit of a hassle setting up two feeding spots, but it will be worth it.

Using an object to distract her

Using an object such as a ball is a clever way to slow down their eating. However, you need to be careful and make sure the ball is quite large, to avoid her eating it. The idea is the ball will force her to eat around it.

This will force her to slow down her eating pace. To be honest, I much prefer a slow-feeding cat bowl (where can you wash these bowls? click here). Something about this ball is not ideal for me. But, it is a method never the less.