Home Remedies for Cat Vomiting | The way of Prevention and Treatment

Home remedies for cat vomiting can provide you with rapid help for the management of vomiting not associated with severe conditions regarding the causes and complications of vomiting. As cat vomiting is a common symptom and mostly associated with mild conditions which can be managed by simple remedies, you should be aware of these home remedies for cat vomiting to manage your pet early and prevent progression of the condition.

Vomiting in Cats:

Vomiting is not a normal presentation but it is one of the common complaints about cats. It is not a disease but it is a sign of mild or severe disease.  Most cases of cat vomiting, especially acute vomiting, resolve spontaneously or rapidly with simple treatment without the need to visit a vet. However, cases with Severe and chronic vomiting are more serious as severe vomiting may be associated with secondary medical problems such as dehydration and electrolytes disturbance leading to serious complications. Therefore, early management and treatment of vomiting are essential to avoid these complications. 

How can we recognize vomiting?

Vomiting May be preceded by nausea which indicates stomach discomfort. The signs of nausea include frequent lip licking, salivation, and repeated swallowing, restlessness, retching, heavy breathing, and agitated and nervous behavior with vocalization and hyperactivity. The act of vomiting itself indicates forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles and is manifested as an expulsion of fluid, froth, or food associated with effort. 

It is essential to differentiate vomiting from coughing as it is also associated with abdominal contractions. When the cat is coughing, it crouches down on all legs with its neck stretched out. It is also essential to differentiate vomiting from regurgitation which is a passive act associated with problems of the esophagus. You can differentiate vomiting from regurgitation by the following features:

• Vomiting is typically associated with effortful abdominal contractions. 

• Regurgitation typically occurs passively without abdominal contractions. 

• Regurgitation often occurs right after eating or drinking while vomiting is not related to eating or drinking.

Types of vomiting in cats (Acute versus chronic):

Throwing up can be classified into two main types: acute and chronic vomiting. Depending on the type of vomiting, the veterinarian can determine the cause of the vomiting and accordingly can treat your pet.

1. Acute vomiting

It is defined as a sudden attack of vomiting lasting for less than 3 days.  This mostly occurs after eating unpleasant food or may be due to a sensitive stomach. Acute vomiting usually is not associated with other symptoms. however, it may be severe and  associated  with any of the following alert Symptoms:

• Continuous vomiting

• Weakness

• Distress and pain

• Lethargy

• Blood in the vomit (hematemesis)

• Blood in the stool (melena)

1. Chronic vomiting 

It means vomiting with some regularity (at least monthly, but it can be daily) for a long duration of time. The cat with chronic vomiting vomits more than 1 or 2 times/day and mostly has other symptoms such as weight loss,  abdominal pain, and depression. If Chronic vomiting is not managed carefully, it will lead to serious complications as damage to the esophagus, gastric ulceration, pneumonia, and others. 

Causes of vomiting in cats:

The pet owner needs to be aware of the causes of throwing up in cats before he knows the natural Home remedies for cat vomiting.

1. Causes of Acute Cat Vomiting

There are many causes of acute vomiting in cats varying from minor to severe fatal causes. Pet owners should be aware of these causes, so they can act accordingly:

1-Change in Diet in a short time

Change in the pet's diet is one of the most causes of vomiting. Rapid change of diet either by sudden switching of your pet diet or adding new food will cause disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract as vomiting, regurgitation, and diarrhea.  

2-Treats & Milk

If a cat finds milk in front of it, it will drink it down. But, take care that not all types of milk are proper for cats. as they do not have the needed enzymes for breaking down the sugars in some types of milk as cow milk; leading to gastrointestinal upsets as vomiting and diarrhea. Therefore, you should be sure that the milk is proper for cats. 

3-Eating Too Fast

Cats eating fast are more prone to develop gastric upset including vomiting and regurgitation as they are walking on four legs and having a horizontally-positioned esophagus. So, The undigested food can get back into the esophagus instead of passing into the stomach. Therefore, you should help your pet to eat more slowly.  

4-Consuming Foreign Bodies

Vomiting in cats may be due to the ingestion of foreign bodies as toys and hairballs. Although cats are not like dogs that eat almost anything in their sight, the cat has the problem of the hairball. As the cat cleans itself more Frequently by constant hair liking leading to the hairball. 

5-Toxins or Chemicals

Ingestion of toxins or chemicals can be a cause of throwing up leading to severe sudden vomiting in felines. chemicals as in household cleaners,  herbicides, and pesticides are poisonous causing acute immediate vomiting. Pet owners should also realize many common household plants are toxic for cats. the owner must aware of the common toxins and chemicals poisonous to cats to keep these toxins away. 

6-Acute Organ dysfunction 

Acute Dysfunction of main organs— as the liver and kidneys—can be associated with nonspecific symptoms as vomiting in cats. Therefore, it is essential for the veterinarian to exclude organ dysfunction as it is a severe condition leading to serious complications and need urgent management  

7-Medications

Particular medications such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and Chemotherapy can cause acute vomiting in cats as a side effect. If your pet with vomiting receives one of these medications for the management of chronic conditions, you should tell your veterinarian to change the medication.  

1. Causes of chronic Cat Vomiting:

Pet owners should be also alert to chronic vomiting in cats as they may refer to serious conditions. Therefore, the condition can be well managed without complications.

1-Food allergies and food intolerance

Cats and dogs can develop allergies to food like humans. Food allergies can cause intermittent chronic vomiting over a long duration of time. It must be in mind as a cause of vomiting especially if your pet has a healthy weight and normal energy.

2-Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is one of the causes of chronic cat vomiting. Inflammatory Bowel Disease refers to chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including gastritis, enteritis, pancreatitis, and colitis. It can lead to more severe complications if not well treated.

3-Chronic Toxicity 

Poisoning may be a cause of chronic vomiting as well as acute vomiting in cats. But in chronic vomiting, it may be more difficult to detect the underlying cause. While the toxin in acute toxicity is consumed a short duration before vomiting occurs, the toxin in chronic toxicity is consumed in a small amount for a prolonged period. chronic poisoning from lead is common in pets as well as humans.

4-Neurological Disorders

Different neurological disorders in cats are often associated with a common symptom; chronic vomiting. neurological disorders need proper diagnosis and management as it may lead to more serious consequences if it is not treated well.  Neurological disorders may be due to many reasons as trauma, infection, or malignancy. 

5-Intestinal obstruction

Intestinal obstruction can also be an etiology of chronic vomiting in cats. It can be due to the accumulation of ingested food and fluids in the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, the vomiting is intermittent for a prolonged duration.  Intestinal obstruction can occur due to several reasons, varying from mild cases as a foreign body to more severe cases as malignancy.

6-Cancer

Cancer is a critical cause of chronic vomiting in cats. It may be either a direct cause due to malignancy involving the gastrointestinal system or an indirect cause due to malignancy involving systems other than the gastrointestinal system as skin malignancy.  Early diagnosis and management of cancer are essential, so you can save your pet’s life.

Home remedies for cat vomiting:

There are many home remedies for cat vomiting that can be used to stop vomiting at home without the need for vet consultation. It can be used for the treatment of mild vomiting not associated with complications.

1. Fasting:

Food Fasting is one of the home remedies for cat vomiting that may be effective for stopping vomiting. Food fasting maybe for a short or long time with attention to keep your pet well-hydrated.  

-Short food Fast 

In a short fast, you try to withhold food but not water for two hours as a start. If your bet is drinking a large amount of water and throwing it up, only give it a small amount of water at a time. A short fast has the benefit of providing rest for the cat's stomach before getting the following meal. Short food fast is one of the greatest home remedies for cat vomiting in addition to other different digestive problems.

-Longer Food Fast

If a short fast does not help to improve vomiting, then try fast for long hours. In a long fast, you try to withhold food for 12 to 24 hours. In this remedy, you must keep your pet well-hydrated. After the end of fast hours, you should slowly introduce bland food into your pet's diet. You must be careful about small kittens as they are not like adult cats that can be fasted for 24 hours. You should not fast small kittens for so long; not more than 4 hours through the day.

1. Bland diet:

If your pet has fasted for 12- 24 hours, a bland diet is needed to continue the management of vomiting. Cats are fed about 5 times per day for 3–7 days. It can help you to reduce vomiting and return your pet easily to their normal diet following fasting. A bland diet can include boiled chicken or hamburger without fat,  and white rice. This bland diet has proteins and carbohydrates that provide the necessary nutrients and energy to your pet in addition to it is easy to be digested.

1. Hairballs remedy

As Hairball is a common cause of cat throwing up, it is essential to know the different home remedies for cat vomiting due to hairball. Here are some of them.

• Regular grooming of your pet

• Adding a little amount of olive oil, melted butter, or pure canned pumpkin to your PETS food to help digestion and help to pass the hair through the stool, rather than vomiting it

• Putting a little amount of vaseline or any other type of petroleum jelly on the cat's paw to be licked off and  help to pass the hairball with the stool

1. Peppermint Tea

One of the useful home remedies for cat vomiting is herbal peppermint tea which can treat gastric upset in cats as well as humans. After the usual preparation of tea using a peppermint tea bag, leave the teabag in the water for 15 minutes. Then, you can give two tablespoons to the cat by itself or pour it over the cat food.

summary

It is important to be aware of the natural home remedies for cat vomiting, as they can help you to prevent vomiting, treat mild uncomplicated vomiting, and manage the severe complicated vomiting until you can consult your vet. Therefore, proper knowledge of these home remedies for cat vomiting provides the potential safety of your pet’s life. 

By: Dr. Shaimaa