Cat Health Lessons: Why is My Kitty Puking?

Vomiting, regurgitating, and coughing can mean different things. Feline pet parents must know how to tell the difference so they can take appropriate measures when any of the three symptoms appear. Only when we know the cause of discomfort can we treat it.

Vomiting means throwing up the stomach’s contents and is known to be one of the most common signs of gastrointestinal troubles. At the same time, regurgitation means casting up undigested food from the stomach to the food pipe and eventually expelling it through the mouth. When it is coughing, only the air from the lungs is expelled out and not food from a kitty’s tummy.

If you have difficulty identifying and decoding a kitty’s symptoms, take your fur baby to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. Cat insurance can cover your munchkin’s unscheduled vet visits, treatments like medications, surgeries, and more. Pet insurance for cats can help you provide your furry little friend superior medical care at affordable costs during accidents, injuries, emergencies, and other covered health conditions.

Consider purchasing pet insurance; in the meantime, read on to know some common reasons for a kitty throwing up and learn to interpret the cause by looking at the vomit color.

Why is my kitty cat puking?

To begin with, ask yourself some critical questions like –

• Did I change kitty’s diet lately?
• Is my fur baby on over-the-counter/prescription medicines currently?
• Did I feed kitty new cat treats/food products recently?
• Are other fur babies alright? (If you have other pets at home)
• Did my kitty hang around outdoors?
• What is the frequency of vomiting?
• What is the vomit color?
• Any significant changes in kitty’s appetite?
• Is kitty having meals correctly?
• Any additional symptoms? (For instance, weight loss, diarrhea, etc.)

Note all the answers so you have them ready when the vet asks you basic questions related to your pet’s vomit issue.

Kitty can puke for two reasons –

1. Gastrointestinal (GI) issues – food indulgences, reckless eating habits, hypersensitivity to specific food items, foreign body ingestion, consuming toxic food or substances, parasites, ulcers, constipation, gastrointestinal disturbances, inflammatory bowel issues, tumors in the GI tract, etc.
2. Non-gastrointestinal (N-GI) issues – renal, pancreatic, liver, or neurological diseases, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, diabetes mellitus, etc.

What does the vomit color say?

Notice the consistency and color of your kitty’s puke to get clues about health disorders that may have contributed to the vomiting episodes.

1. Lemon color – yellow colored vomits may indicate bile juice imbalances. Starvation or a medical condition like anorexia may have a role to play in such cases.
2. Blood color – stomach ulcers and/or repeated vomits can be reasons for red-colored pukes. It can also be the case during toxin ingestion or when a kitty has a clotting abnormality.
3. Milk color – Vomits can be white due to various reasons. One of the common reasons is gastrointestinal inflammation.
4. Brown color mainly points to digested blood, ulcerations, foreign objects, or hairballs in the intestines.
5. Green color – It is usually the case when the intestinal contents mixed with bile are brought up and expelled through the mouth.

Sometimes kitties may vomit fluids, as in the case of drinking too much water in one go. Also, kitties can throw up hairballs, roundworms, mucus, excessive food, etc. It is best to take your munchkin to the vet for testing as soon as you notice the slightest symptoms. 

Pet insurance for cats can help you manage vet bills during unanticipated pet health scenarios. Cat insurance benefits depend on the level of cover chosen. So, compare different pet plans before signing up for a cat policy.