Frequent Vomiting in Cats: Signs, Causes, and Treatment

It's abnormal for a cat to vomit daily or even several times a month. If your cat is vomiting frequently, it could be from a simple issue such as hairballs. It could indicate your cat has eaten a toxic substance or has a serious illness. Whatever reason you suspect, see your vet as soon as possible. A thorough exam can give an accurate diagnosis and provide treatment options.

WARNING

If you suspect that your cat (or any pet) has eaten something poisonous, call your vet or the Pet Poison Helpline immediately.

Many conditions and circumstances cause cats to vomit repeatedly. It could be a passing thing or a sign of a serious health concern. The key to correcting the issue is to identify the cause.

Eating Too Fast

One possible benign cause for frequent vomiting is that your cat eats too much food, too fast. This can happen to any healthy cat. You will notice your cat vomits barely digested or undigested food immediately after eating.

Food Allergies

The most common food allergens in cats are beef, fish, and chicken. Other ingredients can lead to allergies as well. Cats with food allergies are treated with special diets containing ingredients they haven't been exposed to before.

Poisoning

Sudden vomiting can also be caused by poisoning, which is an emergency. There are several sources of toxins in the average home:

• Antifreeze: Ethylene glycol is a poisonous ingredient in antifreeze. It is attractive to cats and dogs because its tastes sweet. Signs of poisoning include nausea and vomiting. Choose antifreeze with propylene glycol, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has labeled as non-toxic.

• Other home and yard toxins: Human medications, toxic cleaners, insect sprays, and yard and garden sprays to control weeds and pests all have the potential to poison your pets.

• Recalled cat food and treats: When news of a pet food recall breaks, take notice. Some recalls are because the food contains dangerous toxins. Read about the affected brands of food, then check to ensure that you don't have any in your home. If you do, follow the recall instructions and dispose of it immediately.

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Feline inflammatory bowel disease is another cause of vomiting. It is usually accompanied by diarrhea and weight loss. This disease can occur anywhere in a cat's intestinal tract, including the stomach (gastritis), the small intestine (enteritis), or the large intestine (colitis).

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, which is part of the endocrine and digestive systems. Cats with pancreatitis show vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, fever, and an unwillingness to drink water or eat.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common in older cats. Kidneys filter waste from the blood. They balance nutrients and play a role in controlling blood pressure. Signs of CKD include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss, and increased water consumption. While CKD is a progressive disease, earlier intervention can lead to better outcomes.

Feline Diabetes

Diabetes is another endocrine disease. As with pancreatitis, vomiting is a common and often one of the first signs something is wrong. Other signs include increased thirst, hunger, and urination as well as weight loss and muscle weakness.

Hyperthyroidism

Frequent vomiting along with increased appetite and weight loss are also indicators of hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid gland, which is part of the endocrine system. You can also look for signs such as irritability, diarrhea, weakness, and excessive thirst. Additionally, your cat's fur may appear as if it's not being groomed as normal.

Hepatic Lipidosis

Hepatic lipidosis is also known as 'fatty liver disease'. While not a primary cause of vomiting, persistent vomiting can lead to hepatic lipidosis. This disease can be fatal. However, it's often reversible, provided it's quickly diagnosed and treated.

Hairballs

Although hairballs are common in cats, they're no laughing matter. Hairballs that are not vomited up can cause a bowel obstruction. Surgery is required to remove the obstruction.

Treatment

If your cat vomits for two days in a row, call your veterinarian. They will determine if your cat should be examined. You may be able to treat your cat at home.

The treatment for your cat's vomiting depends on the underlying cause. For instance, treatment for feline inflammatory bowel disease includes medication. If your cat also has food allergies, they need a limited-ingredient diet. If your cat has kidney disease your vet may recommend blood pressure medication and increasing fluid intake. Hyperthyroidism can be treated with surgery, medication, or radioactive iodine.

Your vet will guide you through the options and help you make an informed decision based on your cat's specific needs.

How to Prevent Vomiting

You can also take action to help prevent or decrease the frequency of vomiting in your cat:

• 
  If your cat eats too quickly, try to slow things down. Feed frequent small meals. Offer food on a paper plate rather than a bowl. Automatic feeders dispense a specific amount of food at a time.

• If your cat still vomits after eating too fast, put an inedible object (e.g. a golf ball) in their bowl. This forces your cat to eat around the object to pick out the food. The object must be clean and large enough so your cat can't swallow it.

• If you suspect food allergies, a diet change is in order. Talk with your veterinarian about different options. Be sure to read the ingredient list carefully.

• Routine veterinary exams are excellent preventative measures against health problems. Your vet can diagnose medical conditions in the early stages. This gives your cat the best prognosis.

• To prevent the possibility of poisoning, keep toxic chemicals, medications, and other potentially hazardous away from your pet. Remember, cats are curious and can get into or jump on things you might not suspect. Make sure there are no antifreeze spills on your garage floor or driveway. Keep your cat out of the garage. Pet-proof your home regularly.

• To prevent hairballs, brush your cat and prevent it from over-grooming. Frequent use of a high-quality cat brush or de-shedding tool can go a long way toward preventing a veterinary emergency. You can also try hairball-reducing food that includes more fiber. Mild hairball laxatives are available as well. These are designed to help any hairballs move more smoothly through the digestive tract.

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Diets for Pets with Heart Disease

It is now known that the diet is a very important part of medical therapy for heart disease and one in which owners have the most crucial role. New research is showing that proper nutrition may be able to slow the progression of heart disease, minimize the number of medications required, improve the quality of life or, in rare cases, actually cure the disease.

Maintaining Optimal Weight

A key goal for the nutritional management of heart disease is to maintain optimal body weight, because both weight loss and obesity can be harmful to your pet. Owners should watch their pets for loss of overall body weight and loss of muscle (cachexia describes muscle loss seen in animals with heart disease).

Many pets with heart failure will not eat as much, as frequently, or the same things as when they were healthy—this is called anorexia. This can be an important factor in the weight and muscle loss that occurs. Maintaining your pet's interest in food is a tricky, yet important, task but there are several tips to achieving this.

First, try giving more frequent, but smaller meals. Cats frequently are more interested when the food is warmed. Dogs are less predictable, but will usually prefer one temperature over another (try different temperatures—warmed, room temperature, cold or even near-frozen).

Another method to manage reduced or changed appetite in an animal with heart disease is to gradually replace their current food with a new one. For example, switch from a dry food to a canned food or change to a different brand. However, be sure to talk to your veterinarian about the diet that is most appropriate for your pet.

Finally, flavor enhancers such as cooked meat or fish (without any salt; avoid deli meats) for dogs and cats, or sweeteners (such as yogurt, maple syrup, applesauce or honey) for dogs may be added to the diet to promote eating. Fish oil may be given to help with cachexia.

As it is important to make sure animals are not too skinny, it is also necessary to make sure they are not too heavy. Owners often find that severely overweight dogs and cats with heart disease that successfully lose weight, appear to have less trouble breathing and are more comfortable. A special diet may be prescribed for your dog or cat to help treat the heart disease as well as to maintain their optimal body weight.

Important Nutrients for Pets

Nutritional deficiencies are now uncommon in dogs and cats unless owners are feeding a nutritionally unbalanced diet. If your animal is eating a homemade, raw or vegetarian diet, or a diet made by a small company, please let your veterinarian know this as it could be important in the diagnosis or treatment of your pet.

Even if your pet doesn't have a specific nutritional deficiency, increasing the levels of certain nutrients may have benefits in the treatment of heart disease. Nutrients that may need to be supplemented are described below. It is important to keep in mind that dietary supplements have little regulation so quality control can be a big problem. Cummings School recommends using dietary supplements that bear the logo of the United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP), which tests human dietary supplements for ingredients, concentrations, dissolvability and contaminants. Another good resource is ConsumerLab.com, which performs independent testing of dietary supplements primarily for human supplements but also for pet products as well.

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid which, if deficient, can cause a specific heart disease called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in cats. Complete and balanced commercial cat foods have enough taurine but diets that are not complete and balanced (labeled as for intermittent or supplemental use only), vegetarian diets or homemade diets can be too low in this nutrient. If your cat is diagnosed with DCM, the cardiologists will usually test their blood taurine level to see if they are deficient and prescribe supplements to help treat the disease.

Dogs, unlike cats, are not thought to require taurine in the diet. However, certain breeds (Cocker spaniels, Newfoundlands, St. Bernards, English setters, Labrador and Golden retrievers) may require some in the diet to avoid a deficiency. Lamb and rice diets, very low protein, and high fiber diets in these predisposed breeds may make it more likely for them to develop taurine deficiency. Dogs of these predisposed breeds that develop DCM may have their blood tested for taurine levels. Most dogs with DCM do not have taurine deficiency but when levels are low then taurine supplementation can help in the management of heart failure.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil)

Certain types of fatty acids present in fish oil (called omega-3 fatty acids) have been shown have a positive effect in dogs with heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids do not help to prevent heart disease as they do in people. This is because in people, omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect in coronary artery disease, which does not occur in dogs and cats. In pets with heart disease, fish oil is recommended for dogs and cats who have reduced or altered appetite or any muscle loss (cachexia). Omega-3 supplements can also be used (in addition to appropriate medication) in the treatment of dogs with abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).

Fish oil may be purchased over-the-counter at almost all human pharmacies but dose and quality of the products vary widely. Cummings School generally recommends a one gram fish oil capsule that contains 180mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 120mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The quality control of the individual product should be checked to ensure your pet is getting the right amount and is not getting unwanted nutrients or contaminants. Various ways to check quality control of dietary supplements are mentioned above.

With capsules of this size most dogs and cats can be given one capsule per 10 pounds of body weight. Fish oil is relatively safe but if your pet has a bleeding disorder or is already eating a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, supplementation should be carefully considered with your veterinarian. Fish oil supplements should contain vitamin E as an antioxidant, but other nutrients should not be included. Cod liver oil and flax seed oil should not be used as sources of omega-3 fatty acids in dogs and cats.

Restricted Nutrients for Pets

While supplementing important nutrients may prove beneficial, it is equally true that reducing the levels of certain nutrients may have benefits in the treatment of heart disease. Nutrients that may need to be restricted are described below.

Sodium

Depending on the severity of heart disease, decreasing the amount of sodium in the diet can be beneficial. In pets with mild heart disease (those that are not showing any symptoms), only mild sodium restriction is recommended. If the heart disease is more advanced, causing a condition known as Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), greater sodium restriction is advised. Talk to your veterinarian about the diet that would be most appropriate for your dog or cat. Diets that are low in protein should be avoided unless the pet has severe kidney disease. Cummings School provides a reduced sodium diet list in the PDF format for your convenience.

While it is important to feed the most appropriate pet food given your animal's type, level of heart disease and other medical issues, it is also necessary to remember that large amounts of sodium can also come from treats, table food and the foods you might use to give daily medications. A list of treats for dogs with heart disease is also provided in the PDF format. Be sure to talk to your veterinarian about which treats can be safely fed to your pet.

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Can animals have high blood pressure?

Just like people, our pets have blood pressure too and they also risk developing high blood pressure. While high blood pressure in humans can cause more serious health issues, high blood pressure in animals is usually associated with a more critical health issue, because hypertension is typically the result of an existing underlying disease.

High blood pressure in dogs is often associated with Cushing’s disease or hyperadrenocorticism. Cushing’s disease is when a disorder, usually a benign tumor, allows an excess of cortisone to be released into the bloodstream.

Cats often develop high blood pressure as a result of having hyperthyroidism and/ or kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is an overproduction of a thyroid hormone that results in increased metabolism.

If your pet has already been diagnosed with, and is being treated for, hypertension, your veterinarian will need to treat the underlying condition that caused the high blood pressure. It is also likely your veterinarian will also want to measure your pet’s blood pressure every three months moving forward. The vet may also suggest performing other tests, such as a complete blood count, blood chemistry panel, and a urinalysis every six months.

For most of us our pets are part of the family, so make sure they get a regular annual check-up with their veterinarian. Don’t ignore your vet’s advice, or at least get a second opinion before you make a potentially life and death decision on your fur baby's behalf.

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DID YOU KNOW: Dog ownership linked with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dog lovers know how much warmth and comfort their canine companions add to their lives. But they might not know that a growing body of evidence suggests that having a dog may help improve heart health.

Pet ownership, especially having a dog, is probably associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. This does not mean that there is a clear cause and effect relationship between the two. But it does mean that pet ownership can be a reasonable part of an overall strategy to lower the risk of heart disease.

According to Harvard Medical School, several studies have shown that dog owners have lower blood pressure than non-owners — probably because their pets have a calming effect on them and because dog owners tend to get more exercise. The power of touch also appears to be an important part of this "pet effect." Several studies show that blood pressure goes down when a person pets a dog.

There is some evidence that owning a dog is associated with lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A large study focusing on this question found that dog owners had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than non-owners, and that these differences weren't explainable by diet, smoking, or body mass index (BMI). However, the reason for these differences is still unclear.

Dogs' calming effect on humans also appears to help how people handle stress. For example, some research suggests that people with dogs experience less cardiovascular reactivity during times of stress. That means that their heart rate and blood pressure go up less and return to normal more quickly, dampening the effects of stress on the body.

If you own a dog or are thinking about it, the potential benefits for your heart health are a nice plus. However, pets should not be adopted for the primary purpose of reducing heart disease risk. And definitely don't add a dog to your life if you're not ready or able to take care of one, including making sure it gets enough exercise.

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Brushing Your Cat's Teeth

Follow this four-week training program to get your cat comfortable with daily brushing.

You will need:

• A cat toothbrush

• Feline toothpaste (human toothpaste is not safe for cats)

• Rewards (either an edible treat or a drink from their favorite water faucet)

Week 1:

Let your cat become familiar with the smell of the toothpaste. Leave the brush and toothpaste out where the cat can inspect them. Every day, put a dab on your finger, and let them smell and lick it. If your cat is shy about tasting it, put a tiny dab near their mouth so they can lick it off. Give a reward when your cat licks the toothpaste so they associate the toothpaste with an enjoyable experience.

Week 2:

Get your cat used to the taste of the toothpaste. Apply a dab of toothpaste to one of their canine teeth every day, followed by a reward.

Week 3:

Get your cat used to the toothbrush. Put a small amount of toothpaste on the brush and let him or her lick it off. If he or she is shy about licking it, apply a dab near the mouth. Follow with a reward.

Week 4:

Gently stretch your cat's lips far enough to insert the brush gently between the lips and gums. Place the bristles at a 45 degree angle to the teeth, aiming for the narrow crevice between teeth and gums. Brush around gently, and work around the upper and lower teeth. It’s only necessary to brush the outside surfaces, as the cat’s own tongue cleans the inside surfaces well.

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