Probably every person in whose house the cat lived or lives at least once encountered her vomiting. This is primarily due to the fact that the cat's brain department, which is responsible for the vomiting reflex, is much better developed than in humans. Therefore, such a nuisance happens to animals quite often. Let's try to find out why the cat is sick, and how the owner can help her in this situation.
What is vomiting in cats ?
What is vomiting? Everything is quite simple: at the same time, the diaphragm and abdominal muscles contract in the body, as a result of which the intra-abdominal pressure rises and through the esophagus the entire contents of the stomach erupt. Vomit is not a complete digestion of food that has already been saturated with gastric juice. In some cases, it may be stained with bile. That is why quite often vomit has a slightly yellowish tint and sour smell.
In general, vomiting is a certain protective reaction of the body that occurs if toxic or poisonous substances or foreign objects get into the gastrointestinal tract. And also a similar embarrassment happens to cats if they eat too much at a time.
But in addition to the listed reasons, vomiting can occur due to chronic diseases or increased intracranial pressure. Nausea quite often occurs with motion sickness, as well as due to the fact that pressure increases in the stomach or duodenum.
As you can see, vomiting can be a symptom of various diseases, and can be a sign of normal overeating. Here it all depends on the accompanying symptoms.
Safe vomiting
Many predators, including cats, burp semi-digested food for their babies. This can be observed at a time when the calves are moving from milk to more solid food, but their stomachs are still too weak and can only digest prepared food, which is disinfected in the mother’s stomach with her gastric juice. In domestic cats, this instinct is quite rare, but such cases are recorded.
Sometimes vomiting happens with cats in the morning, it is also called "hungry." But this is characteristic only of those animals that eat only once or twice a day.
There are cases of vomiting that occur from case to case. This includes overeating or swallowing food too quickly for animals. After all, the stomach of cats is not intended for too large pieces of food. To avoid such cases, you should feed the cat often, but in small portions, then he will not be so hungry to swallow the whole pieces.
It's no secret that cats have their own hair in the stomach of cats, because cats wash their tongues. Because of this, from time to time, these animals have the so-called "cleansing" vomiting, which frees the body from lumps of wool accumulated in it.
Cats, like humans, have vomiting during pregnancy. This usually happens in the third week due to the fact that some hormonal changes occur in the female body, and the uterus is stretched. In this state, the cat does not stay too long, because its body adapts rather quickly to new conditions.
Some cats, like humans, are cradled in a car or on an airplane. This is also considered the norm and passes as soon as the trip or flight stops.
Consider the causes of vomiting, which should cause anxiety in the owner.
Poisoning
When the owner sees that the vomiting is repeated repeatedly at his pet, the first thing that comes to mind is that he was poisoned. And this is indeed the most common cause of vomiting in cats. An animal can be poisoned not only by bad products, but also by drugs, chemicals and others. Especially dangerous is the poison that is used to harass mice, rats and moles. Usually they encounter cats that live in private homes and walk freely on the street.
Even some indoor and garden plants can cause food poisoning in the cat. This includes: dieffenbachia, hyacinth, lupine, rhododendron and many others. Some chemicals and fertilizers that are used for the same plants give the same effect.
In this case, vomiting is considered as a protective reaction, which helps to remove harmful substances from the body that got into it.
Intestinal obstruction
If you are watching your pet and see that he has started vomiting, but has completely lost stool, then this is most likely an intestinal obstruction. Obstruction cannot be called a safe symptom, since this is a clear sign that a mechanical obstruction has formed in the intestine. An inadvertently swallowed sausage skin, a bone, a long thread and many other objects that are not edible and are not digested can act as such an obstacle. This also includes wool that has accumulated after licking.
It is quite simple to determine the intestinal obstruction, as the cat’s stomach becomes incredibly hard and tense, and if you feel it, you will notice that the animal is uncomfortable.
Chronic diseases
Inflammation of the large intestine is one of the most common diseases that causes chronic vomiting in cats. In addition, toxins that are produced in the animal’s body in the presence of renal failure or diabetes mellitus can also cause vomiting. The vomiting reflex is also triggered in diseases such as increased pressure in the duodenum and stomach, intracranial pressure, gastritis, tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, enteritis.
If the cat is sick with foam, this can also be a signal that your pet has worms. In adults, this phenomenon is rare, but in kittens it is quite common.
Vomiting blood
It happens that a cat is sick and blood clots are clearly visible in its vomit. This is a clear sign that the animal has an injury in the gastrointestinal tract. The reason most often lies in the presence of an ulcer or tumor, it is possible that there is a foreign body inside. The problem can be distinguished even by the color of the blood. Scarlet blood is damaged upper gastrointestinal tract. Brown blood is a damaged duodenum or stomach.
Sometimes vomiting has a distinct smell and color of feces. From this we can conclude that the pet has bowel obstruction or trauma to the abdomen.
Types of Vomiting
If a cat is sick of food that has not yet been digested, then this, as mentioned earlier, is a sign of overeating. This happens during pregnancy. Such vomiting is not a cause for panic and goes away on its own.
Yellow vomiting. If the cat is sick with yellow, then most likely bile has got into her stomach. She annoys his walls. And, as a result, the cat is sick. The reason may be that the pet has eaten too fatty foods. And perhaps he has serious problems with the liver or gall bladder. If the cat is sick with yellow foam, then this is generally a serious reason to go immediately to the doctor. There are big health problems.
Green vomiting. If you are sure that your cat did not eat grass, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Since green vomiting is a clear sign of a dangerous infection.
If the cat is sick with white foam and this happens once, then this is a sign of severe hunger of the animal. In this case, it is recommended to feed the pet immediately, but not to give too large a portion, as overeating may occur. But if a cat feels sick with white foam several times in a row, then this can only mean one thing - a disease of the stomach.
Masses with mucus. In this case, gastric juice most often acts as mucus. There are enough reasons for this: erosion of the stomach, helminthic invasion, viral diseases, chronic gastritis.
First aid to the animal
If the cat does not have the opportunity to immediately consult a doctor if vomiting is detected, then you can try to alleviate the condition of the pet yourself:
- First of all, you need to completely limit the animal’s access to food for a day. Only a limited amount of water is allowed and only if new vomiting does not occur from this. If the cat does not eat, it should not vomit, but if the vomiting does not stop, you should go to the veterinarian.
- If you are sure that your cat ate stale foods, then you should try to induce vomiting in order to cleanse the body. The cat should be laid on its side and pressed on the root of the tongue. You can also try to dilute a tablespoon of salt in a glass of warm water and thereby solder the animal until the cat begins to vomit.
- If you notice that the animal has swallowed a sharp object, then you should give it a teaspoon of liquid paraffin. This will protect the walls of the esophagus from damage.
- It happens that animals accidentally eat chemicals, which makes them sick later. In this case, the pet must be given a tablespoon of Enterosgel.
Even if you managed to alleviate the condition of the animal, you should not postpone the trip to the doctor “for later”. The pet may need the help of a specialist. As soon as possible, you should contact your veterinarian who will carry out all the necessary tests and prescribe treatment if necessary.
Symptoms of Vomiting
We all know that vomiting occurs after nausea. In animals, it manifests itself in restless behavior, and you can also observe:
- Profuse salivation.
- Frequent licking.
- You may notice that swallowing movements are frequent in cats.
- Some animals often meow.
After some time, we see that the animal is coughing and stretching its head forward, breathing is gradually becoming more frequent. Then there are contractions in the pharynx and abdomen, and vomiting occurs.
The cat is sick: what to do
Actions during vomiting in a cat depend on the state of the animal. If a cat is sick once, and at the same time, her body temperature remains normal, and her usual activity and appetite do not disappear, then there is no reason for panic. It will be enough if you just will not feed your pet for 12-24 hours.
Prolonged vomiting that cannot be relieved is a sign of poisoning or a manifestation of some serious disease. Contact your veterinarian. You can not postpone going to the doctor if vomiting is accompanied by a lack of appetite, lethargy of the animal, the body temperature rises, stool is broken, if the cat is sick with yellow fluid, or blood was noticed in the vomit.
If your cat is no longer young and periodically repeats vomiting, then this is most likely a sign that she has a chronic pathology of internal organs, or there is a neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract. This can only be determined by examination with a specialist using special devices.
Veterinarian Actions
Of course, each case is unique, and the doctor carries out separate therapy with a separate animal, but the general analyzes and procedures remain the same for everyone. So, to determine where the cat got vomiting, the doctor prescribes a general blood test, and sometimes also a biochemical one. Various tests are performed to help determine the presence or absence of infections in the body. You may need to have an x-ray and an abdominal ultrasound, some cats undergo endoscopy. Treatment is prescribed only after all tests and studies, and it depends on what diagnosis will be made.
Vomiting Prevention
Some cases of vomiting can be easily prevented, for this you need:
- Arrange for the pet proper nutrition. If you prefer to feed the animal with natural food, then the menu should include products that contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. If you prefer dry food, then it should be high-quality products purchased in a specialized store. Cats that eat food from the common table often have serious problems with their kidneys, intestines, liver, and stomach.
- Each year, cats are vaccinated against various infectious diseases.
- At least twice a year, preventive measures are taken against the appearance of worms.
- It is recommended to regularly comb out and give the pet a special paste that dissolves the wool accumulated in the stomach and removes it from there.
- It is necessary to limit the animal’s access to various objects that are not suitable for consumption: threads, needles, Christmas tinsel, household chemicals, poisonous indoor and garden plants. If you buy toys for a cat, then make sure that they do not disassemble and do not contain toxic substances.
- If you take a cat on a trip, you should not feed her much before leaving, and only small portions of food are allowed on the way.
- Each pet must undergo a full examination at the veterinary clinic once a year. And for those animals that have already crossed the age of ten years, such examinations are recommended to be carried out more often.
Conclusion
In the article, we were able to find out why the cat is sick with foam, and what other types of vomiting exist. As you can see, not all vomiting is considered a cause for panic, but some should even be called on their own, for example, in the case when the animal eats something stale. It is important to observe the nature of the vomit. Since, if a cat is sick with bile, then this is an occasion for immediate medical attention. In general, you should not delay in the treatment of your own animal, because some diseases carry a danger to the life of the pet. It is also not recommended to self-medicate, since you can not only not help the animal, but also harm its health even more if you select the wrong drugs. A caring owner will always find a couple of hours to take care of the health of his beloved cat or cat.