What does vomiting indicate?
Two situations must be distinguished. If a cat vomits once and does not recur, while the pet does not lose appetite and does not experience other alarming symptoms (such as diarrhea and changes in behavior), then this is not a very dangerous situation; most likely, this is a one-time reaction of the body (about the possible reasons for this We'll tell you a little further).
It’s a completely different matter if the cat vomits more or less regularly (three times a day or more often) and at the same time the general condition of the whisker changes: it stops eating (sometimes drinking) and becomes less mobile. This already indicates that not everything is in order with the body; this is a clear symptom of serious health problems. In this case, the owner must urgently contact a veterinary clinic.
Diagnostics
If your cat vomits after eating, and this happens at least 3 times during the day, the veterinarian will order an examination. Before this, the owner must tell everything that has happened to the animal recently. It is worth paying attention to the following things:
- It is necessary to analyze what the pet ate and drank before it vomited for the first time. It is also worth remembering the medications and vaccines that have been introduced recently.
- It is important to understand whether the cat has access to household chemicals, cosmetics and home flowers.
- Clearly determine whether nausea occurs immediately after eating or over a period of time.
- By the composition of the vomit (food, gastric juice, uncharacteristic impurities) you can determine which food causes the reaction. Some cats vomit after eating food, but a natural diet does not cause such a reaction.
- The color of the vomit needs to be assessed.
- Pay attention to how the cat eats, whether it has an appetite.
- Before going to the doctor, it is important to note the nature of your animal's stool.
- The psychological situation should also be analyzed. Cats can react to moving, the appearance of a new person or animal.
Important! Both psychological and somatic changes in an animal’s life can equally provoke changes in its well-being.
"Dangerous" vomiting
Let's look at the most common - and most alarming - reasons why a cat vomits.
1) Infections
This is one of the most common causes of vomiting. And first of all, it is worth highlighting panleukopenia. This is a viral disease (the so-called “feline distemper”) with a very high mortality rate. The main method of infection is contact with an already sick animal (cats can also become infected from dogs) or its secretions. But the virus can also be transmitted by blood-sucking insects or can be carried by the owner on shoes, so even exclusively pets, if they are not vaccinated, are not 100% protected from panleukopenia.
Read about the disease: What is panleukopenia in cats
If your kitten is vomiting frequently, accompanied by diarrhea and refusal to eat, then it is better to play it safe and immediately contact a veterinary clinic. Then either you will make sure that the most dangerous cause of the painful condition is absent, or you will begin to treat the infection at an early stage, when there is a good chance of saving your pet. You should be especially concerned if the cat is not vaccinated.
2) Gastrointestinal diseases
An equally common cause is inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract. These are diseases such as gastritis, gastroenteritis, colitis, pancreatitis, etc. All of them are accompanied by vomiting, often mixed with bile. Lack of treatment will lead to the death of the pet.
Read more about intestinal diseases: Treatment of intestinal diseases in cats
3) Poisoning
Of course, various poisonings can also cause vomiting in a cat: stale food, chemicals, medications - the latter is especially important if the owner is self-medicating, so we once again warn you against this. Needless to say, poisoning leads to acute intoxication of the body and, if the pet is not urgently provided with help, severe consequences, including death, are possible.
4) Brain problems
Perhaps this is not the most common reason why a cat vomits, but in terms of the degree of danger it is not inferior even to viral infections. Problems can arise due to head injuries with consequences such as concussion, edema, and increased intracranial pressure. Viruses or bacteria can also enter the brain and cause encephalitis and/or meningitis, both of which cause severe vomiting.
5) Volvulus, intestinal obstruction, etc.
An obstruction may occur, for example, due to a large hairball or small bones stuck in the intestines. In this case, only surgery will help.
6) Helminths
Another cause of vomiting is poisoning by waste products of worms. Large amounts of worm feces release toxins that are harmful to the cat.
Read more about the problem: What are helminths in cats
7) Vomiting during pregnancy
If during pregnancy a cat vomits for more than two weeks and the vomiting is accompanied by a decrease in temperature, diarrhea, and dehydration, this may be an acute pathology of some disease. The owner needs to contact the clinic as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences for the mother and fetus.
Thus, vomiting can indicate many pathologies. But among those listed above there are none that can be ignored without consequences. In other words, repeated vomiting, especially if it is accompanied by other alarming symptoms, should prompt the owner to immediately contact a specialist to establish an accurate diagnosis and begin treatment.
Treatment at home: if there is no veterinarian
If it is not possible to visit a veterinarian, but the kitten vomited food, what should you do in such a situation? It is necessary to provide first aid to the animal, to alleviate its condition so that it stops burping. You should proceed like this:
- stop the penetration of toxic substances into the stomach. But only if the owner is sure that his pet was simply poisoned. In other cases, you should simply not allow the kitten to eat, so as not to worsen the situation;
- prevent dehydration of the body. This is a common negative consequence of nausea. For this reason, the animal must always have access to clean water. If he doesn’t want to drink himself, it is recommended to carefully water him with your own hands. This item is excluded if new vomiting occurs precisely because of water;
- When a pet swallows a foreign object and a mouth appears, it is necessary to empty the pet’s throat. If the owner is not confident in his own abilities, it is better to entrust the removal of the object to a professional, so as not to injure the kitten’s fragile body.
After first aid is provided, treatment begins. But this cannot be done without consulting a doctor. If the diagnosis is made incorrectly, the medications are chosen incorrectly, the animal will only get worse. Therefore, home treatment without consulting a veterinarian will only consist of establishing a diet.
When vomiting is not dangerous
Of course, we don’t want to say that absolutely any case of vomiting is a reason to break out in sweat and start trembling for your pet. Yes, it’s better to play it safe than to rely on chance. But, as we noted above, we need to look at the regularity/frequency of vomiting.
It happens that a cat’s gag reflex occurs only once or twice throughout the day and does not repeat. At the same time, she does not lose her appetite, she does not vilify, and her behavior does not change. Such vomiting is not dangerous for our little brothers and can be caused by the following reasons:
- Overeating - excess food puts pressure on the stomach diaphragm, resulting in a gag reflex. In this case, undigested pieces of food are visible in the vomit. To stop vomiting in a cat, it is enough to reduce the serving size. Moreover, this is necessary, since overeating will sooner or later lead to obesity, and it provokes many serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Read about the dangers of obesity: Fat cat - the dangers of excess weight for your cat
- Fasting - in this case, vomiting occurs in a cat who receives food once a day. This diet is not suitable for small predators. They should eat little but often. In this case, the vomit will consist of gastric mucus and foam. By changing the number of meals and its volume, you can stop vomiting.
— Accumulation in the stomach of a small amount of hair that comes from “washing” the cat. A hairball will be visible in the vomit. To make it easier for your pet to get rid of fur in his stomach, buy him a special herb or paste for removing hair.
Read more: Why do we need grass for cats?
— During pregnancy, hormonal changes occur in the expectant mother’s body (and the enlarging uterus puts pressure on the stomach), but the stomach quickly adapts, and vomiting no longer occurs. This mild vomiting lasts no more than 10 days, usually in the morning, and consists of light discharge, undigested food and a small amount of foam.
— A cat can get seasick when transported in any vehicle.
But if a kitten vomits (even just once), contact a specialist immediately, because vomiting weakens and dehydrates the body, which can lead to the death of the animal.
How to provide first aid to a kitten
If the manifestation of vomiting was isolated, the baby does not feel weak, his stool is not disturbed, the temperature is within the normal range, then most likely nothing serious has happened and you can help the patient yourself. The algorithm of actions in this case will be as follows:
- Give your pet a food fast for 12 hours. It is impossible to keep a small animal on a starvation diet for longer than this period.
- Give your baby clean water every 1.5-2 hours. If she refuses, then do it forcibly, using a syringe without a needle.
- Give a children's absorbent drug, for example, Smecta.
During the fasting diet, the pet should feel better. Then you can gradually introduce small portions of light food into the diet (white boiled chicken meat or broth, rice broth, medicinal ready-made food for kittens). After a couple of days, you can gradually switch to your usual menu, avoiding spicy and greasy foods. smoked or sweet foods.
How to understand that the body is dehydrated
The Murkoshi team of specialists would like to draw your attention to the fact that the danger of vomiting for a kitten lies, among other things, in dehydration and imbalance of water and electrolyte balance. The number of ions responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses decreases, and as a result, the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous and other body systems deteriorates.
You can determine dehydration in the following way: take the skin on the withers with two fingers, lift it and release it. If the skin does not immediately return to its normal position, but remains stuck together, it means the cat is dehydrated. The condition of the wool also changes when dehydrated - it becomes dry and does not shine (dull).
How does a cat behave before vomiting?
Vomiting is usually preceded by nausea, which is expressed in the animal's restless behavior and erratic movement from place to place. Excessive salivation and licking are often observed. The cat constantly makes swallowing movements and sometimes begins to meow.
After a while, he begins to sharply clear his throat, and then tilts his head and pulls it forward. Breathing becomes deep and rapid. After this, contractions begin in the abdomen and throat. Vomiting occurs. What to do if vomiting is frequent?
Reasons why a cat vomits white foam
LIFE HACK: There are special tablets and pastes that help in this process.
Often, dry food is not digested in the stomach, but swells. This leads to the same process as in the case of overeating - the stomach throws out the excess.
While playing, our pets can put completely inappropriate things into their mouths and swallow them. This is good if the object is small and safe - the cat will deal with the problem itself. Otherwise, you need to go to the doctor.
During the period when cats are trying to find a partner, they behave differently (3-4 times a year). In rare cases, this event may be accompanied by nausea and white foam. Also, cats, like pregnant women, experience toxicosis. Moreover, not only at the beginning of pregnancy, but also later. This is due, first of all, to changes in hormonal levels.
For the most part, it is normal if an animal begins to vomit after taking medications (antibiotics, anthelmintics). Also, a cat may vomit white foam after castration or sterilization. You should be concerned if this process is prolonged and your pet begins to feel unwell.
The causes of natural vomiting, about which you should not worry, were discussed above. At the same time, veterinarians say that some diseases can be identified by the color/amount of vomit.
How to help a kitten?
If your kitten is vomiting frequently, adoption experts recommend contacting your veterinarian immediately. The same should be done if the vomit contains bile, blood, worms, or a large amount of mucus. The clinic will measure your temperature so as not to miss any serious changes in your body. With infectious diseases and inflammatory processes, the temperature will rise. In case of poisoning and shock - decrease.
It is necessary to understand that vomiting is not a disease, but in most cases a sign of some disease. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the cause of the cat’s vomiting, and this can only be done by a specialist.
Before visiting the veterinary clinic, remember what you fed your pet. Perhaps you replaced one food with another or there was contact with another animal. Take a good look at what the vomit consists of, as well as its color. Tell your doctor about this.
Caring for a kitten until recovery
In case of poisoning, overeating, food intolerance and other reasons that caused vomiting, the kitten must be closely monitored. You should create the most comfortable home environment for your pet so that he can quickly recover.
In the first hours when the animal vomits, you need to lay the pet on a soft bedding, hang its head slightly down and turn it on its side - the kitten may lose consciousness and choke on the vomit. In case of poisoning, give the animal a solution of Smecta or Enterosgel.
If vomiting is repeated, you should give your baby lightly salted water to avoid dehydration. You can prepare a chamomile decoction for your pet to strengthen the body and combat poor health.
Treatment
At the clinic, a doctor examines a patient. If the cause is poisoning, he will put in a drip with glucose solution or Ringer's solution. This will perfectly relieve the symptoms of intoxication in the body. If it is necessary to protect the mucous membrane from irritating factors, the specialist will use gastroprotectors.
In cases where the cause of vomiting in a kitten is infection or severe damage to the gastric mucosa, antibiotics or antiprotozoal drugs are prescribed.
If a cat vomits due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract or poisoning, it is advisable to put it on a therapeutic diet during treatment and for several days after it, adhering to simple rules - feed it in small portions several times a day. You may also need to water your pet in small amounts (even a large amount of water can cause the kitten to vomit), that is, often, but in small volumes. On the recommendation of a doctor, water can be replaced with sorbents - Regidron, Atoxil, etc.
Dietary food for vomiting: the kitten has eaten too much, what to do?
Vomiting occurs when the kitten has eaten too much. Then it is necessary to establish its nutrition. Undigested food often causes cramps. For the first 10 hours the animal remains without food. This is a beneficial fast that allows you to calm down an irritated gastrointestinal tract. Water is not excluded from the diet at all. It is necessary to water the kitten. If he doesn't drink himself, the owner takes matters into his own hands. After some time, you can introduce milk.
Diet for vomiting
Avoid heavy, salty and spicy foods. If the main food is dry food, then for the duration of the diet it is better to purchase special medicinal types. You can add boiled chicken, boiled rice or baby food to your diet.
