It is always alarming when your cat stops eating and starts throwing up. These are two terrible symptoms for your cat to be experiencing and even more so when both are together.
Not eating and throwing up can be dangerous to the cat’s health. You may be curious as to why this is happening. So, what is the cause?
There are many reasons why your cat is displaying these symptoms. It could be something as simple as a stomach upset to something a little more complex and severe as a disease.
It can be scary, especially if this is new to you. Here is everything you need to know to help you figure out what’s wrong with your cat and what you need to do.
Why Is My Cat not Eating and Throwing up?
There are many causes of these two symptoms, but the loss of appetite and vomiting is not normal. You need to take note of this behavior to better equip yourself with the causes.
Here are some possibilities:
- Behavioral problems
- Eating habits
- Diet
- Something is stuck in its throat.
- Medication
- Virus or infection
- A disease
There can even be a combination of causes for these symptoms. Just keep note of these possibilities and present them to your vet.
Behavioral problems
When your cat becomes stressed, overwhelmed, or just upset, it could act out or display these symptoms as an outlet for its feelings.
Stress and anger can cause throwing up and refusing to eat. If your cat has done this before, you may want to ensure that it is not a behavioral issue that is resurfacing.
You will see these behaviors when there are drastic changes in your cat’s environment, whether it is someone moving, you went on vacation, or someone moving out.
Ensure that you have investigated this as a possibility before moving to other causes.
Eating habits
Sometimes your cat’s eating habits may be the cause of these symptoms.
If your cat is eating too fast, it could make them nauseous, which deters its appetite and could even make it throw up.
Try to check your pet’s eating habits to see if this is the reason. You may not even realize they had bad eating habits that cause these symptoms until you monitor them.
Diet
If you have changed your cat’s diet or added anything to it, this could be the cause. It could be allergic to the new food, or the food doesn’t sit well in their stomach.
Make sure your cat has not accidentally ingested something that it should not eat, for example, coffee or chocolate.
When diet is the cause, it usually happens right after you change any of their nutrition. You may also see vomiting right after your cat eats, and then your cat gradually ignores its food.
Something is stuck in its throat
Sometimes it may be something that is stuck in your cat’s throat. They are trying to dislodge it by vomiting.
If it is a traumatic experience, they may not want to eat the food right away. They may need time to recuperate emotionally, or they may not even eat that food anymore.
Medication
If these symptoms just started occurring as you start your cat on medication, then that medication could be the cause.
Medications often have many side effects. Nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite are some of them.
This could also be the cause of medication mixing to cause unsatisfactory symptoms. You may want to consult with your vet if this is your suspicion.
Virus or infection
If you notice these symptoms, your cat could have a virus or infection.
Infections and viruses are easily treatable; you can simply go to the vet to get a prescription.
A disease
If you are at a loss to the cause of these symptoms, you may need to get some bloodwork done to check if there are any abnormalities.
Hopefully, your cat is well, and this is just a passing virus or infection. But it is always to be safe than sorry, especially since malnutrition can severely affect your cat’s health and quality of life.
Possible Related Diseases
There are many diseases out there that could be the reason for your cat not wanting to eat as well as vomiting.
Here are some common diseases that cause such symptoms:
- Gastroenteritis
- Kidney infection
- Pancreatitis
- Leukemia Virus
- Hyperthyroidism
- Immunodeficiency
- Hepatic lipidosis
- Tooth infection
There is a wide variety of diseases. Some are easily curable, while others are more severe. Blood work and a visit to your vet will help you determine if your cat has contracted any of these.
How to Treat the Symptoms?
It can be a scary experience when your cat stops eating and pukes anything up. There are ways you can treat it until you take it to the vet.
Here are a few interventions you can do:
- Change the brand of food.
- Warm up their food.
- Adjust portion size of food.
- Give your cat plenty of fluids.
- Stop medications you suspect are the cause.
Change the brand of food
If you have recently changed your cat’s food brand, you may want to either change the food back to the original brand or try a new one.
Cats can have sensitive stomachs, and when you change their food, it can cause a disruption. The formula of the food or even the contents may not settle well with your cat.
Changing the food is an easy treatment you can do. It will also show you if it is the cause of the symptoms when your cat stops vomiting and gains its appetite back.
Warm up their food
Try warming up their wet cat food. Heating it up will make the food more appealing, and your cat may not become nauseous.
Ensure that the food isn’t too hot, though.
Adjust food portion
If you suspect that your cat is eating too fast and too much, you may want to adjust the portion size of its food.
Try smaller portions more frequently to see if the symptoms stop.
Give your cat plenty of fluids
Any time your cat is not eating and vomiting, they become dehydrated, which can be dangerous to their health.
Ensure they are drinking lots of fluids. Even if they end up puking the water out, it is still essential to replenish the hydration.
Stop medications that you suspect
New medications can be the cause of these symptoms. If you suspect this, you can take them off their medication.
It is always good to check with your vet first, just in case sudden withdrawal may be the cause.
Other Things to Take Note
Besides treating your cat and changing its diet, you can do a few other things when you start seeing these symptoms.
This will help your vet determine what could be the cause. Here is what you need to do:
- Take note of the vomit’s appearance.
- Do not let your cat eat or drink for a while.
- Check for other symptoms.
- Ensure there is nothing lodged in its airway.
- Check for frequency and time vomiting occurs.
The vomit’s appearance
Take note of the vomit’s appearance. How much did your cat vomit? Was it merely food? Or was it stomach acid? What color was it? Is there any blood?
Answering these questions can help your vet understand the severity of the disease. Blood could be a bad sign, or it could be ulcers.
Wait before the next meal
Don’t feed your cat right after they vomit. They may just end up puking it up again. You don’t want this happening.
Give them about thirty minutes or so before allowing them to eat or drink anything. Your cat does need to stay hydrated.
Check for other symptoms
Always check for other symptoms. These symptoms could be key to what is going on with your cat.
There are many other symptoms you can jot down or take note of. Here are a few of those symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Blood with vomit or feces
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Lack of interest
Ensure There is Nothing Lodged in its Airway
Always check to see if your cat is choking on something. You don’t want food or other items blocking their airway.
If you notice they are breathing fine, then you know that this may not be the reason for your cat’s symptoms, or they’ve already dislodged whatever it was.
Check for Frequency and Time Vomiting Occurs
Mark down the frequency and the time of vomiting. This will help tell you what the cause is and at least tell you how detrimental these symptoms are.
Your vet will also need to know this to figure out the cause. You may never know; you may find out the actual root cause because of this.
When Should I Take My Cat to the Vet?
Any time your cat vomits more than once, you should call the vet and make an appointment. Your cat could have symptoms of a disease or virus that will need medical intervention.
Even if the vomiting doesn’t seem severe, but you are worried, make an appointment.
Vomiting isn’t natural for cats. It means something is wrong. It is best to get a professional’s opinion than continue guessing.
Final Thoughts
When your cat has both of these symptoms, it could be detrimental to their health and quality of life.
Ensure your cat stays hydrated until you can get them to the vet. Their health is of utmost importance.