Unfortunately, our kitties throw up from time to time.  Cats can of course throw up when they’re sick, but that isn’t always the reason.  Understanding why cats vomit is an important step to dealing with cat vomit odor and the cleanup problems associated with it!

Hairballs

Often, what we think of as cat vomit isn’t vomit at all.  It’s a hairball, which is simply hair that the cat ingested and is throwing up.  It sounds gross, but it’s actually a product of the cat’s grooming process.  Essentially, if a cat gets too much hair in her stomach, she’s likely to throw some of it back up.  The problem is worse for long-haired cats, as cats are genetically not designed to handle ingesting long or large amounts of hair.  Hairballs are usually more of a problem when your cat is changing between her winter and summer coats, as grooming is more frequent then.

Often, you can prevent hairballs by simply brushing your cat’s hair to remove some of the excess fur for her.  If that doesn’t work, you can try a hairball remedy like chewable tablets or an anti-hairball gel.  I actually prefer gel products better as they are easier to administer, and the cats seem to like them better too!  You can also ask your vet about hairball-formulated foods.  These are foods that help your cat digest hairballs more easily, reducing the chance that they will throw one up.

Over-eating and Eating Too Fast

Some cats can eat too fast, and as a result, will vomit up the food they just ate.  One of my cats has this problem – she immediately sees her food and tries to inhale it as fast as she can!  Cats with this problem can also suffer from anxiety issues, but that isn’t always the case. 

The solution to the eating too fast problem is actually pretty easy.  Order a couple of large shooter marbles and put them in your cat’s food dish.  Shooter marbles are large marbles (about an inch or so in diameter) that are too large for your kitty to eat.  The idea is that the marbles force her to work harder to eat, thus slowing her down.  You can also use golf balls, but shooter marbles are usually cheaper.

For over-eating, the best solution is not to leave your cat’s food dish out all day.  Set a defined time (and amount) of food and feed your cat at that time each day.  When the time is up, take the food dish away.  It might take your cat a few days to get used to this, but usually if you allow for 30 minutes to eat your cat will have plenty of time to eat just the right amount of food and not overeat in the process.

Food Selection

Cats need both wet and dry food to be healthy.  Unless your veterinarian has advised otherwise, make sure your cat is getting both dry and wet food.  Having both kinds of food helps your cat’s digestive system and ensures that he is getting the proper nutrition.  The result is a healthier cat, and less vomiting too.

As far as food selection goes, cat’s don’t like variety and can often have trouble digesting changing food.  Pick one kind of food and stick with it.  Don’t get a variety of food and alternate each time you feed him.  A fringe benefit of sticking with one kind of food is that you can buy it in bulk and save money in the process.