how do cats get sick from cat food?

Question

my cat gets sick from cat food some times. she throws up and lies down and eats grass. we switched her food and she stopped for a while. whats going on and why?????????? help me out!

Answer 1

Hi there...several factors contribute to why a cat may be vomiting. Some simple things that the cat may be eating too fast or is allergic to foods which contain the ingredient corn, corn meal. Consider gradually switching her to a formula which is devoid of these ingredients. Most of the commercial cat food from grocery stores and major pet store chains have corn or corn meal listed as the primary ingredient (e.g. IAMS, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies, etc). Premium products such as Innova EVO, Nature's Variety Prairie, Wellness, California Natural, Felidae... all these brands avoid these ingredients and are higher in protein all can be found in specialty pet food stores or online. The advantages of these products is you can also feed less of serving as the cat will feel less hungry because it doesn't contain the corn fillers which always makes cats feel hungry. Here's an article that explains this in much better detail: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/fullstory.html

When you do decide to switch food products it shouldn't be done SUDDENLY as this will cause further severe bowel disturbances. The change must be done over a course of several weeks. For example...3/4 old food mixed with 1/4 new food for one week...1/2 to 1/2 the next week, 1/4 old to 3/4 new for another week and then the final week can be switched completely. Your vet can confirm the fact that sudden diet changes will cause vomiting and diarrhoea in all pet animals.

Cats use grass as a laxative to enable them to pass hairballs lodged in their intestines and to make them vomit up hairballs. They also eat grass to add roughage to their diets. http://www.provet.co.uk/petfacts/healthtips/grass.htm

Answer 2

They might. There's no way to predict it though. Sometimes cats will go off their food for no apparent reason and then you're stuck. Often they'll start eating it again in time but you can't be sure that'll happen. My personal recommendation is to have at least 3 other foods that your cat will eat, and to serve them now and then. That way if they do go off their food you have a backup. Some people say that giving cats variety in their diets leads to pickiness. Some say the opposite. Some also say that if you feed too much variety, if your cat ever develops an allergy to the protein source (meaning meat), if you've fed too many different types of meat you'll have a hard time finding something else to feed it. My own personal experience has been that it's good to have some variety, in case of food rejection. I've also found that both cats seem to be LESS picky than they were initially, quite possibly because they get a variety of foods.

Answer 3

Why Do Cats Get Sick

Answer 4

One of my cats does the same thing, but it's because she overeats. Your cat might need some pet grass. You can get it at the pet store. It's just wheatgrass, but cats love it and they'll eat it all up. It has a lot of healthy nutrients in it. Also, you might want to get your cat looked at by a vet. She could have some sort of irritation in her stomach.

The fact that she's eating grass is a sign that she's got an upset tummy. Cats and dogs usually eat grass when their stomach isn't feeling well. It kind of acts like a neutralizer.

Answer 5

There are a lot of reasons why cats throw up, but one common reason is hairballs. You can try a special anti-hairball food, buy hairball medicine, or (the easiest and cheapest way to go) feed him a little bit of Vaseline. Either mix it in some food and see if you can get him to eat it, or put some on the tip of your finger and scrape it off into his mouth, against his teeth. Or you can smear it on his paw and he'll lick it off, but my cat is very efficient at flicking it all over the house this way.

This is just for occasional problems, not something to do all the time. The best way to deal with hairballs is to prevent them by frequent combing.

Answer 6

It can be any number of things. She may be gorging when she eats, she may be allergic to some of the ingredients to the food she's currently being fed, she might just be feeling under the weather. When you switch food remember to try and make the switch gradually to get her stomach used to it. Also, try feeding her a set amount a few times a day to see how much she actually eats. Anytime you have questions, do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian and get their professional opinion.

Answer 7

allergies, same as people!! i know this sounds wierd, but we have 2 cats and a dog, and one of the cats and the dog are both allergic to most kinds of food, so they have to have specail kinds. take your kitty to the vet and tell them you think she might be allergic to the cat food. our cat was allergic to both chicken, and lamb and rice formula cat food (though that didn't stop her from trying to stela the other pets' food) if it isn't allergies, it could be more serious!

Answer 8

They eat grass to clean their stomach, usualy of furballs. Dogs and cats all do this. It's normal.

Answer 9

My cat does the same thing its because they eat too fast and then they puke.

Answer 10

Maybe she has heart worms our maybe she just likes grass!