can anyone tell me WHY cats gorge and then throw up?

Question

I feed my cat a minimal amount of dry food, and 9 out of 10 times he will wolf it down, and then vomit. Any advise on this?

Answer 1

I had a cat that used to throw up constantly especially after he wolfed down his food. I fed him Iams hairball control (I feed all my cats this and rarely have hairballs) and that seemed to help. I also gave him the hairball gel a couple of times a week. The vet recommended it and said sometimes they have hairballs lodged deep in their intestines so this helps lubricate things. If your cat goes outside you might want to consider having him dewormed. Inspect the cat vomit (I know this is really disgusting) because you can sometimes actually see a worm and then you can take it to the vet and they can diagnose it better. Next time you take your cat to the vet mention this problem to him/her so they can check him out for other problems too. If you notice weight loss take him in right away! I hope this helps and I'm sorry you got a puker. Stock up on carpet cleaner!

Answer 2

If you are withholding dry food from your cat, rather than leaving the dry out for him to eat "at will", YES, he will do this because he never knows when he's going to get any more. Try, first of all, getting the hairball formula, and feeding him that for a week or two. If he likes it, and if he's NOT vomiting--there's your answer, keep feeding him the same thing. Also, leave him a larger dish of dry food that he can "pick at" at-will, and I think you'll find that this (the wolfing it down & vomiting) will stop--or slow down considerably. If this doesn't solve the problem, you may have to take him to your vet as he could have some kind of blockage that is keeping the food from going down & being digested normally. I doubt that this is the case as mine will do this occassionally if I feed him something he really likes--he'll wolf it down like a dog, then puke! Cats systems aren't made like a dogs and cannot handle an enormous amount of food at one time. But, DO try leaving him a bowl of the dry food out to eat at "at will". If he just keeps going back (eats & vomits, eats & vomits), my guess is--he has worms and needs to be seen by your vet. Best of luck with your little glutton.

Answer 3

I noticed that everyone or almost everyone who is answering this question is saying to leave cat food out for the cat that he or she doesn't know when the next time will be that he eats so he gordges. I have 3 cats or rather kittens. They are all 8 months old and eat at will. I leave it down for them. They have never had it up. And yet they all three constantly run to their food with any movement from me and start gobbling down like their starving to death. Then on occassion they puke. Two of them are extremely overweight from doing this.They also have problems with loose stools. I have bought Iams, Science Diet, and other expensive brands to try and alleviate this. I recently took them off the kitten food because of the weight gain. No matter what I do the problem is the same. None of these cats have the same parents. They were all rescued. I'm thinking maybe at the shelter everytime they saw a person or the only time they were fed and so associated humans with food and this is why everytime they see me or I get up off the couch or go into another room they all race to the food.But they ALL do it. One of them came from the SPCA and they treat their animals really good. They had volunteers that would just go cage to cage and pet them even. I thought about worms but they have weight all over their body not just the stomach. Expecially my male. They have all dewormer and their shots too. My youngest little girl is a normal weight but she does this gordging thing too and throws up. I just dont know what to do. I heard about putting them on wet food but to be honest I dont have the money right now to feed three cats wet food. Or the energy. I have a lot of physical pain problems right now. I'm going to take them to the vet but all though they all gordge and from time to time have runny stools their syptoms are slightly different so they would all need to go in and once again that is going to be a huge vet bill. So, I'm trying to see what I can do before then. I of course thought about putting up their food and have but it made things worse. They went around howling thinking they were dying of starvation. Like I said my male is big time overweight and looks like Garfield. So to see him think he is starving to death if he isnt eating every second is crazy. Help please?!

Answer 4

This probably isn't the case, but it was with my cat.. You said you are giving him a minimal amount of food, so is he on a special diet? He may think he's not going to get all the food he needs or is actually so hungry that when food comes he eats so fast that he makes himself sick. Try giving him more food at one time and see if he slows down his eating pace. If that doesn't help try special foods for sensitive stomachs and/or hairball treatments. If this doesn't clear up I would suggest you take him to the vet because that is definitely not healthy for him to be getting sick so often and it should be checked before he becomes malnurished.

Answer 5

Try a bit of hairball gel on the paws and the nose. Hopefully kitty will lick it off. His gut may be clogged from something like a cord that is wrapped around a roast or even dental floss. See if that helps his tummy. Try feeding a food for sensitive stomach. I feed Royal Canin Special 33 (purple bag) but the vet clinics sell some foods, and also Science Diet makes a food for sensitive stomach.

Answer 6

Are you by any chance feeding him Whiskas, Friskies, or any of those other grocery store brands? They are really bad for your cat. It's so worthwhile to spend a bit more on your cat food so he's getting all the nutrients he needs and not a bunch of crap. Cats like the taste of Whiskas but it has minimal nutritional value. I had two cats years ago who both vomited up their food everyday when I fed them Whiskas. It stopped as soon as I switched to a good brand from the pet store. I now feed my cats Wellness brand and they seem to be super healthy.

Answer 7

one of my cats will do this if he is out of food and I put some down. he thinks that he needs to eat it quickly and this makes him throw up. try leaving food out all the time. this is what i do and they still only eat the recommended amount but do not throw up from eating too fast. good luck.

Answer 8

Have you talked to your vet? Your cat may have a sensitive stomach or some other medical issue. I have had cats all of my life, and currently own two, throwing up on a regular basis is not normal.

Answer 9

One of mine would do this and a friend suggested moving the foodbowls away from the waterbowl. It helped.

Answer 10

cats puke because its hot and they cant digest thier food.it happened to my 2 cats dosens of times .just put a fan near your cat when it is asleep it it will digest thieir food.hope this helps.