Our cat wolfs his dry food down then throws it back up again. Why does he do this?

Question

He doesn't do it all the time, but I do have a related question - how much, and how often should you feed a normal-sized cat? He seems to eat a lot more than other cats I've seen. Can he be getting that hungry between feedings?

Answer 1

Cats are designed to eat small meals often. In the wild, they eat mice when they catch them, which means that they ate a number of times in a day. It has been estimated that cats eat anywhere from 10 to 20 small meals a day.

If you leave dry food out for your cat, he should be okay and won't eat too much. I have two cats, and we leave the food out all the time for them. The one isn't fat at all, and the other is only a little overweight.

It's not good for cats to only have one meal a day because they're not designed that way.

My dog has to get a couple meals a day because he was really overweight, and any animal really shouldn't have to have any less than two meals a day. Imagine how you would feel only eating once a day, and still running around.

Answer 2

A lot of cats do this if they were the runt in their litter. They felt if they were going to eat, they better do it fast before anyone else takes it from them. This isnt really healthy, the way to control it is to feed little amounts at a time, so that when he wolfs down a small amount, it wont be enough to make him vomit. There is no one amount that you should feed a cat- it all depends on the food and its caloric amount. Look at the back of the bag and find your cats weight and feed that amount. If you think he is getting hungry between feedings then look into give 3 meals a day instead of 1 or 2 (Just be sure that you arent feeding the amt he should have X 3, just split up the amount he should have into thirds.)

Answer 3

Well, it sounds as if he may have a sensitive stomach sometimes. I found that you have to buy quality cat food. Look at the ingredients and research on good food.
I have two cats and Baby she had the same problem so I did some research and I put my cats on IAM the mature cat and weight control I combine (mix the two) and switch off an on with the digestive assistance and hairball control that replaces the weight control every other time I buy the food. I will also by science diet for the cats. I will switch between these two brands occasionally. I know they say not to do this but I have had no trouble and it gives the cats a variety that I can truly say I trust these to brands of cat food. Pepe is now 11 yrs old. Baby I am sorry to say just passed away last yr she was 14yrs old. I have just introduced a small 6 week old kitten into the family and I am in the process of switching her over from soft which the owner fed her to dry. So now I also buy IAMs for kittens.
I keep a small dish out and filled daily for them to snack on. I found that they ate less at each setting knowing that it is there anytime they are hungry. Always get rid of the old food daily and refill with fresh food. It is important to by quality food. I am not a big fan of soft food for my cats, I believe dry food is best it helps with their teeth too. I hope this helps.

Answer 4

He is probably just eating too fast. Try sprinkling his food on the floor (make sure it is clean!) so he was to walk around and eat it. You could also try putting something in his dish to make him eat around it, like a smaller dish turned upside down.
Most cats need to eat 2-3 times per day. I would definetly recommend feeding in meals, and feeding a measured amount. As far as how much you should feed him, most cats do not need any more than 1/2 cup/day (for about a 10 lb cat).
If he seems to get hungry between feedings, I still wouldn't feed more than that. You could put his food for the day into a small tupperware, and just give him small amounts in between feedings as a snack. This way he isn't getting too much per day, but still gets to snack a little. Also, when you measure his food, it is very easy to see when he is not eating well, and may be sick. If you supplement his food with any canned food, just remember to decrease the amount of dry food that he gets.
If you are still having problems with vomiting, hairballs could be the culprit, or something more serious. Talk to your vet or vet tech for any suggestions. Good luck!

Answer 5

I feed our cats twice a day - once in morning and then again at dinner time. Our male cat does the same thing on occasion. Mostly when we're late feeding them. Try breaking up how much you feed him a day into several smaller meals so he doesn't over eat.
As for how much, check the bag - it should give you amounts for the size of the cat. We feed our 2/3 a cup for the larger and 1/2 cup for the smaller cat per day - but they are prone to weight gain so we really watch what we give them.
I asked my vet about our cat throwing up, and he said that's pretty normal if it's only occasionally. If it becomes more frequent, then you should be concerned. It's just a pain to clean up.

Answer 6

My cat has been doing this too, I switched his dry cat cat food to one that has a hair ball relief formula and it seems to have helped.
The way I feed my cat is, he gets one can of soft food every morning, not one of those big cans, a small one, like the ones fancy feast comes in. And the bowl with the dry food is always full so he can come and get some whenever he likes. Cats do not tend to over eat like dogs do, but sometimes they do eat too fast and this can make them cough it back up as well

Answer 7

Most normal cats are fine with 2 feedings a day- though they will try to convince you they're starving to death!

You could try 3 or 4 small servings a day and see if that helps cut down the incidents of throwing up: It could be that he really is getting hungry and hasn't learned to slow down eating yet. Also, try getting him a formula for sensitive systems.

If that doesn't work, take him to the vet and tell the vet what's going on. He might be able to suggest tests for your kitty.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Try giving him just a little bit at a time, but make the feedings more often, like 4 times a day. If he doesn't eat as much at once, then he won't throw it up. Hopefully, eventually, you can put out his daily ration and he will nibble as he gets hungry. Check the bag for the normal amount of food for his size.

Answer 9

There are many reasons.

Some times foods do not meet the nutritional demands of a certain cat,

Alot of people limit their Cat's food and try to control it,.. this creates eatting disorders. The have a lack of control, their body gets messed up by this and the damage includes the ablity to knwo when one is hungry and full (studies on that are being done all the time but noone thinks the public cares about results).

There is also the Yummy or Favorite food factors. That is a problem we run into. Our Cats have a favorite food but when we get it, they wolf it down suddenly and get sick,.. not all the time but still it's annoying.

Then there are a mess of Mental reasons. One being competition, another being stress,.. if it's really nasty to the point you can't move the food bowl while the cat is eatting without getting attacked-- some shelters and counties consider that a grounds for a pet not being safe and needing to be put down.. not because they are contagious or anything but only because they have a mental reason like Post Trumatic Stress or a Skill they developed to Survive an Enviornment.

I would like to note it is suggested you should give male cats wet food every other day to help their-- I forget the words since someone won't shut up in reality... but from digestion to pee.

I would NOT try to control the dry food but give small ammounts of other foods. Like Chicken, Turkey, and Wet (Cat) Food. Never Fish (cats are actually allergic to some things in fish and fish are nearly always captured wild which makes them have random ammounts of metals in them). Do not give big porportions of Chicken or Turkey, pull off strands and chunks and place them piece by piece on the floor.. only a couple then wait for the cat to finish before more.. try not to give a human portion worth. NEVER GIVE YOUR CAT ANYTHING WITH BONES. Wolfing down and tiny bones adds up to damage, suffecateing or infection.

[ADDED]
K/M ----- Your cats are haveing mental conflicts as they compete over the food. Ever had that last slice of pizza moment where you want it or are scared to eat it-- Cats have alot of problems with that. You should put food and water in more then one location. Have it constantly available. Occasionally literally throw things they think are yummy around for them to hunt down so they know you love them and feed them but don't want them bored or stressed when it comes to food. Try to wait until different cats are presant when you do this from time to time to try to give everyone a chance.

Answer 10

He may not be chewing his food since he is inhaling it as you say. Some cats have stomach upset problems with certain foods. Really depends on the age of the cat and the strength of their teeth.

Try switching to a different brand with softer morsels that he can chew. Most cats will eat anything you keep down for them, but realistically should only be fed about a cup of food a day.