A slightly unpleasant topic but an activity that domestic cats are very good at. Domestic cats are very fluent vomiters. They can do it very easily and without any real distress unlike humans. As it is a fairly common way for the cat to deal with things like spoilt food, a mouse they can’t digest or a hairball, we know that there is no need to race off to the vet. Occasional vomiting is normal and the motto there is to watch and wait to see if it recurs and if there are other signs of illness. And also, in the spirit of sensible self-diagnosis, to do some detective work and observe the context in which the vomiting occurred. Remember vomiting is not an illness per se but a symptom of an illness or health condition.
The infographic shows 6 different styles and types of feline vomiting and some suggested causes. The source of the material are the four veterinarians: Delbert Carlson DVM, Liisa Carlson DVM, James M. Giffin MD and Debra M. Eldredge DVM.
The byword on cat health problems is the well-worn one: don’t hesitate to take your cat to the vet if needs must. Often even novice cat caregivers can tell if their cat is genuinely ill because the signal is a noticeable change, albeit sometimes a subtle one, in their cat companion’s behaviour. This is dependent on the caregiver being in tune with their cat’s routines and general behaviour which, in turn, is based on a close relationship. Without that there cannot be genuine excellence in looking after a domestic cat.
It is the small changes which become very large to a concerned, knowledgeable and observant caregiver. I hope the infographic helps a bit as it is useful to have some knowledge on cat health provided it is used judiciously.
Below are some more articles on feline vomiting.
