Remedy for Cat Vomiting
Does your cat throw up often? Does your cat throw up every day? It is NOT just hairballs.
If your cat throws up often, has bad breath, burps or makes gurgling noises you may want to try this easy remedy. There are many reasons for cats throwing up, but acid indigestion is a common cause. You should always take your cat to the vet first before trying anything else. If the vet agrees, try this however. In my case my vet approves of this treatment.
First of all, throwing up can be a sign of something serious so don’t assume it is “normal”. Excessive vomiting is not normal despite all the stereotypes of cats having hairballs. In fact, cats should not get many hairballs since their natural diet would include lots of fur! Fur is good for their digestion! Cats that have hairballs, may also have slow bowel motility and can have constipation as well. My boy here needs medication for both vomiting and constipation.
My sweet boy needs Pepcid AC for his acid reflux.
If you have the go ahead from your vet, you can give your cat a small portion of a Pepcid AC tablet once to twice per day. My cat gets 1/4 of a Pepcid AC twice per day. This is a common treatment for dogs but can be used for cats as well. Make sure you get Pepcid AC Original Strength, NOT Pepcid Complete which is a chewable or Pepcid AC Maximum Strength. These contains ingredients cats can’t have!!
My boy gets this every day morning and night. It is pretty easy to cut the little square pills into quarters. I cut a bunch up and keep them in a ziplock sandwich bag so they are ready to go. If he doesn’t get these, he throws up every day. With them he still throws up occasionally but not all the time! He also feels so much better. He was miserable before with the acid indigestion. He appeared to burp, made gurgling noises and had terrible breath! I feel so bad that we didn’t find this solution sooner!
The Downside
Long term use of acid reducers like Pepcid can cause problems such as reducing the absorption of nutrients from food. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies. For this reason, these pills should not be given if not necessary. I am working on finding other solutions so my boy doesn’t have to stay on these forever. However, I am glad I found this solution and I think the pros outweigh the cons.
The Benefits
Controlling acid reflux is important because it greatly improves quality of life. Have you had acid reflux? If you have, you know how painful it can be! It can lead to ulcers, tooth decay and other problems. I think it is worth it to treat the problem with Pepcid even if it is not the great as a long term solution. A cats lifespan is shorter than human’s. A cat probably won’t be on this as many years as a person might…so there is less risk of long term damage. As soon as I find a good natural solution I will let you know! In the meantime, it is worth it to me to greatly improve my boy’s quality of life!
Pepcid AC is cheap! Since they only get 1/4 of a tablet once or twice per day, the cost for treating a dog or cat with Pepcid is pretty affordable! If your vet agrees I would defiantly give it a try! My cat is good natured so he got used to the routine of taking the pill fairly quickly. I just put my fingers on either side of his upper teeth and he opens his mouth. With my other hand I drop the pill portion on the back of his tongue. I then close his mouth and he is used to just swallowing it now. It is so small it is pretty easy!
A Natural Aid for Cat’s Digestion
Cat grass is actually wheat grass. I buy it at the grocery store in the produce section. It is cheaper and much higher quality there than “cat grass” which is exactly the same thing at a pet food store! The cat grass at the pet food stores is always dried out and full of bugs here. I don’t know if that is just because it a shipped to Alaska whereas the wheat grass is grown locally. In any case, my cats all LOVE wheat grass. They rarely throw up when they eat it unlike other plants and outdoor grass which is real grass. Wheat grass is the shoot of the wheat plant.
Grab some wheat grass at the grocery store and your cats will thank you! It also helps keep them from eating other houseplants.
Another Cause of Throwing Up and Digestive Problems and a Solution
Another cause of throwing up in cats can be a food allergy or sensitivity. My boy had this too! However, the food sensitivity caused diarrhea so when the diarrhea stopped I was pretty sure we had found a food that worked. No matter what food he is on he would still throw up but it was less with this brand. Here is the food we finally found that fixed the food sensitivity. It is amazing! Very high quality, full of super foods and much more affordable than other brands of superior quality. The brand is called Solid Gold. You can read about the brand in my review of the best natural cat food here.
You may want to try a different food for your cat if they have digestive problems. In my kitty’s case he needed both Solid Gold food for his food sensitivity and Pepcid AC. Solid Gold makes a variety of cat and dog foods for kittens, seniors, weight control and other needs. This is the variety my cats eat now. My cat didn’t do well on the rabbit variety but this one made with Pollock, and those made with chicken etc. are all great for him.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment and let me know!
Jessica
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Mine eats grass all the time and it sometimes comes back up a little while later, although I have seen grass in your litter. Why does she do this?
It’s not often, but too often for me. Most times she is outside when she vomits, but every so often…..
Hello Brad,
Is this the only time your cat throws up? Does she throw up clear liquid or food, or just the grass?
Mine (the same cat that has digestive issues) does the same thing. If he is outside he will be eating grass no matter what! I think it is a habit he got into when his stomach hurt all the time before we knew he had acid reflux and treated it. Basically, cats eat grass to address an upset stomach as far as I know. Often they do it so that they can throw up…on purpose to get the acid out!
I would start by getting her wheat grass (also called cat grass, but wheat grass is cheaper and higher quality for the same thing). Just get it in the produce section of your grocery store. My cats rarely throw up the wheat grass since it is very tender and more easily digested than outdoor grass. Cats benefit from the nutrients in some plants and ours all LOVE the wheat grass. If she still throws up or does it very often I would suggest you look into the Pepcid or at least ask your vet.
Thanks,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Great information. Cat Grass is also super easy to grow. If you plan to have some around on an ongoing basis I’d highly recommend growing instead of buying it, it is just a heck of a lot cheaper. It is also a super hands off plant once you put the seeds in the dirt. There are some great kits out there, but I personally just buy these seeds:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045122EM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks Craig, yes, I would grow it but in our new place I don’t have a single south facing window and here in Alaska that means no sunlight inside all winter! I will have to get a grow light I guess. I miss the house and sun-room I had previously. I only lasts a week or two so I thought it would be a hassle to need to start a new batch every two weeks.
Does yours last longer (from the time it is fully grown) than two weeks?
Thanks,
Jessica
Jessica, thank you for this awe-inspiring article! This not only gives insight into the symptoms for cat vomiting, but also very beneficial treatments that are non-invasive.
I also believe that the suggestions you offer are a plus in solving such a complex issue. Some causes introduced have definitely shed light on strategies to get your cat back to their optimal health.
Hello Phildora,
Thank you for your comment and stopping by ThrivingCat. I am realizing the longer I have cats, there are so many ways we can make their lives better if we pay close attention to the little things! It is so hard to imagine people just thought it was normal for cats to throw up for so long! We would not think it was normal for a person to throw up every day so why should we assume it is normal for a pet?
I am excited to be able to share this information and that in my other posts on tooth and gum disease in cats and dogs, upper respiratory infections in cats and so many other common health problems!
Thanks,
Jessica
this was a good read, Personally im not a cat person but i know alot of people who are so im glad to past this on to them.
Thanks
Thanks Terei, I would appreciate you passing this information on to others who may benefit!
Jessica
Hello!
I am not a cat person, but your website is very informative and interesting. Learned something new, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Cristy.
Oh poor kitty! I had a cat long ago that would throw up on a semi-regular basis. She finally got really sick, and so I took her to the vet but she did not survive the weekend 🙁
I am thankful for this post, so that I can keep track of these problems and take care of them right away. Great post!
I am so sorry you lost your kitty Irma. I felt so bad that it took us so long to find solutions for my boy. I can’t imagine how many cats and dogs suffer with this and never get help! I hope to spread this information so people can find these easy, effective, affordable solutions for their pets!
Thanks,
Jessica
Hello Jessica! I am so sorry your kitty is going through this. I’m a cat lover… had three and all gone…still miss them very much 🙁
Interesting…I didn’t know Pepcid AC can also help cats! Have you tried natural wheat grass? I used to give it to my cats from time to time and they liked it.
Hello,
I am so sorry you lost your kitties! That is so sad. I know how you feel.
Yes, my cats have wheat grass at all times! I forgot to include that in my post but I have added it now. Thanks for the reminder. It keeps them from eating other houseplants as well!
Thank you!
Jessica
Great information, Jessica – as a cat person, I really need to know this, and I had no idea. I have a few questions:
1 – If you provide wheat grass to an indoor/outdoor cat, will they still eat the yard grass?
2 – I noticed Chip (our plump male cat) throwing up little foamy balls yesterday, out in the back yard. Both of our cats throw up often, but I’d not seen these before – any idea what they are?
3 – If we give them Pepsid AC, I expect trouble getting them to swallow it (especially Alberta, our calico – she hates pills) – any tips on a good way to do that?
Thanks a heap for this powerful info. I’ll be back for more!
Steve
Hi Steve,
1-It depends on the cat and the situation. They may or may not. One of ours still does all the time, one does sometime and one does not!
2-Was there any grass in the foam? My boy did this when he ate grass outside. If you look closely sometimes you will see a bit of green in there. If it is not the grass, could he have eaten something else outside? If the foam is yellowish then he may be throwing up bile which is a clue that he has a very upset stomach and could have a more serious problem. Our boy did that too before I gave him the Pepcid and treated his constipation.
3-Pepcid AC tablets are tiny! Then you cut them into quarter and only give one quarter to the cat so the resulting piece is really, really tiny. It isn’t really a pill at that point. My boy is used to them and is good about taking them so we only have to open his mouth, drop it on the back of his tongue, close his mouth and tell him to swallow. If your cat fights pills she may fight though even though it is tiny, the edges can be kind of sharp…I try to scrape them off with my fingernail first.
I would try butter or sour cream or anything she especially like to get it down. It is so tiny she might not notice!
Thanks so much for your questions and comments!
Jessica
Thanks much for your prompt, thorough reply, Jessica. Your site is such a treasure!
We will try the wheat grass and see what happens – it will be up to them, because they will remain indoor/outdoor creatures.
I’m not sure about grass in the foam, but probably yes, as he, and the foam were in the grass, so it is likely. Since the foam was white, that’s the likely explanation- yard grass that Chip probably eats regularly for the same result, only I saw it this time.
We may have to get creative with Alberta, as she only eats catfood, but since wet food is her preference, we might be able to do something with that. Chip is easy, and he loves dairy (especially whipped cream, which is bad for him…) so no problem with him, but Alberta is always the challenge.
Thanks again for this amazing service for cats, and the people that they tolerate…
Thanks for the wonderful vote of confidence here Steve! I really appreciate it! Yes, dairy and sugar are bad for cats (did you know they cannot taste sweetness?!) but a tiny bit to get the pill down might be ok.
Jessica
Yes, I agree with Jessica. Regular grass is medicinal to cats and dogs. It encourages them to vomit. They eat it because they want to vomit in other words. When they eat grass it might be a sign that they’re having tummy troubles. If she’s not dewormed, that might be the issue or she might need an up-date deworming. I know the worms are bad where I live idk about where you live. Haha, as a matter of fact that’s why I know all of this because mine was having some serious worm probs. It might also be one of the above that Jessica mentioned too but its not the same as eating cat grass. You should take her to see your vet along with a couple fecal samples from different days.
I never considered acid reflux as a reason for vomiting though. Now I wonder if that’s what was going on with mine about a month ago she was having vomiting spells but there was no hairball. I admit that I thought hairballs were supposed to be common although I do know that a lot of ‘normal habits’ that we’re used to really are because of the poor quality foods we may be used eating, pets included.
I truly enjoy your site Jessica and love reading and learning about cats as I’m pretty new to being a cat mom of 2! lol!
tfs 🙂
Marlinda
Thanks for stopping by Marlinda,
Vomiting is a tricky issue since there can be many causes! Yes, you make a good point about deworming. Mine have not needed that since they are indoor only (they only go out on a leash or being carried) so they are not exposed to other cats or eating wild things.
Eating cat grass in small amounts can just be something they like and not indicate a problem. Eating houseplants that are woody or rough and make them throw up however means they are trying to throw up since their stomachs are upset. This could be due to food intolerance, acid indigestion or hairballs (which indicates poor digestion) or other health problems. I am probably missing some causes here! Food allergies and intolorance are very common and people just think their cats are throwing up because “that is what cats do”. Here is my post on food allergies and intolorance. It is not comprehensive to the subject but gives some basic information. https://thrivingcat.com/what-is-the-best-cat-food-for-a-sensitive-stomach. You may have already looked at this but I will put it here as a reference for others.
Thanks for your comment!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
I’m wondering if maybe your little guy is reacting to the gums in canned foods? I see that Solid Gold has Guar Gum in it like many others. This can be difficult for cats to digest.
There are very few canned cat foods made without gums.
In Canada there is one called ‘First Mate’. Many IBD cats do well on it.
Another one is Instinct.
I make my own cat food and use gelatin to get the congealed texture.
But it’s nice to offer a canned treat that won’t make them sick!
Hello Lana,
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions here. I have actually never fed my cats the Solid Gold canned food. I only fed them Solid Gold dry food and other brands of wet. Now, however I have stopped using Solid Gold food altogether. Some of the varieties have been found to have high levels of heavy metals. I am not sure if their food has higher levels than other dry food made from fish however as fish naturally bioaccumulate heavy metals anyway. I am having trouble finding much information on the lawsuit which has been filed against Solid Gold for this reason. I want to pull my recommendations of Solid Gold in my posts here but I don’t want to malign them if the heavy metals are just from the wild fish and would be the same in any brand.
In any case I am not feeding it to my cats anymore and my boy is not throwing up nearly as much! There was something in the food that was not good for him.
I really appreciate your input here and I believe the more natural the food the better for cats so I am a big fan of homemade cat food as long as people understand the needs of cats (that are different than dogs) and are willing to put the effort into doing it correctly by adding taurine, organ meats etc. and not just feeding muscle meat which doesn’t have enough nutrition.
Thanks again,
Jessica
Just thanks for this sensitive info! Hug you – me and my cat!
Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
thanks for the good read, have you found an alternative for the Pepcid AC.
my cat throw up unless she takes it, it has been 4 months now.
i already took her to the vet this is what they gave her with no diagnosis (blood and xray is good).
i don’t want to take her back to the vet, she is healthy and playing any everything but throw up if i stopped the Pepic AC or forgot a dose.
Thank you
Hello Mag,
No, I have not found a good alternative for the Pepcid AC. I know many food allergies can cause throwing up but it is very hard to tell and also difficult with multiple cats to feed one a different food. I recently switched to Purina Beyond Grain Free Indoor Salmon, Egg and Sweet Potato. That seems to be minimizing the throwing up. Solid Gold brand food just wasn’t working for them anymore and they seemed to be throwing it up every day.
I still have to give my boy Pepcid but he is doing better.
If you find another solution please let me know.
Thanks!
Jessica
Are there any other anti acids that I can give my cat
I have not personally used any other antacids for cats. I see that in some cases Maalox, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia and others can be used. It is best to ask a vet however. I don’t know anything about using those for cats. If a cat has kidney disease for example, antacids with magnesium should not be used. Other antacids can cause side effects or interact with medications.
Do not use Prilosec, Zantec or Pepto bismol. Here is a chart with dosages and showing which ones you can and can’t use. https://www.wiki-pet.com/health/cat/charts/medicine-chart.php
See my other reply to your comment here with link.
Yes, possibly. See my other reply.
Are there any other anti acids other than Pepcid AC that I can give my cat who has an upset stomach
Buy the generic version of Pepcid…. famotidine
If I don’t have Pepcid AC what other anti acids can I give my cat for her upset stomach
Try generic vesion famotidine
What was the food prior to the Solid Gold that was causing so much throwing up? I’m having trouble the last few days with one of my boys. He’s thrown up quite a lot before but the last few days it’s a lot. Mostly white foamy stuff. Not eating much, only a small bit of canned food. No kibble whatsoever. Gave him Pepcid about 2 hours ago. We’ll see if he eats at feeding time. If it continues, it will be a vet visit after the weekend. I’m feeding Blue Wilderness chicken kibble and Friskies pate, mostly fish. I have noticed some issues with the Friskies salmon. I have 3 indoor cats. As you said it’s hard to feed just one something different.
Hi Catherine,
Everything has changed for us some more. Now we have to feed one cat a kidney diet which was not agreeing with the orange boy. We suspect he is sensitive/allergic to chicken and definitely allergic to tuna. We are not sure about turkey or other fish. I thought he was ok with salmon but now I am not so sure. The only food he seems totally fine with is beef but you need to read the ingredients because a food that says one meat on the front of the can may have several other proteins in it. I have food that looks like chicken but there is actually fish in it too and beef food that has chicken and pork.
It does not seem to be a certain brand he has trouble with rather than the kinds of protein.
Most of the cheap and many medium and even high end brands have multiple proteins in each. Some cats are sensitive to grains too and some can be sensitive to dairy.
I know it is hard finding the right food! I am sorry you are going through this. Let me know if I can do any more to help. My suggestion is find a food that has only one protein source listed in the ingredients and try one at a time until you can identify what he is sensitive to. Keep in mind that cats are so sensitive so the first few days after you change food they may be sick so you may have to wait it out for a few days to tell.
Jessica
Thank you for all this great information my cat Fredy is 17 years and has hyperglycemia is opposed to diabetes and very sensitive stomach some days he have vomit and today I saw him went to he’s cat litter try to do number two but he is constipated and he was pushing very hard and have some vomiting come out of he’s mouth please can you give me more help please thank you very much
Hi Amelia,
Have you had Fredy checked out by a vet for this? There can be many causes of throwing up and constipation. Our vet suggested we give my boy a tiny bit of Miralax powder for his constipation. It is regular Miralax made for humans that you can buy at a grocery store or pharmacy. I sprinkly a tiny bit of the powder on his wet food once or twice per day. I no longer have to use this since we are feeding more wet and less dry food.
It sounds like your boy has some serious issues going on and I am really not qualified to make a recommendation. You need to get him checked out by a vet. If you cannot do that for some reason I want you to be aware that Miralax can help with constipation. I think the recommended amount was 1/8 of a tsp.
Other things that can help constipation are feeding wet instead of dry food and adding canned pumpkin to their food or separately as a treat. It has to be plain canned pumpkin however, not pumpkin pie mix since that has spices and sugar added.
I believe other squash like butternut squash can work as well.
I hope you can find a solution for Fredy!
Food allergies are a common cause of throwing up too.
Jessica
Thank you Jessica for the I information Fredy is old he is not 17 we do numbers with my kids the day we get him is almost 19 years . I give him the medication you said and help him a lot but the day I forget he’s not feel fine .
Hello Amy,
I am so glad it helped! Thank you!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Interesting read. We are also in the same boat as you. We have a 5y/o cat, Bobo, that has been to the regular vet 2x and emergency vet for this problem. Every thing came back fine, except overweight by a few lbs and acid reflux. He is on Pepcid and we also did a “novel protein” food. He is currently eating duck and green pea from natural balance limited ingredient diet. They do also have a venison one too. It’s a little bit more than other cat foods but it did help him. He has a vet appointment next week with another vet because we don’t want him on meds forever. And because we would like to go away for a few day without worrying about him or coming home to a mess. Hope this helps if not you some other reader.
Thanks Michelle,
My boy is much better now that he is diagnosed with and treated for hyperthyroidism. His levels were normal for years before this appeared however. I don’t know how it was related, but now that he takes thyroid pills he doesn’t throw up any more!
I hope you find a good solution!
Jessica