Your cat vomits frequently — normal or a sign of illness?

📍 Veterinary Hospital Sacrum — Internal Medicine Diagnostics in Vantaa

“The cat vomits, but that's normal, right?”

This is what we often run into. Cats do vomit more easily than many other animals, but constant vomiting is never normal.

If your cat vomits more than once every two months, or vomiting has increased, there is some underlying cause that requires clarification.

Hairballs vs. Disease

• Hair balls: Cats are supposed to throw up an occasional ball of hair, especially at hair-shedding time. If hairballs appear weekly, the cat's intestines are not working optimally or they are licking themselves too much (itching/pain).
• Food or liquid: If the cat vomits food undigested or yellow liquid repeatedly, it is not about hairs.

The most common causes of chronic vomiting

If the cat is otherwise cheerful but vomits regularly (e.g. once a week), the cause may be:

1. Food allergy or hypersensitivity: The cat does not tolerate its current food.
2. IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): Chronic intestinal inflammation that is surprisingly common in cats.
3. Foreign object: A piece of wire or toy in the stomach can cause intermittent irritation.
4. Internal organ diseases: Renal failure, hyperthyroidism or pancreatitis.

When for examinations?

Make an appointment for an internal medicine examination at the Veterinary Hospital Sacrum if:

• Vomiting is recurrent (weekly).
• The cat is losing weight.
• The appetite varies or the cat is stingy for food.
• The coat goes into disrepair (becomes tangled, unpolished).

We investigate the cause of vomiting with blood tests and, if necessary, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Often, the right diet or medication stops vomiting completely and the cat feels better.

📞 Appointment: 010 739 9130