Cat that throws up a lot

My cat throws up a lot - it's always at night - which leads me to believe she is getting into things she shouldn't be. However, sometimes it appears to be furballs. Sometimes I also think she is just prone to throwing up. I've heard that there is something to give cats for anti-nausea. Does anyone know of anything? My carpet can't handle too much of this.

A trip to the vet may be warranted for this situation. When does she through up in relation to her last meal? This problem could be as simple as the cat eating too much food in a little time. If you think it's hairballs try mixing some hairball food in with the mormal diet.

If it's hairballs your kitty is vomiting, you can give Vetbasis, a good quality (contains no petroleum) hairball remedy, and try to increase combing her to help remove loose hairs.

If she's vomiting food, or bile (yellow tinged foamy liquid), you should definitely have the vet take a look at her.

When you say she's getting into things she shouldn't be, do you have any idea what that might be? (plants, for example)

Frequent vomiting, whether it's hairballs or food, isn't normal. Though there are anti-nausea meds your vet can recommend, they will just help the *symptom* of whatever is ailing your cat, and not get to the *cause* of the vomiting, which is what you really need to determine.

WHat KTLynn said.. Try to see a vet very soon

Zoe tends to chew on anything plastic. Well, anything that makes noise really. She's a "fluffy" cat to say the least, but I do have her on a strict diet per the vet. She does tend to overeat when I go away over the weekends. I can't control that because I need to leave a full bowl of food. But, I don't think hunger is why she tends to chew - and ultimately ingest paper and plastic. I think a lot of times the paper and plastic is what she is throwing up, but not always. It is hairballs sometimes too. But sometimes I just have no clue...can't tell if she's throwing up something specific or what.

I think it's odd that she always throws up at night...not during the day.

Boy! What a fun topic. yuck!

The imperative first step is to have your cat examined by her Vet. Please do let us know what you learn.

Zoe's habit of "chewing on anything plastic" is dangerous. She could have some plastic piece lodged in her digestive tract which might be causing her to vomit.

Is there any way to remove those plastic things that Zoe is fond of chewing? I had a cat who loved to rip papers apart, and fortunately he didn't swallow the pieces. Still, I didn't want torn magazines and papers, so they were put in a cabinet. If Zoe is swallowing wads of paper that don't pass that could be causing her trouble as well.

As far as Zoe overeating when you go away, there are things you can do to control that. Take a look here: www.drsfostersmith.com Type in for keyword: automatic feeders.
I've used these feeders for years with my cats. They also come with ice packs that you can insert under the dishes in the feeder to keep canned food fresh. I haven't used the automatic waterers, but there are many TCS members whose cats love them.

I agree with you that hunger is not why Zoe is chewing on non-food things. I'm assuming she's your only cat, and it sounds like you go away most weekends. It may be that she's bored and/or lonely. Bored kitties tend to get into trouble. If possible, have a friend or relative look in on her at least once per day while you're gone. Or, hire a pet sitter to come in once or twice a day. The fee is usually inexpensive for one kitty - maybe $10-15 per visit. It's a good idea since a lot can happen in 24-48 hours, either with your cat or your house/apt. It's peace of mind to have someone checking in to make sure Zoe's alright. A sitter can turn lights and radio on, make sure it's not too warm or cold, and most important, spend time with Zoe, playing or just cuddling.

A vet visit would be a wise thing at this point, since the vomiting is frequent, and she has a history of eating things she shouldn't. You should also mention the unusual fact that Zoe only vomits at night. Not to scare you, but I had a cat who did that - 4am every night. It turned out he had a very serious illness.

Hope you're able to get Zoe feeling better soon.

I actually have two cats and they are definitely buddies...I didn't want Zoe to be lonely so I got the other one a couple years ago. I don't go away maybe one or two weekends a month so they are alone more than I would like. It's hard to keep her away from everything because it seems like that's what she chews...everything. I'll continue to do my best. It also looks like I need to take her to the vet.
Pics of my two cuties

Just a quick update - I finally got my Zoe to the vet and she said that nothing is wrong and that as long as her daily routine hasn't changed then nothing is wrong. If i notice any change though, then I need to contact the vet immediately. Some cats just throw up - sometimes from the kind of food, sometimes from chewing on things, sometimes from hairballs, sometimes just because. I do need change their food. No more Meow Mix - which I expected. They are getting a little "fluffy."

Try a hairball food without artificial colors and flavors , no by products , no chemical preservatives... many will say to avoid corn and wheat also ...

What are you feeding? Try elevating the food pan and move the water bowl far from the dish, so she has to walk a bit of a distance to get a drink of water.

Maisey does the same thing. In fact, I've posted about it here before. The problem doesn't exist all the time, though, which leads me to believe that it's hairballs or maybe the type of food I'm feeding her. When she throws up, it's almost always in the morning, which means it could be a sensitive stomach thing. She also goes through weeks of not throwing up at all, then she goes into these 2 week spells when she throws up her food almost every day. It's almost always mixed with hair. Hairball remedies and foods don't seem to work for her, but I've been giving her a dab of petroleum jelly each day - was a suggestion from someone on this board. I'm also brushing her daily, and I'm getting her on a better quality food. The food seems to play a big role. She throws up a lot more frequently when I have her on a cheap food. I couldn't help but feed her in the morning with my work/school schedule, but now that that's changed, I'm moving her feeding time to early evening.

It's a very strange and puzzling issue. I took Maisey to the vet for it some time ago. They wormed her because she'd had worms a few months prior to the vet visit, and they wanted to worm again to make sure they were out of her system. Worms can definitely make cats barf and lose appetite. That is when Maisey began having the problem, and it's been a reocurring issue ever since. The vet doesn't think it's anything serious since it's in spells rather than all the time. I'm focusing in on the food and hairball issues, and see what happens from there. Hope you find a solution for your kitty's barfing. I know it can be frustrating - I live in an apartment with beige carpeting, and the landlord is known to be very picky about that stuff. Luckily, no permanent staining yet. Woolite carpet cleaner is very good.

I had the same exact problem with my cat Max. He was throwing up every night and sometimes he would do it while I was at work during the day. Sometimes there were hairballs in it but mostly looked it looked like his food. I took him to the vet 4 different times and it cost a fortune but they never found anything wrong. I tried tons of different foods and diets and nothing worked. The only thing that ever worked for me was getting a hairball remedy, I use petro-malt. And I just rub it into his paw, really good so that he doesn't fling it off. Now he only throws up about once every two weeks. At the last checkup the vet said that she thinks he just has some kind of digestive problem and the petro-malt probably helps to ease his stomach.

I hope you find something to help your kitty out.

A lot of the times cats will vomit up food because they eat it too much/too fast, and it swells in their stomach, causing them to retch. You can try soaking his wet food before feeding him, as that might help, although if you free feed you can't, because wet dry food = bacteria/mold heaven if they don't eat it right away.

My story is similar to those others have listed. I was feeding Meow Mix and my vet said to change to Weight and Hairball Control Iams. So right now I am mixing the iams with the meox mix to wean my cats off the cheap food - though they really aren't picky. I think I will still try the petro-malt.