Cat vomiting and diarrhea are unfortunate but common aspects of pet ownership. Cats are susceptible to a large range of stomach upsets, which can often result in your cat vomiting, having diarrhea, or both.
Any time your cat experiences a bout of vomiting or diarrhea is a cause for concern, but it is necessary to figure out the underlying reason. This way, you can change or eliminate the causative factors. Since chronic vomiting and diarrhea (defined as occurring more than two or three times a week on a regular basis) can be a sign of underlying health problems or a serious illness, it is imperative to treat vomiting and diarrhea early.
What Causes Cat Vomiting and Diarrhea?
Often, cat diarrhea and vomiting are linked to a diet change, increased stress, or another environmental factor. It is when diarrhea and vomiting occur without any obvious cause that finding a treatment becomes frustrating.
Diet
All types of pets can have sensitive stomachs, but cats are especially susceptible to food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances. These can manifest themselves in the form of vomiting and diarrhea. If your cat begins having increased episodes of vomiting or diarrhea following a diet change, it may be that she is not able to tolerate one of the ingredients in the new food. Often, switching back to the previous food will solve this problem. If it does not, it may be necessary to put your cat on a personalized or home-prepared diet to determine what ingredients she is sensitive to.
Despite their owners’ best efforts to find a food that does not cause problems, some cats do not tolerate any commercially-prepared cat foods. Such cats often develop chronic diarrhea and vomiting, which can leave them unable to absorb nutrients from their food properly, causing low energy levels and a poor coat. In addition, chronic diarrhea in cats positively correlates with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed and irritated. As well as causing continual discomfort for the cat, untreated IBD will often develop into lymphoma, a type of cancer.
What Not To Do
In the past, the solution to cat vomiting and diarrhea was medication (usually antibiotics) and fasting. However, recent studies have found that in many cases antibiotics are not only unnecessary, their overuse leads to antibiotic resistance problems. Using antibiotics unnecessarily can cause the medication to fail when it is necessary. In addition, antibiotics often damage the good bacteria in the gut. This leaves your pet susceptible to other opportunistic diseases and bacteria and can even result in a more serious case of vomiting or diarrhea, sometimes necessitating hospitalization. It’s hard to see how treating vomiting and diarrhea with a medication that causes more vomiting and diarrhea could be considered treatment!
Whereas fasting has long been the recommended treatment for intestinal upset in pets, even a short fast of 12 hours can cause a life-threatening liver problem called hepatic lipidosis in cats. For this reason, although fasting can be effective in giving the GI tract a “break” from an intestinal upset, fasting cats for intestinal upset is a potentially dangerous treatment.
What To Do
Thankfully, you can avoid the traditional methods of antibiotics and fasting by giving your cat a soil-based probiotic. This has been shown to be effective in 97 percent of cat gastro-intestinal upsets.
If your cat is experiencing chronic diarrhea and vomiting, a visit to your veterinarian is still necessary to rule out other potential causes, such as disease (feline panleukopenia), organ problems (kidney failure and hyperthyroidism), and parasites (Giardia and clostridium overgrowth).
Caution
Although it is often possible to treat vomiting and diarrhea in cats at home with our unique blend of remedies, there are times when vomiting and diarrhea can be a sign of a medical emergency. These situations require a visit to your veterinarian.
For instance, if vomiting or diarrhea occurs suddenly and repeatedly in a short period of time, a more sinister cause than stomach upset may be to blame. Acute, repeated vomiting in cats can be a sign of acute renal failure. Sudden failure of kidney function can affect almost every body system of the cat and it can be due to a kidney infection, toxin ingestion (poison or toxic chemical exposure), or kidney obstruction. Affected cats may experience sudden, acute vomiting, lethargy, weakness, and disorientation. This is a severe medical emergency.
As cats can develop serious liver problems if they refuse to eat or are fasted for any amount of time, refusal to eat accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting is also a cause for concern. Observe your cat for other symptoms of illness (lethargy, increased or decreased thirst or urination, hiding, and increased vocalization). These can all be signs of a more serious illness.
My 9 year old female cat (who I adopted with her sister) suddenly came down with worms (tiny white ones in her stool) about 3 months ago; I dosed her with Prosense Dewormer every 14 days for almost 2 months..when the worms were no longer visible, I stopped ; but now, she is vomiting and has bloody diarrhea about once a week. She doesn’t eat as much; is lethargic (but was never really active)..both cats are indoor animals due to where I live (senior mobile home park).. the instructions on the Prosense says to wait 30 days and dose her again according to her weight and then every 30 days thereafter. I haven’t done that yet;but am concerned about the bloody stools..I simply cannot afford to take her and her sister to a local vet. I have not changed their diet since they were a year old. They do get infested with fleas every year, even though they have never been out. Please advise if you can; what can I do to help her without a lot of expenditure. Thank You
I recommend food-grade diatomaceous earth. See below for more info.
Natural Pest Control > Natural Insecticides > DE Diatomaceous Earth – 50 lb
DE Diatomaceous Earth – 50 lb
DE, or Diatomaceous Earth, has many uses. The EPA has approved it as an anti-caking agent in animal feed and as a natural pesticide for indoor and outdoor crawling insects. In addition, DE is approved by the FDA for internal and external use as a Food Grade Chemical.
If you are bothered by any of the following pests, DE is a good way to fight them: ants, bedbugs, box elder bugs, carpet beetles, centipedes, crickets, cockroaches, earwigs, fleas, grasshoppers, millipedes, slugs and silverfish.
Diatomaceous Earth – Diatoms
Image ID: corp2365, NOAA Corps Collection
Photographer: Dr. Neil Sullivan, USC
Diatomaceous Earth is odorless and nontoxic and looks like white powder. It is composed of finely milled fossilized shells of minuscule organisms called diatoms (image at right). The microscopically fine, sharp edges desiccate the insects’ exoskeletons upon contact, and the pests dehydrate and die within hours. The insects also die when they eat the dust. Use the Dustin Mizer for easy application.
Indoor and Outdoor Application: Sprinkle a light layer of Diatomaceous Earth in areas where pests frequent, including under stoves, cabinets, sinks, garbage cans, window and door frames and sills, entrance ways, sewer pipes and drains, and in cracks and crevices. Repeat treatment as needed.
DISCLAIMER: Any food grade diatomaceous earth uses other than those approved by the EPA, FDA, or USDA are strictly based on what others reportedly have done. The information that follows is not intended as a substitute for a veterinarian’s advice, nor is it a substitute for your judgment. It is best if you inform yourself and make decisions based on what you learn.
Since this is food grade Diatomaceous Earth, it can be taken internally. Internal and external pests and parasites tend to be worse in animals with mineral deficiencies or other health issues. DE may be fed on a continuous basis to larger livestock for both parasite control and mineralization. DE is an excellent source of organic silica and a few trace minerals. The animal’s digestive system is not harmed by its passage; in fact, it converts some of the silica into calcium. The calcium is then used by the body to build bone, teeth, connective tissue, and is also important for the strength of body cells. DE can be part of any balanced mineral program in livestock.
Parasite Control for Livestock: For effective use, the DE must be fed long enough to catch all the newly hatching eggs or cycling of the worms through the lungs and back to the stomach. A minimum of 60 days is suggested at 2% of dry weight of the grain ration. If livestock or horses still test positive, increase the dosage. More will not hurt; too little will not help.
Cattle, including dairy cattle
2 % by weight of dry ration
Calves
4 grams in morning
Chickens
5 % in feed
Goats
2 % of weight of grain
Hogs
2 % of weight of feed ration
Horses
1/2 – 1 cup in daily ration
Sheep
2% of weight of ground grain
Parasite Control for Pets: If you have pets, DE may be used for parasite control. However, it should never be given to very small pregnant animals such as cats, guinea pigs, etc. It may be given daily.
Kittens
1/2 teaspoon
Cats
1 teaspoon
Puppies
½ -1 teaspoon
Dogs under 35 lbs
1 teaspoon
Dogs 35-50 lbs.
2 teaspoons
Dogs over 50 lbs.
1 Tablespoon
Dogs over 100 lbs.
2 Tablespoons
* CAUTIONS:
* IF you have asthma or some other lung ailment, either wear a mask or be very careful when using food grade diatomaceous earth as it is a fine powder.
* Because DE is drying, do NOT get it in your eyes. Be sure to apply it on animals or around them to avoid their eyes, too.
* Do NOT use heavily in carpet. DE can cause vacuum problems.
* NEVER use pool filter grade or any diatomaceous earth other than those labeled “Food Grade” around animals as it is poisonous.
Aloha,
My cat has been throwing up and has recently in the last week or so, started to hace diarrhea. She seems to be hungry all the time but then will throw it up or go to the cat box and have diarrhea. She is getting pretty skinny and I’m really worried about her. My vet had taken blood and ran tests and everything has come back normal. She is recommending that I take her to get an ultrasound on her stomach. Do you have any ideas on what might help my cat, Abby? I don’t want to leave her alone since the throwing up and diarrhea aren’t getting better. Mahalo for any help you can provide to me. I appreciate it.
Hello Shannon,
We specialize in GI issues and have a 97% success rate with these types of issues. I strongly recommend the TRDV protocol. Click this link to be transported to the product page and read more about this protocol. https://vitalityscience.com/product/tr-diarrhea-vomiting-cat/ Also I recommend foor that has no corn, wheat, soy, chicken, turkey, or duck in it. You will want to stick with gentle protiens such as rabbit, lamb, venison, or tuna. Also try adding a bit of canned pumpkin this may be a quick bandaid until our products arrive. Take care
This blog about How to Take Care of Cat Vomiting and Diarrhea
has helped me a lot, is very well written. Gastro Prime Cats
https://vitalityscience.com/product/gastro-prime-combo-cats/
Kiss you All!
My 17 year-old long-haired cat has a history of vomiting occasionally, but she has vomited at least 3 times today. I heard it happening each time but by the time I found her there was just a small, wet spot on the carpet – no food, no hairball. Tonight she moved from her usual favorite places to a spot nearer to her food and the kitty litter. She is lethargic and when I pet her my hand gets covered with fur – something that never happened before. The only change in her diet is a small amount of freeze-dried salmon as a treat every evening for the past week.
My veterinarian was closed today and will be tomorrow too. What should I do in the meantime? Should I take her to the emergency vet. or wait? Is there anything else I can do?
Thank you.
There is nothing to be done until you see the vet in the AM. AFter the vet diagnosis get back to me for a supplemental remedy. We have dealt with many cats with similar symptoms. But we need a diagnosis.
My cat has IBD and has regular steroids , He has vomiting and the runs when the steroid is running low in his body then I have to top it up at the vets , what do you recommend thanks
I recommend our Gastro Prime Protocol.
For more info, I will email you. If you do not see my email, check in your spam folder. If you still do not see it, send me an email cs@vitalityscience.com from your email.