Our question this week was:

Hello, I have 5 wonderful indoor cats; I have had them since they were babies. My white cat has always been the skinniest out of the group. My question is, sometimes after he eats he immediately vomits, and if I don't catch him, he will eat it again, is this cause for concern?

Dina Burnett


Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Your email indicated that you have a multi-cat household and one of the cats; the skinniest of them, occasionally regurgitates or vomits and sometimes eats the food again.

I'm guessing if he does it immediately after he eats that he is actually regurgitating. Regurgitation means the food never got to the stomach and generally is in a tubular shape – of undigested food. Vomiting means it came from the stomach is generally associated with abdominal contractions and is usually partially digested food.

If it happens occasionally and your cat is otherwise maintaining their weight, playful and active, it is not probably a big concern. However, there are some esophageal diseases that can cause regurgitation. If regurgitation is too frequent, it can cause weight loss in itself.

If you are worried, take her to your veterinarian for evaluation.

An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is "Regurgitation in Cats".


Best of luck!


Dr. Jon



PS – Do you have any great pet tips? I love learning from pet owners and have been looking for some pet tips. I might try to share some of these with other PetPlace users! Send me your tips!


To read most recent questions Click here!


Click here to see the full list of Ask Dr. Jon Questions and Answers!