Q: “My cat has been vomiting white foamy stuff and has lost her appetite the last couple of days. Should I take her to the vet?”
A: Occasional vomiting is all too common in cats; about 54% of cats throw up once a month or so. They often just spit up white foam. If the cat is acting okay and there is nothing else going on, I often recommend a short fast to rest the stomach.
If the cat stops eating and drinking, has blood in the vomit, or has diarrhea too, then something needs to be done right away. You mentioned that she has lost her appetite the last couple of days, but I could not tell if you meant she was not eating at all, or just not eating as much as normal.
10 Possible Causes of Vomiting White Foam
A cat can vomit white foam for several reasons:
1. An Empty Stomach
Sometimes, a cat will stop eating for an unrelated reason, like stress secondary to a visitor in the house. The acid in the empty stomach then leads to throwing up white foam. There are many good treatments for stress in cats.
Our main concern with vomiting secondary to stress is that the cat may no longer want to eat and can develop a type of liver disease called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease.
2. An Upset Stomach
Cats usually get an upset stomach if they eat something they are not used to, or sometimes when it is something they eat all the time and develop an allergy to. Vomiting may be the only thing noticed, but some cats also have diarrhea and will hide because they feel bad.
3. A Bowel Disease
Cats with inflammatory bowel disease may present with just vomiting but also usually have loose stools. This can be difficult to diagnose, but if not treated, it can lead to chronic scarring and a bowel that never returns to normal.
4. A Foreign Body Stuck in the Stomach
This might be a toy stuck in the stomach, but it is also possible that your cat is vomiting from eating a string or another object she has been playing with.
5. A Hairball
If you have a long-haired cat or a pet that sheds a lot, this should be a concern, as sometimes the pet is not able to vomit up the hairball and ends up just vomiting white foam. If this continues for several days, the other causes of vomiting need to be ruled out, and then, if all is okay, the hairball irritation can be treated.
6. Parasites
Since you did not indicate if your cat is inside all of the time or still goes outside, you do need to consider parasites. Studies of cats that roam, even in urban areas, show that this is still a big problem (1). Inside cats can contract parasites too, but it is much less common.
Some parasites will cause your cat to lose weight and have diarrhea, while others will cause vomiting like you describe.
7. Diabetes
Most people notice their cats drinking more and urinating outside the box before vomiting, but if your cat has any other symptoms, this is one of the things you should check.
8. Kidney Disease
If your cat is a senior, this is a more common cause of vomiting. Those pets often have weight loss and are dehydrated. They may drink and use the litter box more frequently, and in about 27% of cats, they may just start vomiting (2). Any senior cat that is vomiting should have its kidneys checked by testing the blood.
9. Liver Disease
Vomiting is only one of the signs seen with liver disease. (It is often yellow, though, since the white foam is mixed with a little bile.) Your cat may start out vomiting but then develop fatty liver disease and stop eating anything. She will need bloodwork to diagnose this problem, but if it goes on too long, some do not make it.
0. Hyperthyroidism
This is mostly a concern for middle-aged or senior cats, but if your pet is losing weight even while eating more and is vomiting and howling more than normal, the thyroid blood levels should be checked.
Is It Time to Call the Vet?
Although vomiting in cats is often not an emergency, if your cat is not eating or eating very little, it is more urgent. It is not always hairballs or something as mild as a little stress, so if it is something more serious, like a kidney or liver problem, it needs to be treated as soon as possible.
There are so many possibilities that your cat will need bloodwork. Your veterinarian will be able to prescribe medication to decrease the pain and nausea of vomiting right away. An abdominal x-ray or ultrasound may or may not be needed, but you will be able to decide that at the time of the examination.
Source: Pet Helpful
