Your cat might not be using a litter box for the first time, yet you see them vomiting after using it.

At first, you might think a dirty litter box, improper diet, digestive issues, or such reasons account for the cat’s throwing up undigested food, but this is not always true. 

While you are worried about why your cat keeps throwing up, it can be due to various reasons, from mild to major, yet often linked to post-litter box vomiting. If your baby uses it for the first time, it’s an apparent reason. 

Yet, understanding which reasons are responsible for cat vomiting, especially due to post-litter box usage, is worth it so you can prevent it for your cat and ease it. So, without any further ado, let’s dig into the details!

Possible Causes of Post-Litter Box Vomiting

When a cat keeps throwing up undigested food after using the litter box, it is referred to as post-litter box vomiting.

Now, note that it’s not essential for your cat to suffer from all of these, but do analyze if a few reasons and their occurrence habits match the exact issue.

1. Hairballs

Your cat might lick a lot, like almost 40% of their total day at random instances. This is because it’s their way to groom themselves, but it is indirectly the cause of post-litter-box vomiting.

As the cat licks itself, they ingest a lot of hair along with it, which doesn’t get digested and accumulates in their stomach.

Their bodies can tolerate it to a certain extent, but if your baby vomits frequently, then take them to the veterinarian ASAP, as too many hairballs can be the reason.

2. Cat Food and Diet Issues

A recent change in your cat’s food or related habits might not suit them. It can be due to various causes, but there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for cats, as each of them has a different physiology, just like humans.

Therefore, if you have noticed a recent change in their diet followed by post-litter-box vomiting, even some time later, that could account for it.

Often, dietary reactions affect their body as certain foods might not suit them. Besides, cats are playful creatures, so they play with anything around them.

Sometimes they try such things, which leads to accidental poisoning, causing post-litter-box vomiting.

3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Cats often develop a disease-causing chronic inflammation in their digestive tract due to various reasons.

This is known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, abbreviated as IBD, which results in vomiting, stomach pain, and frequent diarrhea in cats.

Vomiting in such cases puts a strain on their small stomach muscles, and you might notice them in pain or exhibiting abnormal behavior.

4. Constipation and Blockage

Constipation can be another reason for your cat to vomit in the litter box. Any kind of blockage in their intestines puts your cat in extreme pain. All this leads to nausea and, thus, vomiting.

If you see your cat struggling in the litter box, please consult your vet ASAP.

5. Anxiety and Stress

This might sound irrelevant to your baby, but cats have an insane correspondence when it comes to emotional and physical aspects.

Even if there is a small emotional change, their body will react instantly.

Your cat can vomit due to stress. If you have a new cat or pet at home, ensure you give your cat space.

Try to keep your cat in a quiet, safe environment and calm them. You can spend time with your cat, make them feel safe, and treat them with love and care.

6. Medical Conditions

As mentioned earlier, a cat throwing up undigested food can occur due to major illnesses as well. These include urinary tract infections, kidney diseases, and even conditions like cancer.

This is because such issues trigger your cat’s body, resulting in sudden hormone imbalances, making them nauseous.

Therefore, rush your cat to the vet for a comprehensive checkup. Please do not try to diagnose your cat at home, as it may worsen the situation.

If you notice any changes in your cat’s daily habits or behaviors, inform the vet.

Check Out: Do Cats Like Covered Litter Boxes? What the Experts Say

Identifying Signs of a Problem With Post-Litter Box Vomiting

Just imagine your cat as a playful creature or perhaps a shy one, but in either case, is calm and suddenly starts vomiting, especially after using the litter box.

Well, I know it sounds worse, and I can imagine how you would feel seeing your pet in this condition.

But any small change in their habits or habitat does trigger them, often exhibited by a panic response accompanied by vomiting.

The changes can be smaller ones in their schedule, diet, physical activity, or more. As a pet parent, you should notice every small change in your cat’s behavior for an effective diagnosis.

Frequency and Severity

Vomiting itself isn’t a sign of a serious disease. You need to observe how often your cat vomits and whether blood is present in the vomit.

You should also take note of the amount of vomit produced and inform your vet about it.

Appearance of Vomit

Next time your cat vomits, ensure you examine the vomit. If it contains undigested food materials, your cat is not chewing food properly or eating too fast.

A clear or whitish vomit indicates mild health issues, and you should consult your vet.

If you find blood, a rotten smell, or an odor in your cat’s vomit, rush to your vet ASAP, as they indicate serious health issues.

Changes in Litter Box Habits

Most diseases have their first indications as frequent litter box trips. Litter boxes tell a lot about your cat. If you see any changes in your cat’s litter box routine, make sure you see what’s going on.

Check if it’s painful for your cat to defecate or urinate, note the frequency, and also see if your cat is spending more time in the litter box than it usually does.

Consulting a Veterinarian for Why Does My Cat Keep Throwing Up?

You shouldn’t think much before taking your pet to the vet, yet you can consider decision factors in mind.

Now, I don’t doubt that you want what’s best for your little fella, so here we go. Begin to note all the things you need to consider before you go to the vet.

Next, note down if there are any sudden changes in your cat’s diet, environment, litter type, habits, and routine. If your cat is old, visit the vet without waiting too long, as older cats tend to get sick quicker.

Keep an eye on other changes in your cat, such as diarrhea, grumpiness, appetite loss, hiding, and painful growls.

If you see a lot of symptoms at once, or even one or two in high frequency, rush to the vet ASAP. These are indications of severe underlying health conditions.

How to Manage and Prevent Cat Throwing Up?

If, thankfully, you’ve ruled out the medical conditions phase, please consider yourself extremely lucky if it was just a small allergic reaction or a rare event.

We’ll see how to prevent vomiting in future cases.

Adjusting Diet and Food

Look up the expiry dates of your cat food in your pantry. If everything is good, set aside whatever you fed your friend.

Make sure you only have high-quality cat food products. You can also consult your vet regarding what you should feed your cat. You can also buy different cat foods over time and see which your cat likes the most.

Instead of feeding it everything at once, make sure you feed in small proportions so its intestines aren’t under much stress.

Take your cat on walks, play games with it, and do anything that would keep it fresh and fit.

Addressing Anxiety and Stress

A stressed cat carries a ticking bomb inside it. If you have a guest or a new pet at home, this bomb gets triggered quite often.

Cats get anxious easily, and one big thud near their highly sensitive ears can cause war flashbacks for the next few days.

So, if you have a guest, ask them not to play peek-a-boo with your cat and to walk lightly. If you have a new pet, ensure the new fella isn’t bossing around in your cat’s territory.

Give your cat some space, and keep the litter box in a well-ventilated and well-lit area. Give your cat some treats and show it love; that’ll be the quickest way to calm it down.

Litter Box Maintenance

Trust me, uncleaned litter boxes are some of the most disgusting-smelling things. When you have a nose with a 14 times stronger sense of smell than humans, it gets way more disgusting.

Please keep your litter box clean. It’s not much effort—just a quick scoop a day and a nice wash every 7 days, and you’re good to go.

The Conclusion

Cats are just like little babies. Something might happen, triggering health issues, and you will have to figure it out. Quite a good IQ exercise, in my opinion. Jokes aside!

If you think of why your cat is throwing up, then read this and visit the vet. Should your pookie be going through something like this, please do not neglect it; you don’t want to lose your little friend or put it through a lot of distress.

Always be aware of even the smallest of changes.

Meow-Meow until next time!

FAQs