My cat barfed.

[ripMDY]

This morning around 5:30 am by cat, Fletcher, barfed. I had just given him a scoop of food and he barfed a couple minutes later. There was hair in the barf too. When cats cough up hairballs does food come up too? Is my kitty cat Fletcher sick? I would hate that cause we just got him twenty some days ago.
I gave him more food at 9:30 am when I woke up, it's 9:46 am right now, but I'll write if he does.

[LeahMM]

If you feel the need to take kitty to the vet do so but my kits are always yacking up stuff. I think it's pretty normal.

[kb2yjx]

I agree with the previous post. If you think it is necessary to take the cat to the vet, do so. Also, after the cats vomits, hold off on the food. Second, brushing and combing on a regular basis helps BIG time in preventing hairballs!!
The Hill's company was not happy with me when I wrote them that when they were touting their hairball food. Brushing and combing give you great quality time with the cat. All 8 of our cats LOVE it!!! Good luck with your new cat!!

[jennawing]

You might want to look at what food you feed- foods with lots of dyes in them (the bright red and orange kibble pieces) upset a lot of cats' stomachs- same thing with treats. Puking from hairballs is generally a formed hair 'turd' for lack of a better term. Just because there was hair in it does not mean the hair caused the cat to vomit. Of course, the cat could have just ate too much, too fast, or didn't chew well. Worms can also cause vomiting.

[ripMDY]

He barfed.

We're giving him lots of water and he's dranking it so he doesn't get dehydrated. He's getting rest too.

He is eatting a dry cat food by Friskies that has Chicken, Seafood, Liver flavors and real [lactose free] Carnation Milk. Could the milk be upsetting him? We are also trying to change foods to a tartar control and weight management. We are mixing both foods together and feeding it to him. Cause our vet said that if you change the food to fast the cat can become sick.

However, I think this is some kind of animal virus he has cause my dog barfed around noon too. The cat nor the dog look sick though. *knocks on wood*

[Scooby4]

I feed my cat the same stuff and no problems. It just sounds "normal" to me. You may want to let the cat eat some grasses. Grass soothes their bellies and is good for them. You can allow the cat to go outside and find some natural grasses or you can buy some at a Pet store to grow yourself inside. Depends if your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat.
However, could you dog have accessed the SAME cat food? I know my dogs eat the cat's food when she doesn't eat it all. That could explain why both got ill. How long had the food set out? Dog/Cat's food are similar to what happens to flour if left out for a period of time. Bugs/larvae begin to hatch. Leave food wet and out for 24 hours and bugs/maggots can form. That's why you always throw away any dog/cat foods setting out for more than 8 hours.
If the food is older then get some new fresher food. I still think this sounds like a "hairball" and no big concern. It took 6 months for my cat to ever get a hairball after I adopted her. She still has incidences of "throwing up" out of the clear blue with no hair. Mostly grass. No diagnosed health issues.
You can treat the cat/dog with some pepto bismal if you want. Not alot of it, maybe a teaspoonful for the cat and adjust for size on the dog. Check their noses for fever. It's not a sure indicator of fever but gives an idea something might be wrong. If the nose is warmer than usual and not wet, then they could have a fever.
Hope these suggestions help. It sounds okay and normal so far. :cool:

[ripMDY]

I checked his nose to see if he had a fever, it's not wet, but it's not hot. It just felt like a nose to me.

His cat food is up to high for the dog to reach, so I don't think the dog ate someone. I think the dog just ate beans, because beans hurt his tummy and makes him [the dog] barf.

We have some oat grass growing for him in a little bowl. We'll give him that later.

He's eatting, drinking, sleeping and playing fine to me. *crosses fingers*

[carole]

Just keep a close eye on kitty, i am sure it is nothing to worry about, just normal, either a kitty hairball or just a vomit, i have a
cat that vomits all the time,(The big grey boy in my siggy, now he does not look unhealthy does he? and according to the vet is in good condition) nearly everyday, and the vet is not concerned, some cats are just like that i was told, of course we outruled other problems first that could be associated with vomiting, kitty could have an allergy problem to the food your are feeding it, that is also something you could look into, according to the producers of Felidae a very good natural cat food, anything with soy, corn or wheat grains are often causes of allergys for cats, they are often found in the cheaper brands of food.

[ripMDY]

Thanks for the help everyone. He looks fine today. I freak when my pets barf, cause I had a dog that barfed herself to her grave. And I would hate it if it happened again.

[catmandu]

Thats a Hairball,and a little Hairball certainly is nothing to worry about.
Your Vet can give you a Tube of Hairball Laxative so he isnt ill coughing them up.
If hes Long Haired then sadly Hairball are going to be part of your life.

[rosethecopycat]

I wouldn't recommend Carnation Milk for a cat.

There are better alternatives:

Whiskas Cat Milk

Cat Sip


They are actually fine with just water and it's best for them.

As for the barfing, he is more correctly regurgitating food.

This means the food is not hitting the stomach and being digested.
Try raising his food bowl to a level that is neck high. Place the bowl on a box, or something.
This helps cats that regurgitate due to problems with the esophogus.
If there is fur in the vomit, it is normal for cats to pass the fur through vomit, since they can't pass it through the stool.

The frequency of vomiting can be from rarely, like once a year, to daily in some cats.