Are Cats Prone to Vomit When Stressed? How to Read Your Cat’s Behavior
It’s true, cats can hide their stress quite well. Perhaps because cats spend so much time hiding their stress, Cats can develop ticks from stress, which can lead to serious health problems.
Overgrooming cats is common when they are stressed. Cats learn to relax by grooming themselves. Moreover, stressed cats can experience diarrhea or vomiting.
It could be stress-related or a serious illness if your cat vomits. Knowing the difference is important as it can often mean that your cat needs to be taken to the vet. This article will examine how cats react to stress, and what causes them to vomit.
Signs that your cat is stressed
You can determine if vomiting in cats is a sign of stress. Cats respond to stress in different ways, just like humans. Most cats won’t show any of these symptoms.
If your feline is vomiting or showing signs of stress, then it is possible that stress is the root cause of its upset stomach.
- Litterbox problems: Cats will often stop using their litterbox when they feel stressed. This is especially true if they are hiding from the litterbox or if it is too stressful. If you place the litterbox in the hallway and invite friends over, your cat might avoid the hall. This could lead to them using other places for their bathroom. However, a UTI can also manifest as litterbox problems.
- Overgrooming: We briefly mentioned it before. Many cats use grooming to induce dopamine release, which can be used as a form of anxiety medication. Some cats go overboard with grooming, resulting in hair loss and sores. It can even cause infections. Overgrooming can be a sign that you are in pain as it can help relieve your pain.
- Hiding: Cats often hide from stressors, especially when it is an animal or person. It is a natural instinct for cats to hide from stressors.
- Urine marking: Many cats mark their territory when they feel stressed. Stress can bring out this behavior even if your cat has never been prone to it.
- Being more talkative. Many cats will meow incessantly when they feel stressed. Similar to when your cat is hungry, it may meow at you to try and fix the situation.
- Aggression: Cats can become aggressive and angry when they are stressed. Cats may become aggressive and lash out at their owners or other pets. This is a normal stress response. The cat senses danger and seeks to protect itself. They may also lash out at anything that isn’t safe.
Why do cats suddenly vomit?
Cats can vomit for many reasons, some of which are not obvious. As we mentioned, cats can vomit when they feel stressed. But stomach problems can cause vomiting.
Many cats might eat too much or too fast. They may then vomit the excess food. Sometimes cats will eat things they shouldn’t, such as string. It is possible for their body to try and vomit it up, or even succeed in vomiting it up.
Sometimes hairballs can also occur in cats. Although we may consider hairballs “normal”, they are not normal behavior. This could indicate that you’re not brushing your cat enough or it could be a sign of stress.
Important to remember that refusing to eat is not always an indication of a “finicky”, but rather a stressed- or sick cat.
The majority of these reasons are quite benign. There are, however, some serious conditions that can cause vomiting in cats.
There are medical conditions that can cause vomiting
- Infections
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Allergies to food
- In their digestive tract, foreign objects
- Hyperthyroidism
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Intestinal Parasites
- Kidney Disease
- Poisoning
These conditions can be life-threatening and require veterinary attention. You may not be able to notice that something is wrong with your cat until it’s too late. Many of these conditions can be detected early by vomiting.
Many conditions can be treated if caught early. If your cat is exhibiting unusual behavior like vomiting, you should take him to the vet immediately.
When you get back home…
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Troublesome Signs to Watch Out For
It can be difficult to determine when your cat should visit the vet and when vomiting is normal. It is possible for your cat to overgroom, vomit outside of the litter box or urinate outside, which could indicate that they are stressed.
Here are some signs you should be aware of. These symptoms can be accompanied by vomiting and should be reported to your vet immediately.
Serious signs
- Their vomit contains blood
- Access to toxic foods and plants
- Changes in eating habits or appetite
- Change in diet
- If you have other pets or cats that are affected, please let us know.
- Depression or lethargy
- They feel pain in their stomachs
- Weight loss
These symptoms can be very serious. If your cat develops any of these symptoms, we recommend that you immediately take her to the vet.
How can you tell the difference?
It can be hard to tell the difference between a cat vomiting because of illness and one vomiting because it is stressed.
Sometimes you can assess your cat’s behavior and environment to determine which group they belong to. If your cat starts to act stressed when they have guests over, this could be stress.
If your cat acts a little lethargic or is vomiting and there’s no apparent reason for them to be stressed, then it could be that they are sick.
This is not always easy in practice. There are many things that cats may find stressful, but we don’t consider them stressful.
If in doubt, it’s always best to take your cat to the vet. They will tell you that your cat is healthy.
Conclusion
Stress can cause cats to vomit. They can also indicate an underlying illness. Cats can get stomach bugs like humans, but they might also vomit due to eating toxic plants.
It can be hard to determine why your cat is vomiting. It is possible to keep an eye out for other symptoms that may indicate a different cause. If in doubt, you should contact your veterinarian. Sometimes they won’t ask you to come in. Sometimes, however, they might ask you to come in if the problem is serious.