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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Sep 25 2007 at 10:25 AM |
Vomiting / Regurgitating
Vomiting is the bringing up of food which has been in the stomach. This is to be distinguished from regurgitating, which is the bringing up of food which has not reached the stomach yet. Vomiting can have many causes. The most common one is that of an irritation of the stomach lining. This can be caused by foodstuffs, especially if the cat is not used to them; by foreign bodies, such as toys, stones or hair; by poisons; by grass or by bacterial infections. The latter are actually not very common! Most cases of a ‘stomach upset’ are caused by the cat having ingested something it normally does not eat, a sudden change in diet for instance. Another cause for vomiting is irritation of the peritoneum, the thin membrane lining the gut and other organs in the abdomen. If this is inflamed it is called peritonitis. This can be caused by a perforation of the gut for instance.
Colitis can also cause vomiting. This is an inflammation of the large intestine, the colon. It is comparable to irritable bowel syndrome in humans and can cause straining on the faeces, which often contains mucus and sometimes blood, as well as vomiting.
Some poisons can cause vomiting. Apart from external poisons, there are also substances from within the body which can cause vomiting. One of these is ureum, which reaches toxic levels in cases of kidney disease. Some cases of liver disease can also cause vomiting in a similar way.
Finally there are cases where there is a disturbance in the brain causing vomiting. In humans this is well known after head trauma. In cats this can be caused by infections or tumours in the brain for instance.
Most cases of vomiting need investigation in the form of blood tests or x-rays and it is advisable to consult your vet if your cat consistently vomits.
Regurgitation is due to different causes than vomiting. It is usually caused by an obstruction of the normal passage of food between the mouth and the stomach. This can be because of a foreign body, like a piece of bone for instance, or a tumour. However, it can also be the result of a lack of the normal peristaltic contraction wave of the gullet, which normally propels the food to the stomach. This sometimes happens in certain conditions like nervous disorders and some hormonal conditions, or due to infections or trauma to the gullet. The food, brought back in cases of regurgitation, looks very much as it did before eating and does not smell unpleasant. If your cat seems to regurgitate its food, please seek veterinary advice.