Cat eats treats too fast and vomits
Cats that inhale treats too quickly often trigger an immediate regurgitation reflex, turning a quick reward into a messy cleanup. This rapid-eating behavior frequently leads to unnecessary panic and repeated vet visits trying to figure out what is causing the sudden illness.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1taking the cat to the vet for checkups
- 2switching to a dedicated gastrointestinal cat food
- 3checking for chewed toxic plants or changing cleaning detergents, avoiding scents, essential oils, and candles
- 4Trying different types of food
- 5Making a food slurry
- 6Using products for fast eaters
- 7Using elevated bowls and lick mats
- 8Mixing hairball cream into food
- 9feeding smaller portion sizes more frequently
- 10using an autofeeder
- 11freezing wet food with water to slow down eating
- 12switching to a different brand or type of food
- 13Watching for signs of blood or phlegm
- 14Giving occasional steroid treatments when prescribed by a vet
- 15Putting cats on prescription diets or alternative protein diets like rabbit, duck, or salmon
- 16Using probiotic liquid pouches
- 17Providing fresh water daily with cleaned water fountains
- 18Daily light brushing and using laxatives or malt to prevent hairballs
- 19Searching for all-natural wet food without wheat, gluten, or fillers
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“she has a stinky habit of eating cat treats way too fast and throwing them up on the front desk when talking to clients :,)”source ↗
“Seems like she is throwing up like this - what could be causing it?”source ↗
“Wet food. Currently on Hills diet ID. Doesn’t always throw up though. Maybe every other feeding 2 hours later he will like wake from a nap cry and then projectile. I have zero idea why and have been to the vet several times this week. I’m worried he isn’t getting proper nutrients and posting this to see if anyone else has had a similar issue.”source ↗
“My cat throws up like this all the time. But he has IBD.”source ↗
“He puked a great deal too when he was a kitten - eating too fast and NOT CHEWING.”source ↗
“We also tried new foods, soft foods, mixing water in his food etc. He just likes to barf sometimes lol”source ↗
“Never one who continues to puke their food out.”source ↗
“Yes, same situation. Vet stated IBD but wanted the procedure to confirm which we cant afford at the moment either.”source ↗
“Literally sounds exactly like my situation… have her on hills z/d but I’m considering if I should do an alternative meat (like rabbit or something) trial, or switching back to a generic (and cheaper) sensitive stomach diet.”source ↗
“My cat vomits often and this is exactly what it looks like.”source ↗
“My cat is also dealing with stomach issues (hard to distinguish between IBD and small cell lymphoma, steroids held reduce the vomiting, only definitive diagnosis is a procedure I cannot afford from internal medicine).”source ↗
“My cat used to do this, I can't tell you how desperate I was and how many times we went to the vet.”source ↗
“My cat threw up multiple times tonight. What does this color mean? What can i do to calm her stomach down? Should i be worried?”source ↗
“She normally throws up hairballs but even that fell down to once a month after i changed her malt. I haven't seen blood or anything like that, only digested or half-digested food. Is IBD anything serious?”source ↗