My Cat is Retching: Possible Causes and Risks
It is quite common for cats to retch. Sometimes the four-legged friends vomit shortly afterwards. However, sometimes a cat can retch without vomiting. In the following, we will explain the possible causes and whether you have to worry about your furry friend because of it.
Why Do Cats Have to Retch?
If your cat retches and maybe vomits as well, this can have various reasons.
Common causes that can make your cat retch include:
- Hairballs in the stomach
- Swallowed foreign objects
- An acute asthma attack
- A lungworm infestation
- Stuck blades of grass
- Digestive problems
Cats Retching because of Hairballs
When a cat retches, swallowed hair is very often responsible for it. As you probably know and can regularly observe yourself, cats are extremely clean animals who invest a lot of time in grooming each day. Indoor cats clean their fur particularly extensively with their rough tongue. In doing so, they inevitably remove loose hair from their fur, some of which they swallow. Individual hairs normally run through the digestive tract and are excreted.
However, it is not uncommon for a so-called hairball to form from the hair in the animal's stomach. Cats then bring it up and spit it out. This is basically a completely normal behaviour that is usually not a cause for any concern. However, larger hairballs can cause problems if they reach the intestines, where they can sometimes lead to constipation or even to a life-threatening intestinal obstruction.
If your cat grooms itself excessively, it can therefore be advisable to brush its fur regularly. This is especially important during the change of coat, as cats lose a lot of hair during this time and can accordingly swallow a lot of it when grooming.
Cats Retching because of a Swallowed Foreign Object
Hairballs aren't the only possible cause of your cat retching. It could also be the case that your four-legged friend has put a foreign object in its mouth and accidentally swallowed it. Especially if it is stuck somewhere along the way down, the cat will instinctively try to get rid of the item by retching.
Depending on the size, this can certainly succeed. However, if your cat keeps retching without vomiting and you suspect that the four-legged friend has swallowed something it shouldn't have, a trip to the vet is definitely advisable. After all, a swallowed foreign object is not only annoying for the animal, it is also associated with a risk of injury that should not be underestimated.
Cats Retching due to Cat Asthma
Just like humans, cats can develop asthma as well. This is mostly triggered by allergies. If your cat has an asthma attack, this can be noticed, among other things, by breathing problems that cannot be missed and which are also accompanied by wheezing, choking and sticking out its sometimes blue-coloured tongue.
If you suspect that your cat might have cat asthma, we strongly recommend that you consult a veterinarian, since without treatment, this chronic disease can be fatal. Cats with asthma are treated with appropriate medication, as well as with cortisone. It is also important that the home of the animal suffering from asthma is as free of dust as possible so as not to irritate its sensitive airways.
Cats Retching because of Lung Worms
Another possible cause that most cat owners probably won't think of at first when a cat is retching is lung worms. The parasites are mainly ingested by cats through infected rodents such as mice. Their larvae migrate from the intestine via the blood vessels to the lungs, where they continue to develop and multiply.
The worm eggs are coughed up by the cats, swallowed and then spread with the faeces. Cats infected by lungworms have particular problems breathing, coughing and retching. If the veterinarian diagnoses your four-legged friend with lungworms, a timely treatment with a suitable worming agent for cats is necessary in order to eliminate the parasites and the symptoms associated with them.
Cats Coughing and Retching because of Swallowed Grass Stalks
As you probably know, there are times when cats enjoy chewing on grass. For this purpose there is even so-called cat grass, which you can either grow yourself or buy ready-made in flower pots. Naturally, outdoor cats also make use of suitable grasses on their forays into the great outdoors. Regardless of this, cats use grass as a means to bring up swallowed hair. In terms of avoiding hairballs, cat grass is therefore quite important.
However, it can sometimes also happen that a blade of grass gets stuck in the throat of the four-legged friend. If this is the case with your cat, you will notice a mixture of coughing and choking in the four-legged friend. You will also find that the animal tries hard to swallow again and again. If the cat is unable to swallow or bring up the stuck grass stalk , surgical removal is occasionally necessary.
Cats Retching due to Digestive Problems
In addition to the above-mentioned triggers, it is of course also possible that your cat gags and vomits because it simply suffers from digestive problems. These, in turn, can have numerous causes, from harmless infections to food allergies and serious cat diseases. Depending on how often your cat gags and vomits and what other symptoms you observe, a visit to the vet may be necessary in this case.
Our Tip for Cats with Digestive Problems
A healthy digestion is very important for your cat's well-being. If your four-legged friend frequently suffers from digestive problems, Shiimun Gastro, a dietary supplement, can help. Shiimun Gastro is a natural preparation based on Shiitake, which, thanks to its special composition, can make a valuable contribution to promoting healthy digestion in your cat.
Get to know Shiimun Gastro for cats.
Cats Retching – Our Conclusion
As you can see, your cat gagging and coughing can be caused by a variety of factors. Many of them are not a cause for concern. However, if you notice such symptoms more often and find that your cat is not only choking, but may also have other complaints and, for example, cannot breathe, an immediate visit to the vet is of course strongly recommended. After all, some possible causes of the choking, such as a severe asthma attack, can be life-threatening.