If your diabetic cat is vomiting, then it is a situation that should not be taken lightly. Diabetic cats show multiple symptoms of the disease, but vomiting is not a common one. So if your diabetic cat vomits, there could be many reasons for it. It can be easy to pin the problem on diabetes, but many times, the vomiting often has no relation to diabetes in your cat. So why exactly is your diabetic cat vomiting then?
In this article, we will look into various reasons why a diabetic cat vomits, and how you can take care of your cat appropriately depending on the situation.
Diabetic Cat vomiting
If your diabetic cat vomits, you should believe that something is not right and look into the matter immediately.
This is because one or two vomits will not be much of an issue, but if the frequency of your cat’s vomit increases, then it indicates a bigger problem in your cat. It will also cause weakness in your cat.
One of the most common reasons for vomiting in a diabetic cat is irregular glucose regulation in the blood.
Now, this is not the case with every cat, but when this happens, you will notice many other side effects besides vomiting, such as lack of appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, etc.
If you see these symptoms in your cat, you can conclude that irregular glucose regulation is the cause of the vomiting and contact your vet for a solution immediately before your cat passes out.
There are other reasons why a diabetic cat could vomit, let’s discuss this in more detail.
Reasons for your diabetic cat vomiting
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetic Ketoacidosis is when the blood glucose is not being controlled accurately because there is a shortage of insulin in the cat’s body.
If your cat has diabetic ketoacidosis, it can become a life-threatening situation quickly. This is why it is vital that you notice the symptoms as soon as possible.
If the vomiting increases over a period of a few days, do not delay your visit to the vet. It can save your cat’s life.
Pancreatitis
If your diabetic cat is constantly vomiting, then it could have pancreatitis.
This is an internal condition in the cat’s body, hence not easy to pinpoint except through x-rays and other medical tests.
In pancreatitis, your cat’s pancreas, which is responsible for controlling the blood glucose level through insulin, becomes inflamed and increases in size
It may enlarge slightly on some occasions, during which your cat will most likely have no appetite and even be nauseous.
You should take it to a vet, he will probably tell you to keep a check on your cat’s diet because the amount of insulin that has to give to the cat will vary accordingly.
Kidney and stomach Problems
Kidney and stomach problems are non-diabetic reasons why cats vomit. You should take your cat’s vomiting as a sign that it needs medical attention.
Sometimes your diabetic cat could face kidney issues and urinary problems, this may or may not be a side-effect of diabetes, as with gastrointestinal issues.
Non-suited medications
Sometimes, the medications that your vet prescribes to treat a certain disease could have side effects on your cat.
For example, if your cat has pancreatitis, then some kind of antibiotic might be unsuitable or allergic to your cat, hence the vomiting.
If your cat is on other medications besides insulin, you should take up the matter with your vet and ask for a different medication.
Diabetic cat is vomiting white foam
Many diabetic cat owners have noticed that when their cat vomits, it releases some sort of whitish yellowish foam.
This is not common in normal cats, mostly diabetic cats only and there may be different reasons for it.
A white foamy vomit could on some occasions simply mean that when your cat vomited, it had an empty stomach.
But it can also mean that your cat could have been trying to vomit a hairball (or already did), or it swallowed a random object and vomiting was its body’s reflex.
However, there could be more serious reasons leading up to a foamy vomit, so if you are not aware of the cause, don’t take it lightly.
What to do when a diabetic cat is vomiting white foam?
So what should you do if your cat is vomiting a foamy substance?
First and foremost, take note of how often your cat vomits in a similar way. Is it more than 4 or 5 times a day? Note it down. The more frequent it is, the more alarming the situation becomes.
Next, see if your diabetic cat is eating anything. If it has a normal diet and is eating according to its regular timings, it should be okay. If not, note it down and make an appointment with the vet.
You should also take note of how often it drinks water throughout the day and let the vet know if there are any irregularities.
Moreover, is your diabetic cat having difficulty urinating? If it is vomiting and having difficulty in excreting, then chances are your cat has urine tract blockage or urine infection.
If the answer to all or some of these is a yes, then you should rush to make a visit to the vet. It is possible that your cat might be in a lot of pain, and you want to relieve it as soon as possible.
How to stop diabetic cats from vomiting
Now that we know all the ins and outs of your vomiting in your diabetic cat, let’s into the different ways we can stop it.
Normal Vomit
If your cat is not vomiting whitish foam, then there are a few ways you can treat the vomiting.
You can check your cats’ glucose level to see if the vomiting is actually related to its diabetes.
Secondly, the true cause of the vomiting must be figured out. Whether this means going to the vet or doing your own research if you know well enough.
Lastly, medications must be given accordingly, and they must be checked for any possible side effects in your cat.
White Foamy vomit
If your cat is vomiting a white foamy material, our first advice would be to take it to the vet. However, you can try out a few remedies beforehand if you want to.
Brush hair well
A common reason for diabetic cats to vomit whitish foam is the presence of hairballs in the body. This can be avoided if the hair is collected before it enters the body.
For this, you should make it a habit to brush your cat’s hair regularly. Make sure you collect the hair on the comb and dispose of them correctly or your cat might ingest it again.
Give it some peppermint tea
Peppermint tea will be helpful and soothing to your cat’s stomach and insides after it has vomited.
Make a small amount of tea, cool it down to a bearable temperature, then use a spoon to make your cat drink the tea.
Don’t add any flavorings and sweeteners, it could be harmful to your diabetic cat.
Make it fast for a few hours
This sounds like you’re torturing the cat, but it is really not, in fact, it may help the cat clear out its insides and give the stomach time to heal after vomiting.
Don’t feed the cat any food throughout the day, just give it water every few hours. Continue this for ideally 24 hours, but since your cat is diabetic, 14-15 hours should be enough.
Don’t make your diabetic cat fast for long periods of time otherwise, it could suffer from low blood sugar and weakness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if your diabetic cat is vomiting, there could be multiple serious reasons behind it so don’t neglect the situation.
Some reasons why your diabetic cat may vomit are signs of pancreatitis, diabetes ketoacidosis, kidney issues, or unsuitable medications.
Diabetic cats may sometimes release a white or yellowish material while vomiting, and this could be either because of an empty stomach, or hairball in the body.
There are a number of questions you can ask yourself before you take your cat to the vet, but before you do so, give the remedies we mentioned above a try.
Lastly, whether you figure out the reason for your cats’ vomit yourself or not, it is always best to have a quick consultation on the phone with your vet if you are unable to visit.
Seeking professional help especially for a cat with diabetes will do more good than harm.
Your cat will thank you.
