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Why is my cat vomiting undigested food and hairballs after eating?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 5 lbs

Our cat is vomiting either shortly after eating her food or even a few hours after eating........food comes out looking like she is not even digesting it. sometimes a hairball comes with the vomit of her food. what can we do to stop this from happening. Have been feeding her Purina Gentle cat food. It is her favorite one.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on June 20th, 2017

Sorry to hear your cat isn't eating well. hairballs are common in cats. There may be a hairball blocking the food from getting digested. You can try to dissolve it with a hairball control diet. There is a hairball remedy called Laxatone for cats that you can purchase at a pet store or vet. It is a gel that you can put in her food or squirt into her mouth. There are also hairball diets than can prevent this. I would switch her to a hairball diet and give the Laxatone. If in a few days, this is not resolved she may need to see a vet. Laxatone also can be given every few days to prevent this problem from happening again. I hope Madison gets better soon.

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    Answered By Emily, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    If Madison is vomiting everytime she eats she needs to go to the veterinarian for an exam as this could indicate a foreign body blocking her intestines. If the vomiting is intermittent this could be a sign of early food intolerance or IBD. You are feeding her a good quality food already so if you want to continue with it you could try only small amounts at a time and see if that can be passed. If the small amounts are still vomited she needs to get examined by her veterinarian as there is something going on that likely requires prescribed medication and/or diet to fix.

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