My cat won't eat wet food, coughs, and acts like he'll throw up.
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat does not want to eat even if i gave him wet food.. but when he does, he just has a bite and cough like he wanna throw up and left the food
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 11th, 2018
Hello, I am so sorry you cat is not eating well. It is difficult to determine the underlying cause without a physical exam. Common causes of not eating in cats include: dental disease, inflammation of the intestines, liver, or pancreas, kidney disease, parasites or cancer. Please make an appointment to have your Cat examined as soon as possible.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 11th, 2018
Not eating is a serious concern in cats. If a cat does not eat for two days or longer it can develop a severe liver condition in addition to the initial cause for not eating. Your kitty may have bad teeth, which hurt and therefore might not eat, or an infection or organ condition that causes her to not eat. Please take Kitcat to an emergency veterinarian tonight for an exam and blood work and other diagnostics as indicated by the hands-on exam of the vet.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My 7 year old cat sneezes, and coughs only when eating he seems fine otherwise. Yesterday though he vomited and again this morning only it was more flemmy this morning. I also noticed he has lost a bit of weight. He is usually quite vocal but notice
I would definitely recommend seeing a veterinarian for a physical exam. The coughing could be a sign of asthma, although it is a little unusual that the coughing only occurs when he's eating. He might also have an upper respiratory infection. The weight loss in particular is concerning. The vet might recommend taking some chest x-rays and blood work.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My tomcat, 3 years old, has been occasionally coughing with no hairball coming up, sometimes a bit of clear liquid. He has only coughed up an actual hairball twice in the year I've had him. I also noticed he has been getting what looks like hiccups o
It would be honestly hard to say without an exam. Some possible causes could be a food-based one (IE an allergy to an ingredient in the wet food that is causing a reaction after eating it) or a functional one such as a problem with the esophagus or digestive tract's ability to move the food through the body (something very common in cats). An exam would be a good idea to help rule out these causes through either some testing such as X-rays, or through a food trial to see if an ingredient can be ruled out. Until you can get to your vet, offering smaller meals more frequently may help with keeping food down and minimizing discomfort after eating.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My cat cameo has been acting scared to eat and rarely eats unless its wet canned food or if i stand and watch her she will eat some dry food. But ive noticed she also once in a while have a hacking cough... Im not sure if we should take her to the ve
A canned diet is perfectly fine to feed Cameo. If she stops eating completely for more than 2 days, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian. The cough can have multiple causes including allergies, infection (bacterial, fungal or viral), parasites, asthma or even heart disease. Ideally, she should be seen by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. If this is not possible and she is behaving normally otherwise, then monitor for a worsening cough, lethargy, difficulty breathing or exercise intolerance. These are symptoms that will need to be addressed by your veterinarian.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Cat was Randomly coughing last night and barely ate her food the next day. What can this be?
Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a bronchitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has a dry cough. No cold. Wants to eat grass. Vomiting a lot, diarrhea. The cough is now making it hard for him to eat. He will be sleeping and start coughing. I have been administering Petromalt (thinking it's a hairball). He seems to be g
While a hairball could cause vomiting I wouldn't expect diarrhea or coughing. A true cough can be a sign of asthma or a respiratory infection. If he can't rest at night and his appetite is affected I'd recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian. They may recommend an x-ray of his chest and abdomen.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My cat wont eat his food and has been licking dirt instead. I don't understand why or how to get him to eat again. He has been acting very sickly sense all this started 4 days ago .
Poor Maverick sounds quite ill! It's actually very serious when a cat won't eat his food. When cats do not eat, they become prone to developing a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. It becomes an emergency when they don't eat for longer than 24 hours because you want to avoid the cat developing a fatty liver. There could be numerous causes for him not eating including dental disease, systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. The best thing you can do for him is to get him into a vet immediately. The vet can diagnose what is causing him to not eat and act sick, and can treat him for it. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Dear vet, Our cat (male, 8 years) is choking as if he is going to vomit. But he does not vomit. He seems very tired and does not eat. He does not seem to have pain. The abdomen seems normal. He is urinating and going to the toilet regularly. What cou
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Elvis! I wonder if Elvis is actually coughing. When cats are coughing they sound like they are going to bring up a hairball or vomit but don't or white foam comes up. Coughing in cats commonly indicates asthma. Check his breathing when he is at rest or asleep ideally. If he is breathing with belly effort or his respiratory rate is greater than 40/min he should go to a Vet immediately. I am worried about Elvis, if he is truly trying to vomit possible causes are: foreign body obstruction (requiring surgery to remove), pancreatitis, metabolic condition like kidney failure, viral or bacterial infections, intestinal disease (IBD or cancer). Since he is not eating and is lethargic I recommend taking Elivis to the vet for an exam, blood work and possibly X-rays. If you can video tape the attempting to vomit episodes it may be helpful for your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Elvis a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My cat has thrown up 4 times since yesterday and not wanting to eat I have gave her some wet food this morning but that came back up as well and she is more vocal about being picked up what can i do for her
These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
help!my cat is urinating but not excreting at all he eat very less and that too with has a hard time eating as he spills the food down and cannot intake his food properly and likes being wet for some reason he never liked water but now he has changed
Your cat may have a problem with his teeth or may have ulcers or an injury in his mouth. He will need to be seen by a veterinary doctor for an exam. Not eating normally is a problem and there is a chance that he gets liver disease from not eating. Please take him to a vet today.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello,we have a stray cat,she is coughing/vomiting up white foam or if she tried eating, a bit of food,she has not been eating ,drinking properly for the past three days,lost lot of weight,her eyes look watery.she coughs constantly throughout the da
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Vomiting and inappetence can be observed with conditions such as gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion and obstruction, among other possibilities. For this reason, I highly recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as soon as possible as I am afraid she is likely becoming dehydrated. They would be able to check for these possibilities and also check her hydration status and give her medications to make her feel better. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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