Is my cat's vomit bloody after a hairball? Should I worry?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Russian Blue | Female | spayed | 5 years and 8 months old | 8 lbs
Is this blood in cat vomit? I've read it looks like coffee grounds. Cat had a massive hairball, then vomited this like 30 seconds later. Does anything look abnormal about the pictures that should be cause of concern?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on September 5th, 2020
Thanks for the images. It doesn't appear to be blood. Blood in vomitus is usually much darker. That appears to be a mix of chewed or partially digested food, bile and hair. Monitor for continued vomiting, lethargy or loss of appetite. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian. Consider a short fast, maybe 12 hours, then offer a bland diet in small, frequent amounts for a day or two. Transition slowly to the regular diet afterwards. If Luna will allow, increase brushing or grooming to decrease the amount of hair ingested. You can also use Laxatone or PetroMalt paste to help her pass hairballs.Find either in the local Petco.
18Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 8th, 2019
Dash eeds to see the veterinarian. Vomiting for three weeks is a sign that some pathology is taking place in his body. Just like humans, pets can vomit for many different reasons. Take in a stool sample for his veterinarian to check for worms and bacterial overgrowth. The doctor may also recommend bloodwork or other diagnostics to look for the cause of the vomiting. Hairloss can be due to many causes and the most common is fleas, allergies or ringworm(which humans can get). The doctor can examine this as well and you can check him for fleas at home. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on May 3rd, 2018
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Alvin! How scary! The only thing is to try and grab the hair the next time. If you can’t and he keeps vomiting he needs to see your Vet. The red color to the spot up is concerning and could be blood from stomach lining irritation. Even if you get the hair if he isn’t eating and still vomiting he should be evaluated. Causes of vomiting are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, foreign body (ate something that is stuck causing a blockage), hair ball, food allergy/intolerance, reaction to new food or treat, pancreatitis. I wish Alvin the best!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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