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Best Cat Food to Stop Vomiting (2024): 9 Foods for Cats That Throw Up
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Cat vomiting is very common. It can be a one-off and nothing serious, or it can go on for longer, and be a sign of something wrong that really needs the attention of a vet.
If you're not sure why your cat is vomiting you should get a veterinary diagnosis as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if your cat vomits after eating and you (and your vet) have established that their diet and the cat food you're feeding them is the issue, then there are many options for cat food to stop vomiting.
The best cat food for sensitive stomach vomiting is a recipe that protects your cat's digestive system, soothes their gut, avoids the allergens that can cause them to throw up and that keeps regurgitation to a minimum.
While all cats can vomit from time to time, if your cat is constantly throwing up, (and your vet has confirmed no other cause) this is very likely to be because they’re struggling with problems in their diet.
In this comprehensive group test, we’ve reviewed some of the best cat foods for cats that throw up. They will reduce vomiting episodes, improve long-term health, and help protect your feline friend.
The common factors in the recipes that we tested and recommend (and that our cat owner community have told us works for them and their cats) is that they are generally high quality formulas that are free from fillers.
This means looking for very high quality sources of protein, such as the highly rated and 100% natural Smalls that we recommend for those able to opt for the premium cat food.
Your approach with all foods to help your cat that throws up is making sure that the recipe you choose is low in (or free form) food additives (such as artificial colors and flavors), artificial preservatives, lactose (from milk), grains such as wheat and barley, and also does not rely too much on carbohydrates (starchy foods such as grains, potatoes and beans).
Note also that some proteins can have allergens that affect cats that throw up their food. This depends on each cat and each formula but you may find that any particular source of protein - fish, chicken, beef, for example - is the one thing that your cat, in particular, needs to avoid.
Best Cat Food To Stop Vomiting
Best Overall
Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
Best Cat Food To Stop Vomiting
Best Overall Choice
Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach natural dry cat food is our overall choice as the best cat food to stop vomiting. It is formulated with easily digestible, high-quality ingredients to minimize digestive upset.
The balanced blend of proteins, limited carbohydrates, and essential nutrients supports optimal digestion and overall health. Free from artificial additives and common allergens, it suits cats with sensitivities.
The inclusion of natural fibers helps regulate the digestive system, promoting regular bowel movements. With its carefully crafted formula, Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach cat food provides a wholesome, easily digestible diet, addressing the specific needs of cats prone to vomiting.
3 Top Cat Food To Stop Vomiting Picks – Best, Value & Premium
We have a vast audience on our social media channels (over 1 million followers) so we regularly reach out to the cat owner community and get their valuable and real world experience input for our tests.
Cat lovers certainly know best and pretty much every cat owner we talk to has experience of dealing with a cat that has been throwing up because their food doesn't suit their stomach!
That's why we turn to that community when working out what the ‘best cat food for cats that throw up’ is and we use that feedback to help decide what comes top in our extensive research and testing process.
So here are the top selections recommended by those cat owners, our testers and our vet advisors, which covers a range of great tasting, budget-friendly, and premium cat foods to stop vomiting.
Our Top 3 Choices
Best Overall
Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
Best Value
Iams Proactive Health Digestion & Skin Dry Cat Food
Premium Choice
Smalls Cat Food
While there’s no single answer for which food is guaranteed to make your cat less likely to throw up, our top 3 have worked for very many cat owners.
It's also worth looking into some foods that can be particularly beneficial for sensitive stomachs and there is also specific food for cats with allergies.
Our chart above shows our top 3 best cat food for cats that vomit, but let’s take a deeper look at the best and a few more to really give you some options.
To start with, let’s look at the top 3 in a little more detail.
1. Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food - Best Overall
The Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach natural dry cat food is an excellent solution for cats that struggle with vomiting. We make it our top choice and overall pick because it balances a high quality recipe, almost no rubbish fillers or additives, with a fair price.
It's not a budget pick, but it is reasonable and when we surveyed our community this was their go to choice. Many had tried it on their vet's recommendation (we heard that a lot) and seen a vast improvement in their cats.
The formula includes real meat as the primary ingredient, to ensure a low risk of allergens, but this also promotes the growth of strong muscles.
There's no wheat or corn at all and, likewise, there's zero artificial flavoring or preservatives. The acceptable amount of carbohydrate comes from the good sources of brown rice and sweet potato. There's also a few berries for specific nutrients and, unusually, flax seed which is proven to promote digestive health (but not often seen in cat food formulas).
The FOS prebiotics in the food also help to calm your cat’s stomach, promote nutrient absorption, and enhance digestive health. There's also plenty of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to promote a healthy coat and skin.
For an affordable dry cat food this hits all those ingredient requirements that are most likely to help your cat stop having a vomiting reaction to their diet.
There's also a little secret ingredient because, the formula contains Blue Buffalo's exclusive “LifeSource Bits” which Blue Buffalo adds to all of its foods. They contain a precise blend of vitamins, antioxidants, and carefully-chosen minerals. Maybe that's the magic ingredient!
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2. Iams Proactive Health Sensitive Digestion & Skin Dry Cat Food - Best Value
If you want amazing cat food that is known to help cats that throw up their food, and that isn’t going to cost a fortune, Iams Proactive Health should be on your shortlist to try.
First things first, this generally costs about half the price of our overall pick from Blue Buffalo above (remember to check the size and weight of the bags when comparing). Even though it's significantly cheaper, it still scores highly on the ingredient list - both what's in it, and (more importantly) what's not.
Designed to support cats with digestive issues, this Iams food uses meat as the primary ingredient but comes with a range of bonus ingredients to help accelerate good health.
The Iams formula includes beet pulp to help with nutrient absorption and supports the development of healthy skin and fur with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
There are also plenty of antioxidants included helping support a strong immune system for your cat.
Whilst there is some corn in this fornula, there is no wheat or soy, and it has healthy carbohydrate from that beet pulp. More importantly there are no fillers whatsoever.
That small amount of corn might be what you accept for the significantly lower price. Especially as corn, although it is a grain, is considered to be far less of an issue in cat food than wheat - and few cats are actually affected by corn in their cat food.
Despite this one ingredient, we are impressed by the overall recipe of this Iams Proactive Health cat food. What's not there is what makes it so effective. Vets recommend it and pour community saw great result with their cats throwing up far less often when switching to the Iams.
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3. Smalls Cat Food - Best Premium
Smalls cat food is the best cat food that helps with vomiting - if your budget can stretch to it - which is why we give it our highest possible recommendation.
It is an extremely good choice to address vomiting in cats due to all the reasons about the need for very high quality ingredients that we've touched on already.
The Human-Grade Fresh is their all-natural gently cooked wet food that comes in either a smooth or chunkier (Ground) recipe. There is debate as to whether wet cat food can prevent vomiting because often people assume that the high moisture content of wet cat food can itself contribute to vomiting.
However, most vets believe this is misleading and argue that vomiting is almost always due to the formula of the cat food - not whether it is wet or dry.
Either way, it is well worth giving Smalls wet food (their Human- Grade Fresh) a trial because it has unquestionably the most natural cat food recipe you can buy. It has nothing but the correct natural ingredients for your cat.
Your cat might not like it (that's always a chance with our picky eaters!) but there is nothing in the formula other than all the right ingredients designed so that your cat should not vomit from the ingredients in this cat food.
Smalls utilizes all natural high-quality ingredients that are easily digestible, reducing the likelihood of triggering digestive upset and vomiting.
The food is made from human-grade ingredients and processed in facilities that meet strict standards. It contains a balanced combination of proteins, fats, and nutrients to support optimal digestion and overall health.
Smalls cat food is 100% free from artificial additives, there are zero grains and carbohydrates and no common allergens, making it suitable for cats with sensitivities.
The carefully crafted formula and the absence of fillers or unnecessary ingredients help minimize digestive disturbances and promote a healthy digestive system, making Smalls cat food an effective option to alleviate vomiting in cats.
Without going overboard, if price was simply not a factor, this would be our overall winner.
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Best Foods for Cats That Throw Up: Alternative Options
Our top three best cat food for cats that throw up are chosen becuase of our extensive research and testing, plus a lot of feedback from cat owners who have succesfully fixed this problem with those picks.
But, if they haven't worked for you or you want to look at other options that tested strongly, there are still plenty of other fantastic cat foods specifically designed for sensitive stomachs which will help stop your cat vomiting.
Let's take a look at the other ones we recommend.
4. Halo Holistic Dry Cat Food Whitefish Recipe For Sensitive Stomach Support
If you don't like the idea of Smalls (although we do urge you to try it), there is another premium option which we consider to be a close runner up for the best cat food for sensitive stomach vomiting (when we disregard price).
Halo Sensitive Stomach is a very high quality dry cat food for sensitive stomachs made using whole white fish and no protein by-products.
This recipe focuses on first rate protein with zero additives in the first instance, but also has added prebiotics for gut health and preventing vomiting. The formula also has high levels of probiotics and postbiotics all of which help soothe your cat's gut and support their digestive health.
Interestingly, Halo specify this fish formula as their only recipe for a cat food to stop vomiting because there is some evidence that poultry allergens can be a significant factor in causing your cat to throw up. By avoiding chicken entirely this formula aims to cut that possible cause out completely.
The whole range from Halo is made to the same standard, with full whole meat (or fish), making their foods excellent for ensuring your cat gets the nutrition and high-quality protein they need.
The sustainably sourced ingredients are free from any additives or substances which might harm your cat’s digestion.
Highly digestible with absolutely no preservatives or rendered meat meals, this premium choice is sure to be a hit cat food for cats that throw up.
It also comes with added ingredients like taurine for better heart health and eye support.
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5. Hill's Science Diet Dry Cat Food Sensitive Stomach & Skin
One of the top brands for high-quality cat food, Hill’s Science, often gets high ratings and positive reviews for its grain-free approach to feeding your feline.
This specific formula is designed as their best dry cat food for sensitive stomach vomiting.
We rate this cat food very highly and, in fact, it came top in our test of cat foods for cats with allergies. We also included it as a highly rated option when we did a specific test for cat foods for cats with sensitive stomachs.
Obviously, there's a lot of crossover in the best foods for cats who are vomiting and cats with sensitive stomachs. They can be one and the same thing. And, if you know your cat throws up because of specific allergies then a hypoallergenic cat food is a great option that you should try to see if it helps your cat stop throwing up.
When that's the case, then this recipe from Hills is definitely an excellent cat food recipe that is likely to help.
This particular formula comes with prebiotic fiber to help support beneficial gut bacteria and look after your cat's digestive microbiome. Sounds fancy, but it seems to work and vet's trust this approach and recommend this dry food.
The ingredients include beet pulp which ism know to aid digestion and this cat food can help to ensure good nutrient absorption, while simultaneously nourishing skin with omega 6 fatty acids and vitamin E.
Definitely worth trying if you need a dry food for your vomiting cat!
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6. Purina One Sensitive Stomach & Skin Natural Dry Cat Food
Another excellent choice for sensitive kitties, the Purina ONE Natural dry cat food is custom-made for sensitive skin and problematic digestion.
Made with real turkey as the number one ingredient, this food has 34% protein and a highly digestible formula, to soothe your cat’s tummy.
The Omega 6 acids included in this cat food also help with soothing sensitive skin, so your cat can feel their best inside and out.
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7. Royal Canin Digestive Care Dry Cat Food
Carefully formulated for sensitive kitties, Royal Canin’s Digestive cat food is specifically intended for adult cats with problems digesting their food.
The formula comes with a powerful blend of dietary fibers and prebiotics to promote stronger digestive health. It also helps to improve stool health.
With exclusive ring-shaped kibble, the Royal Canin food is great for encouraging slower eating habits, which can help to reduce vomiting. You can even mix it with wet food.
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8. Instinct Original Grain-Free Chicken Cat Food
Available in a variety of flavors and sizes, the Instinct Original Grain-free cat food is perfect for ensuring you get the right blend of protein into your kitty’s diet.
This food's first ingredient features 81% real chicken, as well as other wholesome substances like vegetables and fruits.
The high-protein food also comes with probiotics to assist with healthy digestion.
The grain-free kibble is coated in freeze-dried raw food for a more delicious flavor that any cat is sure to love. Plus, your cats get plenty of fantastic antioxidants and minerals.
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9. Blue Buffalo Basics Limited ingredient Dry Cat Food
Going back to basics with your cat food can be an excellent way to reduce the risk of a number of digestion and health problems.
Blue Buffalo Basics recipe removes any unwanted and unnecessary ingredients, to focus entirely on skincare, teeth, stomach care, and good nutrition.
The main ingredient of this food is real meat, so you know you’re getting a good source of protein, there are also plenty of natural fiber sources to promote healthy nutrition.
As an added benefit, you get the unique mixture of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals offered by “LifeSource” bits.
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Best Cat Food to Stop Vomiting - Buyer's Guide
Vomiting in cats isn't something that you should ignore, even if it is occasional and does not seem to upset your cat.
Vomiting that only happens now and then can still be a symptom of underlying health issues in your cat or dietary intolerances that you should look to fix.
If it is regular and continuous vomiting, then you need to get to a vet for a more detailed look into the causes.
If your vet finds nothing specific wrong and puts the vomiting down to a sensitive stomach, or diagnoses that your cat struggles to digest certain foods, then picking the right food formula tailored to your cat's sensitive stomach is going to be crucial in managing this condition.
Your vet may suggest specific foods that are gentle on your cat's digestive system and free from ingredients known to cause sensitivities, such as artificial additives, preservatives, lactose (as cats can't digest milk), and certain grains and proteins.
However, by following our guide and trying the foods we have tested and recommended, finding the right food that is carefully designed to be gentle on your cat's stomach won't be a complicated task.
The best cat food to stop vomiting is essential to look after your cat's well-being. As we said right at the start of this guide, foods that are going to help cats that tend to throw up are usually going to be free from common allergens, free of any fillers, high in digestible proteins, and low in complex carbohydrates.
In most cases, the best recipes will be grain-free or, at the least, very low in grains and where grain is present, corn is less inflammatory than wheat. The formulas to look for may also include beneficial additives like prebiotics and probiotics to aid digestion.
Read this next: Why is My Cat Vomiting?
What Causes Vomiting in Cats?
Cats, just like people, can vomit for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes, your cat might not feel like themselves, suffer from food allergies, or they may have a problem with hairballs causing issues with their digestive tract.
Systemic diseases like hyperthyroidism and kidney disease have also been known to trigger vomiting.
Whilst, intestinal parasites like roundworms can also disrupt your cat’s digestion system, again causing vomiting.
The only way to know for certain why your cat is vomiting is to visit a vet.
However, some of the most common reasons for vomiting include:
Read this next: How to Tell if Your Cat is Sick
Vomiting vs Regurgitation: What’s the Difference?
One thing you should keep in mind when you notice your cat throwing up is there’s a difference between vomiting and regurgitation.
Vomiting is the process of simply evacuating food from the stomach. It doesn’t have to be a sign of a specific underlying problem, but if you notice your cat vomiting regularly, it’s usually a good idea to get them checked out.
While vomiting is generally associated with issues in the stomach, regurgitation is more likely to be connected with problems in your cat’s esophagus.
Regurgitation involves throwing up food or water immediately after consuming it before the food has had a chance to digest.
If you notice your cat throwing up food that hasn’t been digested, and they don’t have any abdominal contractions, this could be a sign of regurgitation.
It’s important to have this issue checked out, as it could indicate a significant problem with your cat’s digestive process.
In some cases, and your vet is the person to figure this out, regurgitation is also caused by a dietary issue (usually they are eating too much, too fast of a recipe that doesn't agree with them). In that case, the best food for cats that regurgitate will generally be the same as the ones we recommend for vomiting in this guide.
How to Treat Vomiting In Cats
Because vomiting in cats can be caused by a number of issues, it isn’t easy to find a one-size-fits-all cure. Sometimes, the best treatment is to simply allow your cat to carry on as normal.
If your kitty doesn’t throw up very often, and they usually just have hair in their vomit, this is usually considered normal.
If your cat’s vomiting issues become a chronic issue, the first thing you’ll need to do is work with your vet to determine what the cause might be.
For occasional vomiting, your vet might recommend changing your cat’s diet and monitoring the issue.
For regular vomiting, which is often accompanied by other symptoms like lethargy, your vet will need to prescribe cat medication and conduct further investigation.
To make sure your vet can give the right treatment, make sure you keep an eye out for:
If you think your cat might be vomiting because of a food issue, the best thing you can do is make changes to your cat’s diet (slowly) and monitor their progress.
Read this now: How Much Should I Feed my Cat? A Simple Cat Feeding Guide
Cat Food For Cats That Throw Up: Ingredients
If the issue causing your cat’s vomiting is a problem with ingredients in their food, then you’ll need to look into changing their diet and sourcing the best food for cats that vomit.
If you don’t know what ingredients your cats are reacting negatively to, you can try a limited ingredient cat food made with a basic source of protein to see whether sensitivity issues resolve, or one of those recommended in this guide.
If you believe a specific kind of diet will be better suited to your cat, your vet will be able to offer advice on what kind of food to look for. Generally, some good elements to look for include:
In most cases, the shorter the ingredients list is, the better off your cat will be. More ingredients mean more for your cat to react negatively too.
Additionally, longer ingredient lists often mean more additives and synthetic substances for your cat to react to. This is generally the case with the cheapest cat food, but look to the ingredients rather than the price when making your decision.
FAQs
Why is my cat vomiting?
A cat vomiting doesn’t have to be a sign of something terrible. Sometimes, your cat will vomit because of stuck hair in their stomach, or something similar.
If your cat is vomiting daily, or you start to notice other symptoms, you should speak to a vet, as this could be a sign of an underlying issue.
Should cats eat after vomiting?
Your cat’s stomach may be sensitive after vomiting, which means it might be a good idea to remove access to their food for a few hours, just so they have time to rest.
If your cat vomits a few times in a row, you can introduce a balanced meal of cooked chicken.
What to give a cat for vomiting?
The best way to settle your cat’s stomach if they’re vomiting regularly is to use unseasoned, cooked chicken breast.
Bland foods can help to get their digestion back on track.
What is normal for a cat to throw up?
If your cat throws up occasionally, and you usually notice bits of hair in their vomit, this is likely to be a sign of normal vomiting.
If you notice significant amounts of food in the vomit or blood, then you should seek guidance from a vet.
When do I take my vomiting cat to the vet?
Take your cat to the vet if you have any concerns about their vomiting or you notice they’re throwing up regularly.
Your cat might need to go to the vet if you notice other symptoms alongside vomiting too, such as blood in the vomit, lethargy in your cat, or over vocalization.
Read this next: Food Allergies in Cats: What to Look Out For
Best Cat Foods to Stop Vomiting: The Verdict
Changing your cat’s food can often be one of the easiest ways to manage regular vomiting. Switching to one of these best cat foods to stop vomiting is likely to fix the problem if it has been previoulsy caused by their old recipe.
Our best choice for this purpose is the Blue Buffalo sensitive stomach dry cat food, complete with prebiotics to help improve healthy digestion.
Remember, if you have any concerns about your cat’s eating habits or regular vomiting, it’s important to speak to a vet.
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