My cat eats grass and then vomits, why?

Question:
How can I stop my 14 year old cat from eating grass and then throwing it all up?

A:  I would recommend trying an antacid and even changing your cat's diet.

When an animal eats grass and then vomits, it is usually due to a stomach ache.  The grass makes the animal vomit, decreasing the amount of stomach acid present.  I would recommend trying a sensitive stomach diet, such as Science Diet's Sensitive Stomach maintenance food or Eukanuba's Low Residue diet to see if that doesn't help.  You might also consider adding an antacid to your cat's regime.  Zantac, or Ranitidine, has been shown to help cats with mild gastric upsets.  The normal dose for a cat is 1/4th of a 75 mg tablet every 12 hours.

If you can reduce the irritation in your cat's stomach, he/she should eat less grass, and hopefully vomit less frequently.

~Dr. Page Wages

Oberlin Animal Hospital