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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Is this cat vomit, or something worse?

18 replies

FunnyGranny · 01/10/2021 17:39

Hello all! My beloved cat Finny seems to have vomited something up and it looks like poo! But it is odourless and I'm not sure. I wonder if you can help identify it? Vomit or poo?

Some background: Finny is a mostly outdoor cat who also loves his home comforts. He comes and goes as he pleases and is extremely affectionate when he's at home. Unfortunately we can't put a cat flap in so I just leave the sliding glass door open wide enough for him when he's out, and close it once he's inside. When he wants to go out he makes this clear by being restless and walking to the door.

We live in a semi-rural area on the edge of town, lots of fields and country past our home. He is sometimes gone for 24-48 hours (three nights was the longest!) and then he comes home and retreats into his cosy little cat-cave and sleeps for ages. I don't know what he eats when he's out.

Last night he came home in the middle of the night. It was raining and he was soaking wet. He likes to come in my room at night and sleep on the bed but I didn't let him last night because he was so wet.

When I went downstairs this morning, this "thing" was on the hall times.

He has a litter tray and has no problem using it usually. However,
several nights ago he pooped on the carpet, a large poo that stank out the whole house.

We recently moved house -- in August. But he accommodated very quickly to the new place and seems quite at home. He did spray the upstairs corridor a few weeks ago, perhaps to mark his new territory? That's where his cave is. This happened once, no problems since then.

Is this cat vomit, or something worse?
OP posts:
felinelucky · 01/10/2021 17:44

In my house the obvious answer would be that he'd hurked up a furball, but that doesn't look the right shape.

dementedpixie · 01/10/2021 17:47

Cat vomit often doesn't smell much. Mine sometimes bring up a hairball. Have you examined the texture?

FunnyGranny · 01/10/2021 17:49

@dementedpixie

Cat vomit often doesn't smell much. Mine sometimes bring up a hairball. Have you examined the texture?
Sorry, it was so disgusting looking I quickly scooped it up and threw it in the toilet! I agree, I should have maybe poked it a bit, maybe taken a sample for the vet, just in case -- should I? But it was really revolting looking, and the liquid around it looked a bit like diarrhoea.
OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 01/10/2021 17:51

Looks like a hairball do you feed wet or dry food

FunnyGranny · 01/10/2021 17:55

@Theunamedcat

Looks like a hairball do you feed wet or dry food
I use both. Whenever he comes home he gets wet food, and in between times, if he seems hungry, dry food. I've never seen a hairball so that's interesting.
OP posts:
DobbyTheHouseElk · 01/10/2021 18:00

Vomit.

I had a vomiting cat and I recognise the style!

You’d know if it was poop. The watery stuff is bile.

Theunamedcat · 01/10/2021 18:00

To me it looks like a wet food hairball I've noticed that with the cats I have now (dry food only) there hairballs are different to my previous cats who were mixed food not thst I made a study but I had three cats previous and I have three cats now 🤣

dementedpixie · 01/10/2021 18:33

Hairballs can look poo shaped rather than a ball shape as their name suggests. It looks like watery vomit round it

amylou8 · 01/10/2021 18:39

That's a hairball. I have one that does this every few weeks on my duvet!

icedcoffees · 01/10/2021 18:57

It's vomit - looks like a hairball to me.

FunnyGranny · 01/10/2021 19:06

Whew, thanks all! My son said maybe he had eaten poo -- as you can tell we don't have much experience with cats!

We got this one as a kitten for my granddaughter, who lives in a different country and hasn't been able to visit for two years! So now he's mine. I've fallen in love with him and he is just the sweetest, best behaved cat in the world. He runs down to greet me whenever I come home, and whenever HE comes home runs to find me, loudly meowing. If he wants attention and I'm in bed, he will touch my face with his paw ever so gently -- just a little tap.

OP posts:
Loyaultemelie · 01/10/2021 19:07

My dds cat specialises in this kind of vomit on beds 🤢 even my cats have the decency to be appalled

dementedpixie · 01/10/2021 19:14

My cat always aims for carpet when he does this even though most of downstairs is hard floors!

FunnyGranny · 01/10/2021 20:20

good to know it's perfectly normal and not poo! And very good that he did it on the tiles and not the carpet or my bed.
Thanks all.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 01/10/2021 22:42

Definitely cat puke. Mine does it frequently and it looks like that!

Toddlerteaplease · 01/10/2021 22:44

It looks like poo due the the narrowing of the oesophagus as it's squeezed out.

Toddlerteaplease · 02/10/2021 00:35

Cheddar usually does it on the bed. The day after I've put clean sheets on it. Sad

Icequeen01 · 02/10/2021 09:38

@Toddlerteaplease

Cheddar usually does it on the bed. The day after I've put clean sheets on it. Sad
🤣🤣 don't you just love them!
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