Are you fed up with a feline that stopped using the litter box? Concerned for a cat who’s sleeping a lot? Or, not sure if what your kitty does is normal? These are all questions you should ask a veterinarian. Dr. Liz Bales is here to answer your kitty questions about health, wellness, and behavior!
Dr. Bales, Is it normal for cats to throw up after they eat? It happens a lot in my house and then the other cats run as fast as they can to try to eat it before I can clean it up! Is that even safe?? Should I be worried? – Barb A.
You have just given the precise description of “scarf and barf,” a very common feline condition. While it is very common for cats to throw up right after they eat, it is not normal.
Cats that scarf and barf do not have a worrisome medial condition, but they do have a behavior problem that is a result of feeding them from a bowl full of food.
To truly understand scarf and barf, we need to look at the natural state of the cat. In their natural state, cats have a feeding style that is very different from the way that we feed them in our homes.
In the wild, cats hunt, catch prey, eat, groom, and then sleep somewhere between 9 and 20 times though out the day and night in a 24 hour period. They commonly catch mice, crickets, and birds. A cat’s unfilled stomach is about the size of a ping pong ball and is made to accept multiple meals a day. So the natural daily cycle of a cat, called the Seeking Circuit, is one of exercise (hunting and playing with prey), followed by a small meal and then rest over and over throughout the day and night.
The drive to eat is very strong (in this way, I am very much like a cat!) When our cats find a big bowl of food waiting for them, they will gorge. You find that pile of puke when their stomachs cannot tolerate so much food at once, and they vomit. Voila! Scarf and barf.
To remedy scarf and barf, we need to provide our cats with a way of eating that mimics their natural state and innate needs. So, you can start by feeding your cats multiple small meals (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons) multiple times throughout the day and night. We can improve upon this by allowing our cats to have the hunt and play part of the Seeking Circuit and thereby meet all of our cats needs.
I hope this helps stop scarf and barf at your house!
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