Why Does My Cats Vomit Look Like Poop

It’s like a meme for cat owners now. You’re lying down to sleep, and you suddenly hear your cat retching from another room. Immediately you know that there will be a mess to be cleaned up. Sometimes you’ll be cleaning up after your cat and ask yourself this: why does my cat’s vomit look like poop?

Your cat’s vomit looks like the color of poop because there is something terrible happening to your cat. If your cat’s vomit resembles poop in texture or color, then you should contact your vet as soon as possible to get treatment for your cat.

Brown vomit should be a red flag for you, but in this article, we’ll cover the color of your cat’s vomit and the texture. If you want to learn more (I know, I know, you probably don’t!), keep reading. 

What Does Cat Vomit Look Like

The most common kind of throw up you will see is white or clear vomit.

When a cat throws up, you’ll often see that your cat’s vomit is white or clear. This means that your cat’s vomit is mostly saliva or bile that is coming up.

A light-colored vomit like this is entirely normal and nothing you should worry about when you see it. 

You may also catch your cat throwing up full-sized dry cat food. 

Your cat will do this when he throws up before fully digesting food. It may also happen if your cat is eating too quickly and gets sick.

Just be careful you don’t step in that throw up because it will be uncomfortable – take my word for it!

Your cat may also cough up a hairball, but this is different than throwing up. Hairballs will look more like a piece of poop than vomit because they are made of your cat’s fur. 

What Does Brown Vomit Mean In Cats

Brown vomit is bad news for your cat.

Although cat owners never want to think the worst when something happens to their cat, brown vomit could mean that it is a medical emergency.

Brown vomit usually means that your cat suffers from internal bleeding or cancer. 

Vomit that is brown in color could also have slightly less dire outcomes, like a blockage or constipation. Neither of these options, however, are good either.

If you see that your cat is throwing up brown vomit or a color close to brown, you should contact your vet immediately. 

You should not wait for an appointment with your vet; if your regular vet cannot get your cat in for a visit, you should go to the emergency vet. 

What Is A Hairball

Your cat’s vomit could take the shape of poop when your cat has a hairball.

Hairballs are basically what they sound like: a ball of hair that your cat coughs up instead of vomit.

As we all already know, cats clean themselves using their tongues and even use their teeth to pull out hair or knots.

Your cat will spit out most of the fur that he pulls out, but your cat will inevitably eat some of the hair. 

Despite eating so much hair throughout his life, your cat cannot digest the hair.

So, where does it go?

Well, usually out the same way it went in, as gross as it sounds.

Your cat will cough up a hairball that looks a lot like a log or piece of poop and will usually be the same color as his fur. 

Why Do Hairballs Happen

Hairballs happen because your cat can’t digest the fur that he ends up eating. 

Your cat can naturally cough up a hairball because there is nowhere for the hair to go except back out.

It is more common that your cat will end up passing a hairball after he starts munching on some grass, either outside or from a pot.

The hair collects in your cat’s stomach whenever he cleans himself and will eventually try to force its way back out. 

How Do I Know If My Cat Has a Hairball

There are a few tell-tale signs that your cat is a hairball.

Most cat owners know that their cat has a hairball (or at least a stomach ache of some kind) when they start to munch on more grass than usual. This can be potted cat grass inside the house or grass outside in the yard.

This is a sign that your cat isn’t feeling the best and wants to make himself throw up. Gross, right?

Still, grass cannot be digested by your cat, so it causes vomiting rather quickly. 

Your cat may also be more lethargic than usual and eat less. Hairballs aren’t fun to have, so they can temporarily change your cat’s personality until he passes the hairball. 

One of my least favorite signs is the constant retching that will start to happen as your cat tries to cough up the hairball. Sometimes the coughing helps your cat pass the hairball, but it can also take a few days. 

Overall, hairballs aren’t fun for anyone involved! 

Types Of Cat Vomit

Cat vomit is classified as either chronic vomiting or acute vomiting. 

You may not have known that two kinds of vomiting can happen with your cat, but there are.

First, we’ll talk about chronic vomiting, which is almost precisely what it sounds like. 

Chronic vomiting means that your cat is repeatedly vomiting, but it isn’t as often as you might think. It could be anywhere from once a day to once a month, but the key is over a long time. 

Your cat’s chronic vomiting isn’t a reason for concern, but you should visit your vet regularly to see what is wrong with your cat.

Acute vomiting, the second type of vomiting, is when you should be worried about your cat and immediately seek medical care. 

Your cat’s acute vomiting comes suddenly and happens multiple times in succession. Usually, it means that your cat has eaten something bad or toxic and could be poisoned.

Prompt care will ensure that your cat can recover. 

Cat Vomit Color Chart

We covered a lot of information in this article, so before I leave you, I want to recap some of what we learned and other information.

Let’s end with a handy chart describing the color of your cat’s vomit and what it could mean. 

Cat Vomit Color	Reason for Vomiting
Yellow or yellow-tinted	Vomit includes bile from food that is not fully digested
Red or milky pink	May indicate blood but may also be from dyes in dry cat food
Clear or opaque white	Mostly saliva from the esophagus and when your cat hasn’t eaten
Black or brown	This can be a sign of internal bleeding, as we discussed earlier

Again, the inclusion of cat fur may indicate that your cat has passed a hairball, and the hairball can be in several colors.

As can be seen from the chart, you do not need to worry too much about your cat’s vomit color.

When you see black or brown vomit or the vomit resembles poop, you should worry about your cat and immediately seek medical attention.