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My cat is vomiting and digging her litter box. Should I be concerned?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 years and 2 months old

I woke up to my cat vomiting. This in itself isn't unusual, except that she had not eaten for 6 hours prior, so I'm not really sure why she still had food in her stomach to vomit. After that, she spent 45 minutes digging in her litter box- she went a little, but mostly she just dug around in the boxes. She didn't seem to have any undue straining, and her output was what I would expect. It's odd behavior, should I be concerned enough to get a vet check?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Elva Ma DVM

Answered By Elva Ma DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 1, 2018

Hello, and thank you for your question! If Julie's vomiting continues over the next 12 hours, then I would recommend taking her to the vet. Possible causes for her litter box behaviour include a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals or bladder stones, or it may be due to gastrointestinal discomfort such as gastroenteritis or pancreatitis.

In the meantime, continue to monitor her closely. If her vomiting continues, or if her energy or appetite worsen, I would get her to the vet sooner rather than later.

I hope this helps, and that Julie gets better soon!
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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