Expert: Jessica - 8/7/2010

Question
hello Jessica,

a little while ago, i saw my mixed siamese kitten throwing up little white creamy/foaming stuff after waking up from a little nap. im wondering if its hairball? she's very active and energitic. she's been eating ketten can food and dry food while still nursing from mom. i didnt plan on giving her dry food this early, but she's been stilling from mom's plate and seems like she likes it. overall i never thought she has health problems. and after the vomitting, she ate some dry food and is now playing with siblings again now. she looks fine and as usual. should i be concerned? or what can i do to help her if its hairball. she's the blue point, almost 6 weeks kitten.

lavie

Answer
Hi Lavie,

This little one is too young to be suffering from hairballs yet.  It takes a hairball around 6 months to form with normal grooming on the average cat, so most kittens will not experience them before this age.  

It's not unusual for kittens to throw up once in a while.  Their digestive tracts are short, and this causes them to be intolerant to digestive disturbances.  Just a little bit of stomach upset often results in vomiting.

If the kitten throws up again, however, you should be concerned.  It might indicate that she has parasitic worms, a very common condition in kittens.  Roundworms are usually passed to a litter of kittens in the mother's breast milk.  The immature worms pass in the milk, and about three weeks later, they become mature in the kittens' intestines.  They can start to cause problems like gas, diarrhea, and white, foamy vomit.  If the infection is severe, some worms might even appear in the vomit.  The kittens will need to be treated with a safe dewormer from the vet.

There are also some protozoan infections and viral infections that could be to blame.  If the mother is vaccinated against distemper, the kittens should have some protection against that disease from the antibodies in mom's milk.  But they will need their first vaccines within the next couple weeks to keep them protected.  If mom has not been vaccinated, this disease could be a large concern.  Less severe viral infections can be treated at home with some supportive care and mild foods.  Some protozoan infections like coccidia and giardia might be a concern.  They tend to cause diarrhea first, but may cause vomiting, as well.  They can be treated with antibiotics.  

So for sure, don't give the kitten any hairball treatments - this will give her diarrhea.  And then just make sure that all of the foods the kitten has access to are fresh (less than 2 hours old, except completely dry food).  If vomiting continues at all, consult a vet.

Good luck!