Finding the best cat food for cats that throw up can be tricky. With so many ingredients and possibilities for food sensitivities, you can easily become overwhelmed. However, visiting your vet before changing your cat’s food is best so that they can rule out severe health conditions. In this article, we have reviews of the best cat foods to prevent vomiting to help you choose.
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Purina One Sensitive Systems Cat Food |
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Halo Natural Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food |
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Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Kitten Food |
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Royal Canin Digestive Dry Cat Food |
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The 11 Best Cat Foods to Prevent Vomiting
1. Smalls Fresh Cat Food Chicken Recipe – Best Overall
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| Primary Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Food form: | Fresh |
| Lifestage: | All |
| Special Diet features: | Sensitive digestion, grain-free |
Smalls is a human-grade meal plan catered to your carnivorous cat. It produces three protein-rich flavors, all gently cooked to preserve their nutritional value. It’s the best overall cat food to prevent vomiting.
Smalls has different textures, such as smooth, pulled, and ground meat, for picky eaters and multiple protein options.
You’ll complete a brief questionnaire about your cat, and then Small will start you off with a taste test so you’re confident your cat loves the food. You have to sign up for a subscription before receiving the sample food. If your cat doesn’t like it, you’ll have to cancel the subscription, which comes with its own rules and steps.
You’re receiving a month’s worth of refrigerated cat food in each shipment, so shipping could cause this food to spoil if something goes wrong. Most customers have never faced this issue, but it’s worth considering.
Ultimately, many cat owners report better energy levels, shinier coats, fresher breath, less stinky poop, and less vomiting since switching to Smalls cat food. It’s worth a try if your kitty needs help transitioning to fresh food!
- Different textures for picky eaters
- No preservatives or artificial flavoring
- Fresh, gently cooked recipes
- Convenient subscription
- Choice of healthy proteins
- Pricey
- Meals aren’t pre-portioned
2. Purina One Sensitive Systems Dry Cat Food – Budget Buy
| Primary Ingredient: | Turkey |
| Food form: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Sensitive digestion, high-protein, all-natural |
Purina ONE is the best cat food to prevent vomiting for the money. It promotes intestinal health and contains various vitamins and minerals to promote the health of your cat’s muscles, skin, and teeth.
There are several varieties of Sensitive Systems food from Purina One, but this one focuses on digestive health.
Purina One food contains a few unfavorable ingredients, so it may not be ideal for cats with serious digestive concerns. However, if your cat needs food that’s gentle on their stomach, Purina ONE will work just fine.
- No chicken
- High-protein content
- It contains antioxidants and fatty acids
- It contains gluten and soy
- Contains artificial coloring
3. Halo Natural Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Whole meats and seafood |
| Food form: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Sensitive digestion, GMO-free |
The Halo Holistic line of cat foods is specifically formulated to help cats who need dietary care. It is made entirely with real meat and no by-products. The company even takes extra care to ensure that they use animal products from non-factory farms and that all the meat is antibiotic-free.
However, it’s worth noting that Halo is a more expensive brand of cat food than most.
- Made with real chicken
- Includes taurine for the support of heart and eye health
- The manufacturing company invests in feral cat rescues
- Includes soy protein and dried egg
- Lower protein content than other dry foods
4. Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Kitten Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Deboned chicken |
| Food form: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Kitten |
| Special Diet features: | Natural, corn, wheat, and soy-free |
If you prefer to serve dry food to your kitten, this Tastefuls Chicken Food from Blue Buffalo is an excellent choice to prevent vomiting. Tastefuls is designed for kittens and free of by-products, corn, wheat, soy, and artificial flavors. It contains plenty of protein and nutrients to support your kitten’s brain, eye, and heart development. The lack of wheat, soy, and corn makes it a healthy option for kittens prone to vomiting.
- Packed with healthy protein and nutrients
- No corn, wheat, or soy
- Real meat is the primary ingredient
- It causes negative reactions in some cats
- Chicken is the primary ingredient – this food won’t work if your cat is vomiting due to chicken sensitivity
5. Royal Canin Digestive Dry Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Food form: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Sensitive digestion, pea-free |
While Royal Canin is notorious for not being transparent about its ingredient lists, this formula works well for decreasing vomiting in cats. It has three kibble shapes, unlike most dry food recipes.
Royal Canin Digestive promotes gut flora by adding fermentable fiber to its cat food. This dramatically impacts digestion and significantly reduces the risk of vomiting.
- Three shapes of kibble
- Promotes intestinal flora
- High vitamin content
- Contains wheat gluten
- The company doesn’t provide a breakdown of ingredients
6. Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Food form: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Sensitive digestion, pea-free |
The sensitive stomach blend from Hill’s Science Diet may be just the dietary change your cat needs. It not only promotes healthy digestion but also reduces skin irritations. It’s well-received by most adult cats and has added vitamins and antioxidants to support their immune system. The comprehensive ingredients in Hill’s food are what make it great for preventing vomiting.
Hill’s formula isn’t recommended for pregnant or nursing females since it doesn’t provide enough calories to support them.
- Specially formulated for sensitive stomachs and skin
- Contains Omega-6 fatty acids to reduce skin irritation
- Added immune system support
- Not for kittens or pregnant/nursing females
- Contains corn gluten
7. Instinct Original Grain-Free Chicken Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Chicken |
| Food form: | Dry or wet |
| Lifestage: | All life stages |
| Special Diet features: | High protein, wheat-free, gluten-free, corn, and soy-free, all-natural |
For a completely grain-free, all-natural cat food, Instinct Original has you covered. It is comprised of 81% natural ingredients and is 100% grain-free.
Instinct can be fed to kittens and adult cats since it balances high protein and low carbohydrates. While the kibble is classified as dry food, it’s freeze-dried raw food coated to look like kibble. This allows for the feeding of an all-natural raw diet without the hassle of preparation and storage.
- Grain-free
- Promotes healthy digestion
- Use across the lifespan
- Low carb content
- Contains peas
8. Wellness Signature Seafood Selection Canned Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Seafood or poultry |
| Food form: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Grain-free |
Wellness Signature is one of the few wet foods on this list for cats with vomiting problems. It has a palatable texture and comes in six flavors. It’s also 100% grain-free.
The ingredients are designed to promote digestive, eye, teeth, and gum health while increasing the fluid intake and your cat’s overall energy level. The ingredient list on the can isn’t very comprehensive, so it’s impossible to recognize everything that’s in it. It is, however, a great soft food for cats with sensitive stomachs.
- Six different flavors
- Grain-free
- Promotes fluid intake
- It contains rice and chicken
- Non-comprehensive ingredient list
9. Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Dry Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Turkey, duck, or fish with potato |
| Food form: | Dry or wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Grain-free, sensitive digestion, no wheat, corn, or soy, limited ingredient diet |
Blue Buffalo is one of the healthier brands of cat food, and for cats with sensitive stomachs, their Basics line of food contains limited ingredients. It’s ideal for cats that cannot tolerate chicken. There is no chicken in Blue Buffalo Basic, and it’s available as wet or dry food, depending on your preference.
One unique factor about this food is that it contains pumpkins. Pumpkin is commonly fed to cats to settle an upset stomach, as it promotes gentle digestion.
- Contains real meat
- No by-products
- Contains pumpkin
- Contains peas
- Higher than average calorie counts than most foods
10. Royal Canin Feline Gastrointestinal Dry Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Soluble fibers |
| Food form: | Dry or wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Veterinary diet, pea-free, sensitive digestion |
Sold as dry or wet food, Royal Canin Gastrointestinal is a unique veterinary food for cats with digestive challenges. It is also fortified for hairball prevention, which can reduce the frequency of vomiting episodes.
The biggest downside of this food is that the first ingredient is water and “soluble fiber.” The protein content is unidentified, which likely means that it’s mostly filler and by-products.
- Contains fatty acids
- Promotes microflora growth in the digestive tract
- It contains probiotics for digestive wellness
- It contains corn and rice flour
- The wet food is only available in pate form
11. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Hairball Cat Food
| Primary Ingredient: | Soluble fibers and psyllium seed husk |
| Food form: | Dry or wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Special Diet features: | Indoor cats |
If you need multi-purpose cat food for your indoor cat, try this Hairball formula from Royal Canin. The recipe promotes the health of your cat’s GI tract while also helping reduce hairballs. If your cat is vomiting while trying to pass balls of hair, Royal Canin is worth a try.
For older cats, Royal Canin has added ingredients that reduce inflammation. It also provides triangular-shaped kibble to promote chewing and reduce plaque buildup on your cat’s teeth.
Some of the ingredients are questionable. In other words, there are some fillers, by-products, and “meal” ingredients. However, the benefits offered by this blend are strong enough to earn it an entry on this review list.
- Promotes healthy elimination of hairballs
- Includes fatty acids to reduce inflammation
- High-fiber for GI health
- Contains gluten
- It contains some filler ingredients
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Cat Food to Prevent Vomiting
How do you stop a cat from throwing up?
Frequent vomiting can be a sign of food intolerance or dehydration. Dehydration can usually be resolved by ensuring your cat has access to a water bowl at all times.
For food intolerance, it is critical to find the right food. Formulas for stomach sensitivity are easy to find at most major pet stores. It is also important to avoid rich treats or snacks to ensure your cat only has easy-to-digest food.
If you’ve transitioned your cat to a sensitive stomach recipe and they are still throwing up, it’s probably time to see your veterinarian. In most cases, however, finding a food your cat can tolerate will fix the problem.
- You may also be interested in the 10 Best Cat Foods for Kidney Disease (Low Phosphorus)
What causes vomiting in cats?
There are a few key features to look for when shopping for cat food to prevent vomiting. The choice between wet and dry food is mostly based on personal preference (yours or your cat’s). Wet food is usually more expensive but has more water content and can help maintain hydration.
Here is a list of the most common reasons cats throw up:
- Nature – This is the most straightforward reason for vomiting; your cat has eaten something that doesn’t agree with them. It could be something they’ve picked up off the ground or something in their food.
- Food formulations – Choose food with a limited ingredient list. The fewer ingredients in the cat food, the less there are to irritate your cat’s stomach. Natural ingredients are usually a good choice, with high-protein levels to keep your cat’s energy level up.
- Hairballs – As much as we don’t like to think about it, cats ingest a lot of hair. They swallow hair when they groom themselves, and it usually isn’t a cause for concern. If your cat’s vomit contains a lot of hair, however, it may be a good idea to switch them to a recipe designed to reduce hairballs.
- Food sensitivities or allergies – Like humans, animals can have allergies or sensitivities to certain foods. Beef, chicken, eggs, and fish are the most common culprits. A cat can have a grain allergy, but it’s rare. Duck meat is a much rarer form of protein in cat food that cats have little exposure to, reducing the risk of an allergy developing.
- Diet changes – If you’ve recently changed foods, it may give your cat an upset stomach. That is why changing foods slowly over a few days is always recommended.
- Activity – If your cat is very active after eating, it can sometimes cause an upset stomach.
- Eating too fast – Eating too fast can also cause your cat to vomit. Dividing food into different bowls, placing a golf ball in the bowl, or switching to wet food can slow them down.
High-quality cat food is an important part of fostering a long and healthy life for your cat but the right cat food and water dish will promote good posture, offer whisker relief, and aid in good digestion. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite bowl since it offers all of the above and is beautifully crafted to meet modern home stylings. The wide tray design catches any food and water spills and the entire setup is dishwasher safe. Learn more about the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl here. At PangoVet, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
How We Determined This List of Cat Foods to Prevent Vomiting
All the cat foods reviewed in this article were chosen by our writers, editors, and team of experienced veterinary professionals to ensure that they are safe and meet the care needs of your pet. When choosing which cat foods to feature, we took into account brand reputation, personal and hands-on experience, reviews from other customers, and of course, feedback from our beloved pets, to make sure to bring you only the best of the best. We at PangoVet want to give you only the best products to choose from in our reviews, to ensure that they meet your pets’ needs for optimal health and well-being.
Why Trust PangoVet?
We are a team of experienced veterinarians, writers, and editors who are pet owners ourselves, so we understand how important your pets and the products they use and consume are to you. Whether you are caring for a furry, scaly, or feathered friend, we make sure that you have honest and unbiased reviews of the top cat foods on the market, so you can make an informed decision.
Final Verdict
If you are looking for the best cat food to prevent vomiting, you are sure to find one on our list. We recommend Smalls Cat Food as the best overall choice. Purina One Sensitive Systems lands second on our list as the best value for the money. However, before switching your cat’s food, consult your veterinarian. They can determine if they are vomiting because of their food or a health condition.
You may also be interested in:
- Best Cat Foods for Pancreatitis – Reviews & Top Picks
- Why Did My Kitten Throw Up? (8 Potential Causes)
Featured Image Credit: thodonal88, Shutterstock
