Six fields and 14 days turn a vague story into something a vet can use: what came up, how much, when, and what the cat did afterward. Log every event for 2 weeks, not 2 days, because the pattern is the point. Three findings stop the logging and send you to the clinic today — blood, a swollen abdomen with unproductive retching, or vomiting plus refusal to drink for 24 hours.
Why 14 days and not 2
One vomit tells you almost nothing. Two weeks covers roughly 14 eating cycles, 2 hairball cycles in a long-haired cat, and any weekly rhythm such as a Sunday treat or a bin raid. It also gives the vet a denominator: 4 vomits in 14 days is a different animal from 4 in 2 days.
Start the log before you change anything else. If you switch food on day 1 and start logging on day 1, you cannot tell whether the count fell because of the food or because of time. Log 7 days on the current diet, then change 1 variable, then log 7 more.
The 6 fields
Keep it to 1 page and 6 columns. Each event takes 30 to 45 seconds, which matters at 03:00.
| # | Field | What to write | Scale | Seconds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time | Clock time to the minute, 24 h format | hh:mm | 5 |
| 2 | Content | Food, foam, bile, hairball, blood, or foreign body | 1 of 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Volume | Teaspoon, 30 ml, 100 ml, or more | ml | 10 |
| 4 | Timing vs food | Under 30 min, 30 to 120 min, or over 2 h after eating | 3 brackets | 5 |
| 5 | Count in 24 h | How many events since midnight | number | 5 |
| 6 | Behavior after | Ate again, hid, groomed, or refused water | 1 of 4 | 10 |
Field 4 is the one that earns the appointment. Vomiting within 30 minutes of eating points at the esophagus or at eating too fast. A 30 to 120 minute gap fits stomach problems. Vomiting 2 or more hours later, especially undigested food, points further down the tract and is the pattern that most often leads to imaging.
Field 2 changes the urgency. Foam on an empty stomach at 05:00 is usually bile reflux and rarely an emergency on its own. Undigested food 6 hours after a meal is a motility signal. A hairball is a hairball only if you actually see hair — a cat labeled with hairballs for 2 months often has something else.
What normal looks like
A healthy cat vomits occasionally: 1 to 2 hairballs a month in a long-haired cat, or 1 episode after a fast binge. What is not normal: more than 1 vomit a week for 3 weeks, vomiting on 3 or more days in any 7, or any vomit in a cat that is also losing weight. A cat that vomits and then eats normally is reassuring for 1 event, not for 5.
Weigh the cat on day 1, day 7, and day 14. A 200 g drop in 2 weeks is a finding, and it is invisible by eye on a 4.5 kg cat. That is what the chart at /health/health-cat-weight-trend-chart/ is for; bring the 3 numbers to the visit.
The 3 red lines
These stop the log. Go now, or call and go within the hour.
- Blood. Red streaks, coffee-ground material, or black tarry stool alongside vomiting. Any of the 3 means bleeding until proven otherwise.
- Unproductive retching with a hard, swollen abdomen. The cat crouches, retches, brings up nothing, and the belly is tight. This is the obstruction pattern and it is a same-hour emergency, especially in a cat that has not passed stool for 24 hours.
- Vomiting plus no water for 24 hours, or vomiting plus lethargy and hiding. A cat that stops drinking dehydrates in 24 to 48 hours, and a cat that hides for 20 hours a day is not just queasy.
Two more that belong on the same list for kittens and seniors: any vomiting in a kitten under 4 months, and any new vomiting in a cat over 12 years that has lost weight. Both are investigated on day 1, not day 14.
Photograph and bag the evidence
Take 1 photo per event on a plain floor with a coin or a 5 cm marker beside the puddle, then clean up. The photo answers the volume question better than memory and takes 5 seconds. If you see a foreign body — string, a rubber band, a piece of toy — do not pull it. Photograph it, and take the cat in with the object in a sealed bag.
If you suspect a plant, a household product or human food, check /tools/toxic/ before you drive, and bring the label. Lily pollen, antifreeze, and onion are the 3 that come up most in cats, and all 3 need the exposure time, not just the name.
Handing the log over
Bring 3 things: the page, the weight numbers, and 2 photos. In the room, lead with the count, not the story — 9 vomits in 14 days, 6 of them more than 2 hours after eating, weight down 200 g. That sentence gets you imaging faster than 5 minutes of narrative. Ask what the next test is and what result would change the plan.
Keep logging for 7 days after any treatment change, then stop if the count is 0 to 1. A log with no end date becomes a chore nobody reads, and a stopped log hides the relapse you were trying to catch. If the cat is due for vaccines, /health/health-cat-vaccine-titer/ helps you avoid stacking a 2-hour car trip on a cat that vomited that morning.
Five steps tonight
- Draw 6 columns on 1 sheet of paper and tape it inside a kitchen cupboard door.
- Write the day 1 weight in kg, at the top, plus the food brand and daily grams.
- Log every event for 7 days without changing anything.
- Change 1 variable only, usually the food or the feeding pace, then log 7 more days.
- Book the visit at day 14 with the count, the 3 weights, and 2 photos in hand.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
How many vomits in 14 days should worry me?
More than 1 a week for 3 weeks, or vomiting on 3 or more days within any 7, is enough to book a visit. A single hairball a month in a long-haired cat is ordinary. The count matters less than the pairing: vomiting plus weight loss, or vomiting plus hiding, moves the visit forward regardless of the number.
Should I stop feeding my cat while I log?
No. Keep the normal diet and the normal portions, or the log measures nothing. If the cat vomits 3 or more times in 24 hours, call the clinic and ask whether to withhold food for a few hours; that is their call, not a decision to make alone. Water should stay available unless a vet says otherwise.
Is a hairball a sign of a problem?
Sometimes. An occasional hairball in a long-haired cat is normal, but a cat producing 2 or more a month, or one labeled with hairballs for 2 months without anyone seeing hair, needs a look. Frequent hairballs can reflect overgrooming from itching or pain, or slowed movement through the gut.