Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food? 7 Clear Facts

It can be quite alarming to observe a pattern where your cat throws up whenever it eats dry food, but doesn’t throw up when it eats wet food. Once you notice this sort of pattern, you will want to know the reasons behind it, and what can be done about it. This article has the answers.

Why is my cat throwing up dry food but not wet food? It may be due to food intolerance or allergic reactions. It could also be due to eating too fast or eating too much – which are things that happen often when cats eat dry food.

Thus if your cat throws up dry foods but not wet, those are the most likely reasons.

To pinpoint the exact reason for the cat vomiting dry food but not wet food, there are several questions you need to ask yourself.

Firstly, you should ask yourself when that trend (in which the cat throws up dry food but not wet) started. Did it start recently? Or is it something the cat has always experienced?

Further, you need to ask yourself whether there has been a recent major change in the cat’s diet. For instance, have you changed the type/brand of dry food you give to the cat?

This can be very helpful in unearthing the reason why the cat throws up dry foods but not wet.

Even the cat’s age may be relevant. If an older cat throws up dry food but not wet food, the implications are different. They are different from a case in which a younger cat throws up dry food but not wet.

But before going much further, let’s find out how common this phenomenon of cats only throwing up dry food is.

Is It Common For Cats To Throw Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food?

It is quite common for cats to throw up dry food but not wet food.

You often find a cat owner complaining that their cat vomits kibble but not wet food. Or you find another one lamenting that ‘my cat throws up dry food every day – but not wet food’.

If you visit forums in which cat owners share ideas, you will find lots of threads with questions like, what causes my cat to vomit after eating dry food, but not wet food?

Or you may find someone else asking, why is my kitten vomiting after eating dry food but not wet food?

Thus the phenomenon of cats throwing up dry food but not wet food is quite common.

Indeed the question on why is my cat throwing up dry food but not wet food is one of the more frequently asked cat nutrition-related questions.

This only goes to show that cats throwing up dry food, but not wet food, is something that happens often.

It is certainly more common than the opposite: cats throwing up wet food but not dry food. Rarely will you hear someone asking, why does my cat throw up wet food but not dry food?

What you tend to hear instead is a question on why does my cat vomit dry food but not wet food? So that is common.

Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food?

As noted earlier, the pattern of a cat throwing up dry food but not wet food can be cause for great concern.

It is only natural, upon noticing such a pattern, to start asking yourself many questions. Key among those is this one: on why is my cat throwing up dry food but not wet food?

That is usually followed by another one – on how can dry cat food cause vomiting while wet cat food doesn’t?

The truth of the matter is that there are several possible reasons for cats throwing up dry food. So you find the cats throwing up dry food, but not wet food.

Sometimes, you may find a cat throws up with dry food but not wet due to food intolerance issues.

At other times, allergic reactions are the reasons for the cats throwing up dry food. So you find that the cat throws up after eating dry food but not wet due to an allergic reaction.

The nature of dry food also encourages fast eating. Such fast eating can in turn be cause for the cat throwing up dry food but not wet.

Further, the nature of dry food encourages overeating, especially in free-feeding setups. That too can be reason for cat throwing up after dry food.

Let us look at each of those factors in turn briefly.

Intolerance As A Reason For Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food

Sometimes, the cat may be intolerant to the main ingredients in the dry food. Or the cat may be intolerant to one/some of the additives in the dry food. Either way, it can be cause for the cat throwing up with dry food, but not wet.

Normally, you find that the cat seems fine other than can’t keep down dry food. So you observe the cat throwing up food but acting normal otherwise.

In some cases, the intolerance may simply be due to the fact there is something ‘new’ in the food. Cat’s stomachs are notoriously sensitive, and react badly to new things initially.

Thus if it is a new dry food brand you are trying, you may see this sort of intolerance. In this case, the vomiting may be accompanied by other signs of stomach upset.

Then the whole affair gets you worried as you ask, why is my cat throwing up undigested food but acting normal otherwise?

The intolerance can turn into a chronic thing. It is not uncommon to hear a person wondering, why does my cat nearly always throw up dry canned food?

Investigation often reveals that it is due to intolerance to one of the ingredients in the food.

The intolerance in question here may also be on account of digestibility of dry food (or lack thereof). Is dry food harder for cats to digest? The answer is largely ‘yes’.

On that account (of difficulty in digesting it), the cats may keep on vomiting dry food whenever they eat it.

Thus intolerance – in all its various forms – can be reason for a cat throwing up dry food but not wet.

Allergy As A Reason For A Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food

In some cases, allergic reactions make cats throw up dry food but not wet food.

So you find that in the dry food, there is something to which the cat is allergic. Consequently, whenever the cat eats such food, it experiences vomiting. In this case, the vomiting may be accompanied by other signs of allergic reaction.

This can be a daily occurrence. Naturally, it gets the cat owner worried. You then find the cat owner lamenting ‘my cat is throwing up all of her dry food daily – what may be the cause?’

Investigation reveals that it is due to allergic reactions.

By the way, it is important to understand that cat allergies can develop suddenly. And they can develop at any stage in the cat’s life.

Thus you could even have a cat suddenly not interested in wet food of some kind due to allergic reactions… It can affect both dry and wet foods.

So allergic reactions to the food (or some ingredients in it) may be the culprit. It may be the culprit for the cat vomiting whenever it eats dry but not wet food.

Eating Too Fast As A Reason For Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food

The nature of dry food tends to encourage cats to eat it too fast. They often just swallow it without chewing – as chewing dry food feels like too much work.

Now when cats eat too fast, vomiting is a common outcome. The cat not chewing dry food before swallowing makes vomiting even more likely.

You therefore find that the cat throws up dry food whole – after having swallowed it without chewing.

Thus if my cat throws up dry food but not wet food consistently, this is a possibility I would consider.

Eating Too Much As A Reason For Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food

The nature of dry food tends to make proper rationing very hard. It is unlike wet food, whose rationing is quite easy.

Thus with dry food, overeating is common. It is especially common in free-feeding arrangements.

Can a lot of dry food make cats vomit a lot (after overeating)? The answer is ‘yes’.

Thus if my cat keeps throwing up dry food but not wet food, this is yet another possibility I would consider.

My Cat Throws Up Dry Food But Not Wet – What Should I Do?

Firstly, you need to try to establish the reason for the cat throwing up the dry food, but not wet.

It is due to food intolerance? Or is it due to an allergic reaction? Could it be due to eating too fast? Or could it be due to eating too much of the dry food?

Thereafter, the question to ask yourself would be, how do I get my cat to stop throwing up dry food?

Sometimes, what you may need to do is simply sprinkling lukewarm water over the food. That is before having the cat eat it. Often, this helps a great deal in these situations.

There are also cases in which switching to another type of dry food may be the solution.

If it seems to be due to intolerance or allergic reactions, identify the culprit. Identify the substance or ingredient to which the cat is intolerant or allergic. Then opt for dry foods without that ingredient.

You may also consider switching from a free-feeding arrangement to a strictly rationed eating arrangement. This is helpful if overeating seems to be the reason behind the vomiting.

If all fails, you can abandon dry food altogether. Then feed the cat either on wet food or homemade foods.

Final Verdict – Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Dry Food But Not Wet Food

Your cat may be throwing up dry food but not wet food due to intolerance. So you find that the cat is intolerant to one or another ingredient in the dry food.

Your cat may also be throwing up dry food but not wet food due to allergies. Here, you find that the cat is allergic to one or another ingredient in the dry food.

Eating too fast or eating too much of the dry food can be other reasons for vomiting. The nature of dry food often encourages too fast and/or excessive feeding.

Often, you just need to switch to another type of dry food, to get the cat to stop throwing up.

In other cases, you can continue with the old food, but be sprinkling warm water over it before serving. This way, you make it easier to chew, and easier to digest – reducing odds of vomiting after eating.

Getting the cat to eat slower and/or reducing rations (so that the cat doesn’t eat too much of the dry food) may also help. It may help in getting the cat to stop vomiting when it eats dry food.

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Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️