![]() The acidity encourages the flow of bile and the flow of pancreatic enzymes necessary to continue the digestive process. The acidic chyme leaving the stomach is the trigger for the next stage of digestion in the small intestine. ![]() The pH within the stomach rises to around 4-5 and a high pH means low acidity. ![]() When a cat or dog swallows a commercial pet food that is high in carbohydrate and plant protein and low in meat protein, acid-secreting cells in the stomach are not stimulated to produce much hydrochloric acid. This low stomach pH is important because digestive enzymes work best in an acidic environment and the acidity in the stomach will sterilize ingested pathogens, bacterial or fungal. This keeps the stomach at a very low pH of around 1-2. Put simply, 80% of the gastric juices secreted are a direct result of chemoreceptors in the stomach detecting the presence of meat-based proteins. A complex cascade takes place when a cat or dog ingests food. Meat protein stimulates stomach acidity by triggering the production of hydrochloric acid in acid-secreting cells within the stomach. But, the carbohydrates in many processed foods make the stomach less acidic. "Cats need a highly acidic stomach in order to properly digest their food. As explained by Lyn Thomson, BVSc DipHom writing for the Feline Nutrition Foundation in Gastric Acidity - What, How and Why This can also be a symptom of many illnesses, including pancreatitis, chronic kidney disease or hyperthyroidism, each of which needs management or treatment.īut a cat vomiting stomach acid, bile, or immediately throwing up a meal, is quite common in cats new to set meal times or raw/homemade food. This can be a sign of a blockage that needs surgical attention - or, if your cat has not had blood work done recently, please get this done. And if throwing up acid or meals frequently continues despite these recommended steps, see the vet. Of course, if your cat is vomiting repeatedly, projectile vomiting, not keeping anything down (not even water), or you suspect the cat ate or drank a poisonous substance or swallowed something inedible, please take kitty to the vet. It is not cause for alarm, and it is easily managed.Ī whitish foam is stomach acid. What you're witnessing is a kitty transitioning to a protein-based, species appropriate diet, and their bodies are returning to their more natural, more acidic state. When feeding homemade food, this is rarely the result of eating too quickly, which is often suggested as the cause. This usually happens with breakfast, being the longest period between meals, but it can happen at any meal (especially if we're late with a meal, or if we only feed two meals a day). And if kitty has stomach acid and/or bile sitting in the stomach in anticipation of a meal, that meal will most likely be regurgitated. When a cat has a frothy vomit or throws up bile, it is almost always because there was acid or bile build-up in an empty stomach. ![]()
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