Cat vomiting after meals in multi-cat home

A 9-year-old bringing up food after meals in a multi-cat home is a really common pattern — and honestly, the vomiting is often more about eating speed and mealtime stress than the food itself. When a faster cat eats nearby, slower or more anxious cats tend to bolt their food just to compete, and that almost always comes back up. That said, digestive sensitivity in cats is frequently a food intolerance issue too, so it's worth looking at both angles. To get this right: is the vomiting happening immediately after eating or a bit later, and does the food come back mostly undigested? And what are you currently feeding both cats?

That's a classic picture of regurgitation rather than true vomiting — undigested food straight back up within minutes almost always means the food went down too fast, not that the stomach rejected it. Two months lines up with something changing in the household dynamic. The housemate eating quickly is almost certainly making your cat feel she needs to compete. Before changing the food, the single most effective thing you can do is feed them in completely separate rooms with the doors closed. That alone often stops the regurgitation within a week. Are you currently feeding them at the same time in the same space?

Separating them should be your first move — and it may be enough on its own. But since she's 9 and this has been going on a couple of months, it's also a good moment to switch to something gentler and designed for slower eating. I'd recommend the Royal Canin Digestive Care dry food in the puzzle feeder or slow feeder format. Royal Canin Digestive Care is specifically formulated to support cats with sensitive digestion — it has a highly digestible protein blend and a kibble shape designed to encourage chewing rather than gulping. Pair it with a slow feeder bowl and she physically cannot bolt it even if she's stressed. It's widely available on Amazon UK and comes in 2kg and 4kg bags. The combination of separate rooms plus this food is very likely to sort this completely.

Good question. Royal Canin does make a Senior Digestive Care version formulated for cats aged 7 and over, which would actually be a better fit for her. It has the same digestive support — easy-to-digest proteins, prebiotics, a balanced fibre blend — but with adjusted calorie density and nutrients suited to an older cat's metabolism. That's the one I'd go with. Search for Royal Canin Digestive Care Senior on Amazon UK, it comes in a 1.5kg bag which is a good size to start with before committing to a larger bag.

That sounds like a solid plan. Separate rooms from the first meal tonight, slow feeder bowl if you have one or can grab one cheaply, and the Royal Canin Digestive Care Senior when it arrives. Give it two weeks — most cats improve significantly within the first week once the mealtime pressure is gone. If she's still bringing food up after two weeks of truly separate feeding, that's when it's worth a vet check to rule out anything physical. But I'd be surprised if it comes to that.