Caring for a cat can be a complicated thing, to the point that they can be considered as high maintenance. You need to understand cat behavior in order to be able to understand your cat, and you need to always take into account the feline symptoms that could mean serious diseases. Cat vomiting in a sick cat that is more advanced in years is actually quite common, as geriatric cats have systems that are already beginning to fail, hence the upchuck reflex. The cause can be anything from chronic renal failure, an overactive thyroid gland, liver disease, an electrolyte or acid imbalance, or anything that could be causing stomach problems.
However, that does not mean that if your cat vomits once or twice a week that it is dying. A lot of healthy cats will vomit once or twice a week. Sometimes, the cat vomiting may just really be your cat regurgitating the food that it just ate. This happens in cats that may have eaten too fast, or maybe because your cat may be on a diet of mainly dry food. This is because the dry food will immediately absorb whatever moisture it will meet in the stomach, making the stomach expand too quickly and making your cat vomit. This can be taken care of right away, as you can just make it a habit to include moisture into your cats diet.
One of the more common reasons for cat vomiting is also the presence of many kinds of bacteria in the stomach. These bacteria may live in the intestines, or maybe worms that live in the various parts of the body such as tapeworms and or roundworms. If you find that your cat is presenting symptoms other than the cat vomitingsuch as diarrhea, lethargy, or an abnormally expanded stomach, then there is a large chance that your cat is suffering from a bacteria or a worm.
When a cat is at that age where it is already considered geriatric, usually ages over 12 years old, cat health can decline really quickly. If you notice that your cat seems to be vomiting more and more, then you need to take your cat to the veterinarian right away. One of the most common reasons that this happens is because of inflammatory bowel disease. The cause of this disease in cats is thus far unknown, but the food that your cat is eating and the way his insides reacts to it is definitely has a correlation to the disease. If this is left untreated, your cats digestive tract can become permanently damaged, and not to mention the damage that the constant vomiting will do to your cats throat and stomach as well.
Just remember that when any animal is older, they are more prone do lethal diseases. Cats are no different. Make sure that you prioritize your cats health when your cat is already in this age. That way, you can try and keep them healthy for as long as possible.