What To Do When Your Cat Pukes on the Carpet

A woman holding a siamese cat in front of a cat tree.

I’ve had cats my whole life. This is my current Siamese, Zola.


You know the drill, you leap out of bed in the middle of the night at the sound of hacking and they have spewed vomit in a puddle on the carpet.

Usually, you want to move quickly. I would grab a paper towel and dab, dab, as much of the liquid as possible. Over the years I tried most cleaners from vinegar to special carpet cleaning formulas made specifically for cats.


Then, my husband introduced me to the shop vac! Really?! Could it be as easy as just vacuuming it up?

I love this method. First, pick up as much of the solids that you can (lightly) without smearing it further into the carpet. Then, make sure you are using a shop vacuum that can be used on liquids. Take a cup of warm water, pour it on the spot, and let it sit for a few minutes. Suck it up with the vacuum.


Repeat as many times as you need to make the area look like new.

Now, of course all carpets are different, so try it on a small area first, but I swear this is my favorite cleaning discovery!