Vomit Or Diarrhea?

I feel as though I may be worrying too much, but this is the second time I have walked into my cat's room to find an orange-brown substance on the floor. I have pictures, but I am having trouble uploading at the moment, so I will describe it verbally. It is wet, brownish-orange, and, in some spots, solid. I can see bits of food in it and it is roughly the same color as Kimmy's (my little one, maybe a year old) hairballs. This makes me think it could be vomit. I've never known her in the four days I've owned her to miss her litter box, but the thinness of it and the fact that some parts are solid and a little poo-like, make be believe that it could be diarrhea.

Some background: Kimmy was adopted by me (coincidentally) almost the day after she was picked up off the streets. I have no clue what her diet was like before, but I have been feeding her Purina Cat Chow. She had some problems with hairballs and shedding, but she has since started eating more and those problems have stopped.

Now, it's this substance. I have not seen her produce it, so I don't know what end it's coming out of. I know it is a bit gross to think about, but I am concerned. Her behavior seems fine. She purrs, runs around with her wand toy, rubs up on me, makes biscuits, etc.

I will try to upload pictures of the discharge (if that's allowed, it is not exactly a pretty sight) and I will call a vet if it persists and I see an attitude change in Kimmy.

If there are bits of food in it, then it probably is vomit. Hairballs can look like poop or cigars.

Sounds like a hairball. Add canned food twice a day to her feeding and cut back on the dry food. If you can add a bit (1/2 teaspoon) of plain canned pumpkin and some water to her canned food so it's the consistency of oatmeal, the fiber in the pumpkin will help her pass all that hair and keep her system in good working order.

Thank you all for the advice! I did make a change to Kimmy's diet the other day and the hairballs/vomit has stopped. I finally 'caught' her doing this and confirmed that was what it was. She seems to be eating much more and shedding less too!

Good news! Thanks for the update. Hope she continues to do well.