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Cat ate dental floss

post #1 of 18
6/5/10 at 6:56am
Thread Starter 
Last night, my cat inhaled about a 12-14 inch piece of floss. I gave her a large dose of petroleum jelly afterwards. She had her midnight snack and this morning her canned breakfast. So far she seems to be her normal self. Though I figure it may take awhile for symptoms to show up. She just had a normal bowel movement and though I found fur in it, I did not see any sign of the floss.

Is 10 hours too early for the floss to pass? Can a cat have normal BMs but have the floss stay behind in the system?
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post #2 of 18
6/5/10 at 7:56am
Please get this cat to a vet today and let a professional guide you. Dental floss can go nasty inside of a cat.
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post #3 of 18
6/5/10 at 8:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
Please get this cat to a vet today and let a professional guide you. Dental floss can go nasty inside of a cat.
if it hasn't passed, it is likely binding up the intestines and things will only get worse. An x ray to see where it is and what it is doing is the first step.
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post #4 of 18
6/5/10 at 10:04am
Thread Starter 
I called the vet office and was told to monitor my cat for this weekend. And that the floss may come out in the next couple of BMs. And if not, I should bring her in on Monday. Meanwhile, I gave her another dose of petroleum jelly.
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post #5 of 18
6/5/10 at 2:03pm
I hope she wil be ok.
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post #6 of 18
6/5/10 at 3:17pm
to be honest id call another vet something like floss can really hurt a cats insides. my flash had something similar and she got very poorly
if it passes great but id still talk to another vet
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post #7 of 18
6/5/10 at 3:31pm
I've read that it can get tangled up in their intestines and cut them too. So, I would take the cat to a vet or ER place and have them do an x-ray or something. I'd be afraid that it would harm the cat.

I know when I found scabs on smokie when he had an allergic reaction to science diet. I didn't wait...I was completely panicked and ran to the ER at 1:30 am. The ER vet made me feel foolish and told me it was an allergy. But at least I felt better about it.
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post #8 of 18
6/5/10 at 3:40pm
I agree with going to another vet also.
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post #9 of 18
6/5/10 at 6:32pm
I don't know - I'm a nervous mommy - I think I'd call another vet or the ER vet for at least a phone consultation. At least, I'd definitely figure out who my ER vet is and exactly where he's located, just in case you need to make a run - nothing like being anxious and trying to drive to a new location.

I know it's expensive - my ER vet charges $95 just for an exam - but if something's wrong it's money well spent, and if everything is fine, well, at least youl'll sleep easier.
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post #10 of 18
6/5/10 at 8:17pm
I hope she does okay. You have stronger nerves than I, I would not be able to wait and see over the weekend. I would have been asking for x rays this morning.

Keep us posted!
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post #11 of 18
6/5/10 at 8:19pm
Dental floss is serious business. If you do wait, please monitor very carefully. I know I'd be in the vet's office banging on the door for an x-ray, I'm not patient enough to wait and dig through poop!
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post #12 of 18
6/5/10 at 8:57pm
Especially considering the amount of floss inside the body. I have gotten some pretty sad emails in the past from people who waited after their cats inhaled dental floss. I am afraid, none of it was a good outcome. I would also not give the cat petroleum jelly but mineral oil instead- plus I would lift up her tongue to see if any of the floss is wrapped around her tongue- as that is the only way to see it- from the underside of the tongue. If she starts showing any signs of lethargy, or illness, please get her a vet quickly.

We keep our floss covered up and be sure that we don't throw the used floss into a small garbage can. We also stopped buying the mint flavor as it seemed to attract the cats more.

Best of luck to you and your kitty.
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post #13 of 18
6/6/10 at 7:43pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you everyone for your advice and concerns. Happy to report that Josie passed the floss tonight. I was worried but not panicked--yet, as she was eating and behaving normally. After her BM tonight, I went through the waste and never have I been so anxious to find a treasure in cat poop! My gosh, cats sure do have a lot of fur in their waste. I really do need to brush more. In any case, in the 4th roll, I found the floss all balled up and intact.
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post #14 of 18
6/6/10 at 7:50pm
YAY! YAY! thanks so much for telling us right away.

Quote:
My gosh, cats sure do have a lot of fur in their waste. I really do need to brush more.
I laughed out loud at this! still giggling in fact.
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post #15 of 18
6/7/10 at 5:13am
I am glad your cat story had a good ending.
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post #16 of 18
6/7/10 at 8:19am
That is great. I would have been too worried but I think it would depend on if it was balled up or straight. I would have been less worried if it had been balled up which it sounds like it was when she ate it. If it was straight I would have been running to the nearest vet.

Taryn
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post #17 of 18
6/7/10 at 10:28am
Oh, thank goodness - and I bet every thread, floss container, and rubber band in your house is now locked up tight!
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post #18 of 18
6/7/10 at 12:09pm
Thank goodness!
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