Cat ate dental floss

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?

Please get this cat to a vet today and let a professional guide you. Dental floss can go nasty inside of a cat.

Originally Posted by hissy

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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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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

YAY! YAY! thanks so much for telling us right away.

My gosh, cats sure do have a lot of fur in their waste. I really do need to brush more.

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I laughed out loud at this! still giggling in fact.

I am glad your cat story had a good ending.

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

Oh, thank goodness - and I bet every thread, floss container, and rubber band in your house is now locked up tight!

Thank goodness!