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Question on Cat Eating String

post #1 of 11
6/25/11 at 11:32am
Thread Starter 
I have one cat Callie who will chew on anything and eat it. We have a remnant carpet in the living room covering the wood floor (not to protect it, to cover up it's ugly sight! prior owners let their dogs pee on it. So it's badly stained!) Anyway I'm vigilant about cutting any frays and strings that are starting to show. As I was doing my daily cleaning and was about to start cutting some string off. I noticed Callie chewing on some string. Before I could stop her she swallowed it. It was probably not longer than 3 inches probably more between 2 and 3 inches. About as thin as dental floss. I immediately gave her some hairball paste in hopes that it would attach itself and exit her safely. I've also given her some mineral oil as well.

I know at this point I have to play the waiting game. Hopefully it will pass. It was really very thin and not very long at all. Should I worry or do you think it will pass safely being that it's such a small amount of string? This was probably about 30 minutes ago. She was just down in the basement eating so I think that's a good sign. Will give her some wet food this evening to help.

Thanks in advance!
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post #2 of 11
6/25/11 at 4:56pm
This is always a fear that I have - between strings, dental floss, and rubber bands - all things we have lurking around for some little busy body to ingest - ugh.

I Googled:

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/dise...Bclinsigns.htm

here's an excerpt:
Quote:
... The appearance of clinical signs can be immediate or more long term, depending on the amount of foreign body material ingested and where it is hung up (if at all). I once saw a young cat who had eaten rubber tubing 2 months prior! The cat had not been 100%, but was still eating, active, etc. Most often, signs will appear 1-2 days.

Possible clinical signs from string ingestion:
vomiting or dry heaves
anorexia or decreased appetite
straining to defecate or diarrhea
painful abdomen
fever
depression
dehydration (due to vomiting)
I would still recommend seeing your vet for a quick check. This is definitely a case of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". If there is any string present in the gastrointestinal tract, the longer you wait leaves more time for tissue damage, infection and possible rupture to occur. Your vet can help you determine the best course of action. ...
I guess the most important thing is NOT TO PULL ON THE STRING if you see it coming out.

Here's another resource: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pet...ng-or-yarn.htm

Hope things are okay!
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post #3 of 11
6/25/11 at 5:52pm
Hoo Boy! Gloria gave you the info I would have so no use repeating it but I sure do hope this turns out well. Read the links Gloria posted because they contain very useful info.
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post #4 of 11
6/25/11 at 5:56pm
Oh dear! Been there, done that!

Just keep an eye on the litter box and watch him to be sure he's eating normally, peeping/pooping normally, and drinking normally. If you notice vomiting, lack of appetite, or no pooping, then off to the vet!
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post #5 of 11
6/26/11 at 8:54pm
Perkins is my string chomper. It is always such a worry. He like to chew on the sisal rope scratching post strands that stick out after it gets worn down from scratching. I just take scissors and trim them off. But I too am always concerned he has ingested some strands. Hope Callie is alright
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post #6 of 11
6/27/11 at 7:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
Perkins is my string chomper. It is always such a worry. He like to chew on the sisal rope scratching post strands that stick out after it gets worn down from scratching. I just take scissors and trim them off. But I too am always concerned he has ingested some strands. Hope Callie is alright
Another thing I learned the hard way - Area rugs - I no longer buy area rugs with fringe on them. Ramsey likes to gnaw on, and swallow them. He also loves to eat ribbon. Sure hope this post finds Callie well.
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post #7 of 11
6/27/11 at 10:33pm
Thread Starter 
Well it's now Monday. Callie is acting fine, eating, playing. She's on antibiotics for a UTI. So it's making her poop soft and mushy. Which helps to know which is hers! I check all poop I see though just in case. So far I've seen nothing come out. But then again, there is LOTS of hair in ALL the poop,so it makes it hard to find the string! So either I missed it and she passed it or she hasn't passed it yet.

Anyone know how long till she should pass it? She's going at least once to 2x a day now because of the antibiotics. She's pooping normally, eating and acting fine. If I had not known she'd ate some string, I'd never know anything was up. She's acting normal.
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post #8 of 11
6/27/11 at 11:08pm
This would worry me, too, Mizmelzy. I sure hope everything turns out all right! <<<Hugs>>> for the scare!

AC
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post #9 of 11
6/29/11 at 7:04am
Thread Starter 
Just an update. It's now day 4 and no sign of the string. I called the vet and he said one of three things are or did happen. 1- it's already passed and I missed it. Most of the poop in the 24-48 hour mark had TONS of hair in them. So I could have missed it and it's already passed 2- it's still working it's way out. It can take up to a week or more sometimes. The vet has heard things being seen in poop a month later! or 3 - it disintegrated. Sometimes old carpet remnants string/fabric can break down when it's old. So I may never see it come out at all. I was told that as long as she eating, pooping acting normal that I shouldn't worry. More than likely it will or did pass. So I feel a little better that at this point she's fine. I'm still checking poop and will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks. If after a month I don't see the string in the poop, and she's still fine, then she's probably fine and I either missed it, or it disintegrated.
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post #10 of 11
6/29/11 at 12:14pm
Thanks for the update, and the information we can all use.

At least you're on alert should she start acting differently.
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post #11 of 11
6/29/11 at 1:39pm
Sounds like my Noodles! Glad she's been ok! Hopefully it has passed already.

At least she ate it when you were around to see it happen.
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