cat ate piece of metal

tewing84

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So as is dealing with one sick cat wasnt enough, i have one of my others who just ate a small piece of metal. I have a stick i can hook toys onto to play with them, so our 1 year old decides to chew the string in two and eat the piece with the metal on it. I know for a fact she ate it because i looked over at her and it was hanging oyt of her mouth connected to the string still. I tried to go grab it out of her mouth but she ran off to swallow it as fast as she could. So she has the metal piece and who knows how long of string. Do yall think it will pass? Here's a pic
 

jolie0216

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I would be more worried about the string versus the metal piece; that metal piece is probably small enough to just pass on through (unless I'm misjudging its size from the pic) but the string could pose a real problem.

If you can (and I know it won't be easy) try to look under your cat's tongue to see if you can see any of the string.  String can become wrapped, and thus anchored, around the base of the tongue and then swallowed.  

However, the tongue is not the only place where string can snag. If any portion of string becomes anchored anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, problems can occur. The intestines will try to work the string through and out towards the anus. But if the string is anchored, it can’t be moved. Instead, the intestines move themselves, and natural intestinal motility causes the intestines to become bunched up. This bunching leads may lead to life-threatening blockage of the intestines that requires surgery or endoscopy to correct.

As the intestines bunch, pressure placed on them by the foreign body or by the bunching itself may cause perforations in the intestinal walls. Thin, strong foreign bodies also have the potential to directly lacerate the intestines. Intestinal contents (including loads of bacteria) can then leak through the perforations and lacerations, leading to sepsis and death.

Keep an eye on your cat and if you notice ANY vomiting, I would go into the vet to do some imaging (Xray, ultrasound) to find the blockage.  If there is a blockage, when the cat eats, the food will hit the intestinal blockage and come right back up (vomit).
 

Columbine

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I'd want to at least speak to a vet about this. The metal being attached to the string really bothers me - if it detaches itself in transit it's potentially sharp, and this could cause major problems :(

Vet is best in situations like this.
 

LTS3

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Personally if my cat ate something like that I would be rushing my cat to te vet ER to have x rays done. I would not be doing a "wait and see" for signs of vomiting or illness.
 
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tewing84

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Well she has eaten string before, so im sure that will pass. Im more concerned with the medal piece. Im still worried about it all, I really dont want her eating anything like that. Luckily i have a vet appointment at 11 tomorrow morning for our other cat for diarrhea, so im sure by then we will know if she has blockage as Ive already fed her after she ate it, and have 2 more meals to go before the others appointment. I can always reschedule for the diarrhea, i can wait 2 days on that if need
 

Columbine

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Do get her checked tomorrow. You could always be ultra organised and take a poop sample from the diarrhoea kitty so they can run tests if needed ;)
 
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tewing84

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So I wasnt able to go this morning at all because I was running a fever :( shes eaten 4 meals since eating that little piece of metal or whatever it was, so is it safe to say she doesnt have any blockage? Now she has eaten string before in the past. She use to have this toy she absolutely loved, it was a mouse with a ball both attached by a small piece of rope. The rope would always goes missing and i just thought she ripped it off and lost it in the couch or something. Until the 7th one i bought her i actually saw her rip the string off and almost swallow it hole. So she hasnt had problems eating stuff like that, but im not sure if that type of stuff can get stuck and build up.
 

LTS3

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So I wasnt able to go this morning at all because I was running a fever
shes eaten 4 meals since eating that little piece of metal or whatever it was, so is it safe to say she doesnt have any blockage?
The string / metal could be in the digestive tract somewhere that isn't impacting appetite at the moment but if it moves it may cause issues, anything from a partial blockage to intestinal perforation. I strongly recommend that you have your cat examined by a vet within the next day or two. Have someone take her if you are still feeling ill.

I suggest not letting your cat play with this particular toy anymore or with other similar toys with strings and metal things that can be ingested.
 
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tewing84

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Yeah anything I notice that she may chew or eat i take up or get rid of. What this was that she ate was her stick that i hook there toys to, to play them. I usually put it up but wasnt feeling well or paying attention. Will they ever grow out of this phase of eating random objects? Do you think i need to be concerned with string she has eaten in the past, like months ago? Im gonna start checking her poop to see if i can find it. Only problem is we have 3 cats so it hard to determine whose is whose. Also how long would it take to go thru her? She ate it at 5pm yesterday, and its now almost 10pm the day after. I glanced at some i scooped this morning but was too sick to dig thru the poop
 
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tewing84

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So i put some gloves on today and went thru her, it looks like some of the string is breaking down a her poop had alot of little threads in it, but no metal piece. I was too sick to check yesterday mornings stool... i usually scoop the boxes in the mornings. I really wish i wouldve checked it because that was everything 16 hours after she ate it. The piece is literally the size and shape of a big piece of rice
 
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