Kitty ate a needle

My cat Fluffy is about two years old and very dumb. He will eat anything left on the floor (hair ties, rubber bands, and random plastic are his favorite) and he normally just pukes it up. My roommate left out a needle and thread she was using to sew her kid's girl scout uniform... and of course my dumb kitty ate it. I found him with a bunch of thread hanging out of his mouth and after a few minutes realized that he had eaten the needle as well... We pulled as much of the thread out as we could without any resistance, hoping the needle has fallen off of the thread or something before he swallowed it. We ended up having to cut it and let him eat the rest.

Over night he has seemed fine. He is breathing a little heavily, but besides that he is acting normal. He is eating and drinking fine. We gave him some extra cat treats to encourage him to eat more and we are hoping that he can pass it. We saw online that feeding him a little petroleum jelly will help lubricate it so it will less likely to hurt him, but he threw it up.

We just took in my friend and her 3 kids after they went through a family emergency that left them homeless. At the moment, we are barely getting by and have no hope for paying a vet. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make the needle easier for Fluffy to pass? Will wet food help? Should we try to get some extra fiber into him? If so, how? Should we encourage him to just lay around, or is moving helpful? Any insight will help a lot and be much appreciated. 

I do not know what to tell you...needles are dangerous for cats to eat.

I know you are having a difficult time monetarily, but I really feel that you can needs to be seen by a Vet. She needs an x-ray to determine where the needle is. 

My own story of my cat who ate a needle and thread:

I was living at home at this time. I came home from work, saw my cat violently throwing up something which was darting in and out of her mouth. She was gagging and could not stop vomiting.

Call the Vet. Said to bring her right in. He opened her mouth and saw a needle with thread attached to it. The needle was stuck in the roof of her mouth. 

He said she was very lucky. If he did not see the needle, then he would have to do surgery on her to find it.

I really feel you need to find someway to take your cat to the Vet. 

Ingestion of needles is very bad. It can cause severe damage.

I understand that the cost is an issue. Can you call a local humane society or shelter. They know of a lot of Vets who could help you..not free but perhaps on a charge basis...

Please do not wait for this to pass on it's own. It can cause a lot of damage..and pain....

This cat desperately needs to see a vet. Its insides can be torn apart and cause sepsis. I really think it's an emergency.