Cat swallowed a 5" piece of turkey tendon. Should I be worried?

[mercymay]

Hi everyone,

My 1-year old cat *loves* to chew, so I bought her a dried turkey tendon (something they sell for dogs apparently.) I cut it in half and gave her a 5 inch piece.  She went nuts. Loved it! But instead of just chewing on it as I expected she got it totally wet and softened up and then swallowed it.

Anyone have experience with something like this? I assume she can't digest it. Will it just pass normally?

I'll watch for vomiting and will make sure she keeps eating and pooping to be sure there is no obstruction. But I'd love to hear from anyone out there who has fed their kitty turkey tendons.

Thanks!

 

[margd]

It's been almost 9 hours since you posted - has your kitty passed the turkey tendon yet?  I don't have any experience in feeding my cat turkey tendons; in fact, I had to google them to find out what they looked like.  It certainly does look like a string and strings can mean big trouble, as you may already know. You're doing the right thing in keeping a close eye on her for vomiting and loss of appetite.  She may also have trouble pooping and show clear signs of straining when she tries to go.  Watch out for lethargy and signs of abdominal pain.  She may hiss at you when you try to pick her up.  Any of these symptoms may indicate that the tendon has formed an obstruction and she'll need to go to the vet right away.

 I don't mean to just list a lot of scary symptoms:  she may be just fine.  Please let us know how she's doing!

 

[Geoffrey]

I am a human doctor, not a vet, but I think that it is likely that your cat's gastric and small intestinal enzymes will digest the turkey tendon.  However you should keep a watch on the cat and if she shows any signs of bowel obstruction with vomiting and abdominal distension, as @Margd  wrote, then you should seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.

With all best wishes to you and your cat,

Geoffrey

 

[margd]

I got your message via Purraise - that's wonderful news that she's doing fine. 

  I can't imagine why you can't post, however.  If you'd like, I can put you in touch with a Mod who might be able to help you.

 

[margd]

The reason you were unable to post is because the site was attacked by spammers and, in protecting the site from them, new members somehow lost posting privileges.  See this:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/336807/new-here-and-cant-post-read-this   This will be fixed soon - please don't give up on us!