HELP : My cat ate a little bit of plastic

[RudrakshS]

Hello, i woke up today with my cat 3.5 months old ( phoebe) playing with a plastic spoon. I saw it broken and some part missing. I found a broken part nearby but the other part is nowhere to be found and I’m certain she ate it. What do i do? Is it it big? Do i takeher to vet rn?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I'm not sure she'd actually have eaten it, but keep an eye out for vomiting or anything different in her behavior such as hiding, etc.

 

[RudrakshS]

I saw her munching the second i got up , like she was trying to swallow something. I’m 99% sure she ate it. Is the part big? I’m gonna keep an eye on her but i can take her to vet in an hour if thats important. The part doesn’t seem to be big but just very sharp

 

[Furballsmom]

What happened? How is she today ?

 

[RudrakshS]

Hi, took her to vet, its been 12 hours since she swallowed, pooped 3 times but no sign of plastic, xray done but it didn’t show anything. Giving her meds to flush her poop so it can come out. she is active, eating and sleeping! I’ll keep updates. Meanwhile if there’s something i can do, lemme know

 

[Furballsmom]

If the xray didn't show anything, may I ask why you're giving meds? What kind of meds?

 

[stephanietx]

She most likely spit it out. If you haven't seen it in her poop, it's likely not in her system.

 

[Antonio65]

Are we sure that x-rays can show a small plastic fragment?
Items need to have a proper radio density in order to be shown in an x-ray, and I believe that plastic is transparent to x-rays.
Better off an ultrasound scan, I think, because a plastic thing can reflect sound waves.

 

[Furballsmom]

Are we sure that x-rays can show a small plastic fragment?

I'm honestly not sure, I've been thinking about that, and maybe even more so with a clear plastic like that appears to be?

 

[RudrakshS]

Hi, so the doctor keeps recommending xray even when i said do ultrasound he said it will
Show in there because its hard plastic. Its been more than 36 hours of the incident, numerous poops and none had the plastic, she is all playing and acting normal ( though i see her ears are little warm to touch). Im not sure if she actually ate at this point or it came out already and I couldn’t see it. Since its was small and transparent, could have missed in poop. Also I’m giving her laxative for flushing out all the poop in system. Any recommendations and further suggestions??

 

[Furballsmom]

I think I'd begin decreasing, or just stop, the laxative. You already need to increase her water intake to make up for the moisture loss through the results of the laxative, or she will become dangerously dehydrated.

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

 

[RudrakshS]

Yes today was the last day i gave her, if it was inside, it should have been flushed out or if its stuck, laxative won’t help anymore.
do i go for ultrasound at this point? Its gonna be 2 days in morning and she is acting very well

 

[Furballsmom]

If it would give you greater peace of mind, then yes, although I think you'd have seen some signs from her by now.

 

[RudrakshS]

Okay i see signs! She has now blood in her poop?? Looks like blood, wasn’t in previous any poops but got it now !
Sounds like its hurting her and causing bleeding?? Do i get ultrasound tomorrow?

 

[fionasmom]

I am going to agree with Furballsmom that having the ultrasound, especially if the cost is not a financial burden to you, will give you peace of mind. While blood in the stool can be from a number of causes, in your case I would call the vet and tell them that you now see blood and are worried that the plastic might be still inside the intestinal tract.

 

[RudrakshS]

Yeah ultrasound aint that costly ( it is but i can handle one ) , lll go get that done in the morning, it’s 1:30 Am so I’m gonna head first thing when hospital opens.
do i get further tests?And also do i change vet?
since i called another vet and he said X-ray won’t show anything but the vet i am consulting, went ahead to get 2 xray’s ( different days ).

 

[fionasmom]

The first vet may be trying to save you money by not jumping into the ultrasound. Now that there is blood, he might even agree to it. If you are going to go to the second vet and you find that you like him, there is nothing wrong with changing your cat's care to him.

You are looking for an object, so you need imaging. I personally can't think of another test, but ask the vet who does the ultrasound what he thinks.

 

[RudrakshS]

Could be that too but plastic can’t be seen in xray ! Alright I’m gonna go for ultrasound in morning, Ive to see if there’s a obstruction or not.
can yall tell me about the surgery? How risky can it be? Ive watched few vids and read articles. I’m worried about that.

 

[fionasmom]

We aren't vets and can't give specifics about medical procedures or diagnoses. Take this one step at a time. If the ultrasound shows what the vet believes is the piece of plastic, ask what the next step is. If it were to be in the stomach, an endoscope might be used, but if not it might mean traditional surgery...or not. Don't jump ahead with this before you have information to go on. Cats are often spayed at about 4 months with no problem, but you need to let the vet give his opinion of how to proceed.

Blood can be from other causes such as parasites or allergies, so it may not end up indicating a foreign object.

 

[Antonio65]

I'm honestly not sure, I've been thinking about that, and maybe even more so with a clear plastic like that appears to be?

Look at it like a torchlight through a clear plastic fragment.
X-rays are like light, only an invisible one. It's invisible to our eyes, but it's still behaving like light.
It goes through a clear plastic fragment, so it won't leave a dark spot on the image. A bone will leave a dark spot because it has a different density.

A sound wave impacts on a hard and smooth surface, it is bounced back as an echo and this is what the US scan will see.

This is why I believe that an ultrasound scan is better than an x-ray in this matter.