How Long Take Foreign Object to Pass

[Almondmilkeu]

Hi all! My cat swallowed a bit of a foam mat piece around February 10th and promptly threw it up a few days later.

I thought that meant she passed it already but she threw up another piece today, March 22nd, almost a month later.

I wanted to know has anyone else been in this situation before where their cat took longer than a day to pass a foreign object?I’ve taken her to the vet twice since then for check ups and the vet has noticed nothing wrong. Other than today’s vomiting she’s been eating, pooping, and behaving like normal. Thank you!!

 

[danteshuman]

Is it possible she found another piece? Or tore off another piece from a couch or bed? When in doubt take her to the vet. An X-ray may be needed.

It took my cat 3 very stressful days to pass the 5-6 inches of bouncy cord that he chewed off a wand toy. I was squishing his poop in a ziplock bag for three days!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Did you mention this to the vet? Often, foam like that will not show up on an X-ray, though. The main thing is that she is pooping normally. That's the biggest danger with things like that. She isn't, apparently, blocked at all. If the throwing up becomes frequent, though, take her back in, as that might indicate that there is still foam in her stomach that cannot move into the intestines.

 

[LTS3]

Where is the foaming coming from? The sofa or bed? Something else? Find the source and patch it up / block it off so the cat can't eat any more foam pieces. Many cats find soft foam appealing to eat for some reason.

I'd keep the piece of foam that was vomited up and save it in case the vet needs to look at it for whatever reason. Foam should be dense enough to show up on x rays but you never know. If the cat is eating and using the litter box just fine, the foam has to come out eventually through the poop if not by vomiting.

 

[Twylasmom]

It took my cat over a month to vomit up a ribbon that she ate! We tried to induce vomiting when it happened and were unsuccessful and she never showed any signs of obstruction or passing it (I checked her poop the whole time). So it was a big surprise.

However, if you think your cat may be continuing to eat something in her environment, you need to find a way to block access to the item, because it may eventually cause a serious problem.

 

[Almondmilkeu]

Where is the foaming coming from? The sofa or bed? Something else? Find the source and patch it up / block it off so the cat can't eat any more foam pieces. Many cats find soft foam appealing to eat for some reason.

I'd keep the piece of foam that was vomited up and save it in case the vet needs to look at it for whatever reason. Foam should be dense enough to show up on x rays but you never know. If the cat is eating and using the litter box just fine, the foam has to come out eventually through the poop if not by vomiting.

The foam piece was from those alphabet mats that are often put on the floor of a daycare or kids room. I attached a picture for reference. I threw it out as soon as she threw up the first time in February which is why I was so surprised to see it in her vomit yesterday! Thanks for the advice (both yours and everyone else’s), I’ll continue to monitor her poop to see if she got it all out and will take her to the vet if she displays any issues.

 

[danteshuman]

She may have hidden a piece or two under furniture or a fridge. So I would check all possible hiding spots just in case. Hopefully she threw it all up!