kitten ate some string from a frayed tag on a blanket

[thefiresidecat]

it happened so fast I couldn't stop her. my husband isn't worried about it. we gave her some hair ball treaters. it was silky type material and probably a couple inches long. i don't know what to do. I showed him an article and said we should call the vet and he said he didn't think it was a big deal because it was such a small quantity. what are the under over odds here? do cats always get things stuck when they eat it or are the odds on her being ok? is it so short it probably won't wind around on anything? she's 5 months old and 6 pounds.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. The string can cut through the intestines, it can also wrap around them, but it can actually cut through if it winds up positioned to do it. I wouldn't go adding anything different to the diet. You don't want to cause diarrhea and intestinal contractions. If it was my cat I would call the vet. It doesn't hurt to call the vet. It won't cost anything just to call and ask, as far as I know. Also make sure the string isn't stuck in his teeth or around his Tongue.

 

[thefiresidecat]

Hi. The string can cut through the intestines, it can also wrap around them, but it can actually cut through if it winds up positioned to do it. I wouldn't go adding anything different to the diet. You don't want to cause diarrhea and intestinal contractions. If it was my cat I would call the vet. It doesn't hurt to call the vet. It won't cost anything just to call and ask, as far as I know. Also make sure the string isn't stuck in his teeth or around his Tongue.

yeah i am powering thru on vet ill prob take her to emergency

 

[silent meowlook]

Call them first. There may not be much they can do at this time. Cats are not easily made to vomit and always run a risk of aspiration if they do. Plus unless it is within 30 minutes to maybe an hour, it will be too late to induce vomiting. radiographs at this stage probably won't show anything since the string won't be radio opaque. So, definitely call them first and explain what is going on.

 

[thefiresidecat]

argh one vet says get endoscopy tonight but we can't see you because many surgeries the next vet says watch her. we can't do anything anyway. i said the other vet said endoscopy. she said yeah.. we can't do that. not sure if I should call a third or not. third is a huge drive, oops third is out of business. the other one is just another location of the vet that told me they could do nothing at this point and to wait and see.

 

[thefiresidecat]

this is the tag and this is what came off of it afterwards. i just sent this in an email to my normal vet i dunno it's really gossimer finally size is about 2 inches long and each thread is very gossimer. spiderweb in size

 

[Kwik]

Since cats elimate on the average of 12 to 20 some odd hrs after they've eaten its going to be a long wait before you would see the string in the feces.....seems small enough and delicate enough not to incur any damage on the way out but that's a real tiny kitty so I'd be interested in what the Vet has to say I'd guess they are going to tell you to wait 24 hrs

Please do let us know what they say

You asked about the odds,couldn't even guess and I would never do thst because it's highly likely the kitty will pass it BUT that one little possibility is there that he does not and then you have an issue..... I believe ,if it were me ,I'd ask my Vets opinion and probably wait to examine the feces

 

[thefiresidecat]

Since cats elimate on the average of 12 to 20 some odd hrs after they've eaten its going to be a long wait before you would see the string in the feces.....seems small enough and delicate enough not to incur any damage on the way out but that's a real tiny kitty so I'd be interested in what the Vet has to say I'd guess they are going to tell you to wait 24 hrs

Please do let us know what they say

You asked about the odds,couldn't even guess and I would never do thst because it's highly likely the kitty will pass it BUT that one little possibility is there that he does not and then you have an issue..... I believe ,if it were me ,I'd ask my Vets opinion and probably wait to examine the feces

im not even sure you'd be able to see the string. when i stretched it out and tried to get to the essence of the string as it were, it's nearly invisible and about as fine as a fine human hair.

 

[Kwik]

im not even sure you'd be able to see the string. when i stretched it out and tried to get to the essence of the string as it were, it's nearly invisible and about as fine as a fine human hair.

If it's that fine I'd not be so worried-are you positive she swallowed it-I know it seems like a stupid question but I saw Sami grab a the plastic from a clothes tag I cut off and it fell-he grabbed it so fast and started to choke,I opened his mouth and there was nothing there,"oh no- he swallowed it"I thought ahd called my Vet to say I'd be there in a few minutes( that plastic is hard and very sharp)

I quickly put shoes on ,grabbed his harness and bent over to tack him up and there under my dresser was the plastic!

Anyway,if your not positive maybe you can glide your hands along the floor to be sure?

 

[thefiresidecat]

If it's that fine I'd not be so worried-are you positive she swallowed it-I know it seems like a stupid question but I saw Sami grab a the plastic from a clothes tag I cut off and it fell-he grabbed it so fast and started to choke,I opened his mouth and there was nothing there,"oh no- he swallowed it"I thought ahd called my Vet to say I'd be there in a few minutes( that plastic is hard and very sharp)

I quickly put shoes on ,grabbed his harness and bent over to tack him up and there under my dresser was the plastic!

Anyway,if your not positive maybe you can glide your hands along the floor to be sure?

its possible she didn't. it was on the bed so might be hard to see. i did wonder that myself. I mean that fuzz on the tag that was left I had the thought was this it? it sure looked like she ate it though. these things happen so quick it's hard to tell what you're seeing.

 

[Kwik]

its possible she didn't. it was on the bed so might be hard to see. i did wonder that myself. I mean that fuzz on the tag that was left I had the thought was this it? it sure looked like she ate it though. these things happen so quick it's hard to tell what you're seeing.

It is and yes they do happen very fast- I'm glad you contacted your Vet buy honestly,I wouldn't worry about a little piece of "hair" type string.. try to relax and see what your own Vet says,I don't see any emergency personally

Another time that Sami was watching me in the kitchen,I sliced pepperoni & was peeling the skin off some slices( hate the skin)... suddenly he starts choking,I reach down his throat and pull out a pepperoni skin!!!I didn't even see it fall- Sami is like having a 2yr old child underfoot- right in front of your eyes and within seconds he's into something-never a dull moment

 

[thefiresidecat]

well normal vet says they usually start worrying if it was like a 6 or 7 inch string or longer but for something so short as what we think she ate that they wouldn't worry but would just watch and see if symptoms present but really not likely.

 

[Binxie]

When she poops look to see if you see it there.

 

[Kwik]

well normal vet says they usually start worrying if it was like a 6 or 7 inch string or longer but for something so short as what we think she ate that they wouldn't worry but would just watch and see if symptoms present but really not likely.

Good-thats what I thought he'd say..... I'm sure you feel relieved after all,kitties can be such a worry can't they?

 

[Alldara]

I'm glad you called, it's what I always recommend. The vet can tell you what to watch for and how long to watch.

Swallowing foreign objects makes me very nervous too. My dad didn't worry when my childhood dog swallowed some stuffing and she passed away from it.

My poor vet got hundreds of calls from me when Magnus was a kitten as he was so much trouble.

 

[cmshap]

I won't get into the "why" of this (because I am weird... lol) but I recently Googled "what happens if you swallow a needle?"

Many answers suggest that it naturally aligns along your digestive tract, and often gets passed normally. This has been observed among children, as well as adults with pica.

I'd personally be extremely alarmed if a pet swallowed a needle, but it just goes to show you how the body deals with such things. Consider that cats naturally swallow bone fragments, feathers, and other harsh things.

I'm not trying to say "pay no attention to this" but cats are built to eat and digest much harsher things than we are.

 

[Kwik]

I won't get into the "why" of this (because I am weird... lol) but I recently Googled "what happens if you swallow a needle?"

Many answers suggest that it naturally aligns along your digestive tract, and often gets passed normally. This has been observed among children, as well as adults with pica.

I'd personally be extremely alarmed if a pet swallowed a needle, but it just goes to show you how the body deals with such things. Consider that cats naturally swallow bone fragments, feathers, and other harsh things.

I'm not trying to say "pay no attention to this" but cats are built to eat and digest much harsher things than we are.

Yes because their digestive system is designed to accommodate a carnivore- the enzymes will certainly break down bone,feathers and other animal parts ....but inedible objects,not really though I do understand what you're saying

Foreign objects being swallowed by our kitties are always cause for concern- as we all know,lol As much as we consider " oh,probably nothing to worry about" I think every one of us will look frantically around the floor down our cats throat, call the Vet,be investigating stool the following day and just do what we do- naturally,lol ( "US" not meaning everyone but everyone at TCS!,)

 

[cmshap]

Foreign objects being swallowed by our kitties are always cause for concern

Yes, you are right. Observation is, of course, key. After such an event, watch for signs of distress.

And, of course, cats do the other thing that makes observation easier... they poop in a box, and we literally have to look at it every time. As has already been mentioned, watch for the foreign object on the way out.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

thefiresidecat has your kitty passed the string or is she at least doing well with no symptoms?
I've been thinking of your little one.

 

[thefiresidecat]

thefiresidecat has your kitty passed the string or is she at least doing well with no symptoms?
I've been thinking of your little one.

she seems to be doing ok. its not the kind of thing I have any hopes of seeing in her pooh. there was some pooh that seemed kind of attached like there might be fibers in it.. like the way hairballs string together sometimes coming out. but she has been happy and healthy seeming. she's eating drinking playing and her pooh has been normal (I was worried about this because she's been having off and on consistent runny pooh since we got her. all the panels show normal so vet thinks its fiber issues) but its still normal.

here she is the other day trying to worm her way into my siberians heart. she didn't like him much at first. he became frightened of her because she'd hiss and growl whenever he got too close but then she was like no wait.. you're my new bestie. and he's still on the dunno, you're planning on eating me spectrum. lol. its funny to watch. i'm sure she'll have her way.