My cat (2) had to get major surgery done removing 45cm of his intestine. Has anyone had this experience?

[prince15]

It’s very difficult to talk about, and his surgery was only performed today and he’s being hospitalized.
We’re not sure when or how, but he had eaten string that required surgery, and upon surgery today they found his large intestines were perforated and they had to remove 45cm of it..

The doctor keeps telling us that everything is high risk. His prognosis is poor, and can be worse if his recovery isn’t good which they are monitoring for the next day or so. There are a lot of health concerns and potential risks he is now exposed to from this surgery, and diseases he’s capable of catching.

This is all extremely hard to grasp, that string could be this lethal. It was hard to make the decision to take him for surgery because of costs, and we delegated.

Has anyone reading ever had a cat go through this or something similar? Were they able to recover from the intestine removal?

Were they ever the same again after the surgery?

I can’t stomach this at all. He is so healthy apart from this incident. He was only turning 2 next month.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello
I'm very sorry this happened. Could he have eaten something else that caused the perforations?

In any case, the best way to handle all this will be one day at a time and hope for the best outcome

 

[fionasmom]

Linear Foreign Body in Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals.
This article discusses risks, but also provides some support.

The string, as it continues to bunch up the intestines, saws back and forth and cuts them. That causes the perforation. Once there is a perforation, the section of the intestine has to be removed. I am not great with the metric system, but it sounds as if about half of your cat's intestines were removed. Please correct me is I am wrong.

This is a difficult surgery, but also one from which many dogs, cats, and humans recover when they receive proper post operative care.

Not making light of this at all, but last night on the first episode of her new season, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet performed a very similar surgery on a cat who ate an amazing amount of thread and it had bunched his intestines up like the waistband of a pair of jogging shorts. He survived and recovered.

Is your cat still at the vet's? They must be monitoring him and caring for him if he is. If he was sent home, you must have instructions to follow.

He is young and healthy and that is on his side. It is entirely possible to function with much less of the intestinal tract than what we originally have.

 

[iPappy]

One of my friends has a dog who had to have part of his intestines removed in a very similar incident. The dog survived and has been happy and healthy ever since and that has been years ago. Be sure to follow any after care instructions diligently. I hope he's doing ok today.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I searched this site and didn't find much that you could use as reference, particularly not newer threads. I would imagine that they will be keeping your cat for a few days, and probably have him on an IV drip for fluids/electrolytes, not to mention pain meds. Make sure they provide you with very detailed instructions about his care and what/how to feed him when he comes home. It will likely be a very restrictive diet to begin with, or so I would imagine. And make sure they explain to you about the diarrhea that is likely to happen until his system adapts to the loss of some of his intestines.

Maybe this article will help you some?
Gastrointestinal Resection and Anastomosis in Cats (petplace.com)

Please keep us posted. I am still hoping some other members can come along and offer some tips/advice relative to what they personally experienced during recovery.

 

[Miaddddd]

Hi! I realize this is an old thread but curious how your cat is faring? I just rescued a 2 year old cat who is 3 weeks post- resection where she lost about 2ft of her small intestine due to intusussption. She was not being fed much by her previous owner so we started food (wet and dry) and she's had some loose and frequent stools. I know this is par for the course with diet changes in general, but wondering if you have any long term insight about what to potentially expect for stool improvement? Crossing fingers so hard!

 

[fionasmom]

The OP was on TCS for exactly one day, so I don't know if you will get a response.

This may have nothing to do with your cat, who is apparently very lucky to have had you come into her life and care for her. A colon resection causes whatever is eaten to move more quickly through the digestive tract and that may have something to do with it. Having said that, your vet or surgeon should be able to give you advice about management.