Ate the end of a Q-tip -_-

eva21513

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Millie loves playing with q-tips and I normally supervise her closely, but work interfered and she was with one with no supervision for an hour. She loves dipping things into water and she clearly did that with this q-tip, and then must've played with it - one end was completely removed and is nowhere to be found, so I assume she pulled it off with her teeth and then had to swallow it.

Does this warrant a trip to the emergency vet tonight? Should I bring her in to the regular vet in the morning? Has anyone else's cat done this and been okay? I'm so mad at myself - normally she'd stop playing as soon as I walked away, but I haven't been home as much as usual for the past week or so, so she kept playing... =(

Edit- should probably add that she’s a small cat, 7lbs, and just under 2 years old. I gave her some hairball remedy and a wet treat :/
 
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blumarine916

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In my personal experience, if a cat ate something strange like a qtip or a string, they’d usually hack it out after a few minutes. If they don’t, it will be released in the poop. One of my cats is always chewing on plastic bags and she always throws up the stuff 5 minutes later.

So unless your kitty is acting lethargic, not eating, and looking sickly in 24 hours, there’s no need to worry and run to the vet. But do keep an eye on her when she plays.
 
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eva21513

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You guys are amazing! Thanks for the feedback. It was just the cotton part - I dissected another one to compare the stub to in order to be completely certain. I'm normally quite a helicopter-cat-mom but I think in case of future mishaps I'm going to get some toys that are similar to q-tips (she loves fetching things and she can fetch q-tips very long-distance) that are completely cat safe.
 

blumarine916

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Sometimes I cut up a straw to make it short like 4 inches long and toss it to them to play. Or fold/roll a small piece of paper into small tube, bend it in two and they go crazy over it. If they get bored I just throw it away.
Yeah I know how it feels being a helicopter cat mom. The anxiety is really and usually unnecessary 😅
 
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eva21513

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Sometimes I cut up a straw to make it short like 4 inches long and toss it to them to play. Or fold/roll a small piece of paper into small tube, bend it in two and they go crazy over it. If they get bored I just throw it away.
Yeah I know how it feels being a helicopter cat mom. The anxiety is really and usually unnecessary 😅
I've seen a few people mention straws! I think she'd love that. Next time I'm in a Starbucks.... (they still have straws right?!?!)

My q tip loving cat really likes these as a substitute: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000256CG4/?tag=thecatsite
Ugh I actually bought two packs of those a few weeks ago because I thought they'd be perfect! Naturally she's not the slightest bit interested. I'll keep trying of course - it was just too funny when I opened the link - just validation that they SHOULD be a great substitute!
 

kittenmittens84

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I've seen a few people mention straws! I think she'd love that. Next time I'm in a Starbucks.... (they still have straws right?!?!)



Ugh I actually bought two packs of those a few weeks ago because I thought they'd be perfect! Naturally she's not the slightest bit interested. I'll keep trying of course - it was just too funny when I opened the link - just validation that they SHOULD be a great substitute!
Ugh classic cats, it’s always the things you buy on purpose that they don’t care about
 

dalya

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Don't blame yourself. Cats do this all the time. They have a thing for cottons and tissues and everything similar.
I think if there is no signs of stomach upsetting such as vomiting and abnormal stooling, your cat should be fine.
 
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