Cat ate a 10 inch piece of thin ribbon

Cindyozzy

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My 6 month old cat ate a 10 inch piece of thin ribbon. It could have been as long as an hour ago. I googled it and "justanswer" says a piece this lenght will pass. Does anyone have experience with this?
 

amethyst

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It might pass, but it could also be long enough to cause an issue, I would at least give your vet a call so they know you might be coming in. I would keep a close eye on the cat for the next 24 hours to make sure it does pass, and yes unfortunately that does mean looking through the poop :barfgreen:. Watch for any signs of an issue like, gagging, throwing up, acting like it has to go poop but nothing comes out, crying, hiding, acting lethargic, not eating, stuff like that. If you notice any of those signs or the cat hasn't pooped it out within 24 hours get the cat to the vet as soon as you can. If you see the ribbon stick out of their butt, do not pull it, it could be tangled inside, let it could out naturally as the cat poops, but if doesn't come out during the cat's pooping get the cat to the vet.
 

She's a witch

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Just to add to what amethyst amethyst said, I’d give your cat something to keep things gently moving, some hairball remedy like egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin, or hairball paste, butter, olive oil. And just so you know, it took my cat 3 days to poop out similar length. The other time he pooped it out in phases. And as said, never pull it out if it sticks out of his butt, but you could cut it IF it’s too long and bothers your cat and if he is calm and will let you do this gently and will stay still.
I always call my vet in the cases like this, so that they know we might be coming over for emergency procedures. Do not hesitate to take him if something is off.
Best of luck and let’s hope for a quick and smooth exit!
 
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Margret

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The big danger with strings, threads, and thin ribbons is that they can get stretched out in the intestines and cut through, leading to peritonitis. I had a cat once who managed to get hold of the string a roast had been tied with, and the results were quite nasty. She pulled through, but it took exploratory surgery (string doesn't show up in X-rays) and some serious nursing on my part to get her through the infection, after she'd been all sewn back up.

You should definitely call your vet about this, and if you don't find the ribbon in your cat's poop some time in the next week or so (sooner, if your vet says so) you should ask your vet about surgery to remove it before it can do any real harm.

Margret
 
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Cindyozzy

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I did call my vet to take my cat in. They said they would induce vomiting but they couldnt get me in for another couple hrs. I got afraid that it would be too late by then. I looked online and used 3% hydrogen peroxide. My kitty is 8 lbs and i gave him one teaspoon only. He vomited up the entire string, and has been acting normal since. The problem is now much later I found a site that says you should never use hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in cats. Now I am worried I should take him to the vet because of the hydrogen peroxide. Is hydrogen peroxide safe to use?
 

She's a witch

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I don’t know about hydrogen peroxide, I’d call your vet and ask. But my vet always warned me about inducing vomiting in a cat that swallows string like things, especially that long. This practice never does this, due to the risk of tangling and cutting the insides. So glad he vomited it without issues, but I wouldn’t do this again.
 
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