Cat eating feathers, hair and other strange things.

kat003

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I have this dreaded toy that my cat loves, a stick with feather on the end. She decided to rip some off today and ended up eating one. Will she be able to.. digest it or pass it properly? Cats eat birds so I figured she would be fine but just wanted to make sure.
 

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I have this dreaded toy that my cat loves, a stick with feather on the end. She decided to rip some off today and ended up eating one. Will she be able to.. digest it or pass it properly? Cats eat birds so I figured she would be fine but just wanted to make sure.
I had a cat who did the same thing, with every feather on every toy. She passed them just fine, but I started to remove all feathers from all toys from that point on.
You shouldn't have anything to worry about, but just keep an eye on her poop over the next few days, just to be safe.
 

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One of mine does the same. I purposely buy toys with feathers because he loves them so much, but I've never seen a feather in his poop. I think they must get broken down in the digestive tract.
 
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kat003

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My cat keeps eating my hair, I have long hair and it ends up everywhere. Sometimes she decides to play with the little hair balls my hair make and even eat them sometimes. The only thing I'm concerned about is, my hair has semi permanent dye in it at the moment. Should i be concerned ?
 

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Hi. I'd be more concerned about your cat eating your hair than the impact of some semi-permanent dye. Although, I would imagine neither are any good for her. Any way to try to vacuum or pick up the hair so she can't get to it as easily? A lot of folks have made comments on this site about making sure they brush/comb their hair in a specific place in the home and then immediately clean up afterward. If you brush your hair in front of a bathroom sink/mirror, and have a throw rug, it could be as easy as taking your hand and wiping it across the rug. A handheld vacuum or a lint roller would be effective as well.
 

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I would be more concerned about the length of your hair. Things like string and floss can actually get stuck and bind /tie pieces of the intestine together and have to have surgery to correct. I agree with brushing your hair only in the bathroom and keeping the door closed. Otherwise, you would have to vacuum every time!
 
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kat003

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Hi. I'd be more concerned about your cat eating your hair than the impact of some semi-permanent dye. Although, I would imagine neither are any good for her. Any way to try to vacuum or pick up the hair so she can't get to it as easily? A lot of folks have made comments on this site about making sure they brush/comb their hair in a specific place in the home and then immediately clean up afterward. If you brush your hair in front of a bathroom sink/mirror, and have a throw rug, it could be as easy as taking your hand and wiping it across the rug. A handheld vacuum or a lint roller would be effective as well.
Thank you :) I do vacuum almost everyday, the only hair I've seen her eat was a hair ball that my hair somehow ended up making its self. Will she be able to pass it?
 

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Thank you :) I do vacuum almost everyday, the only hair I've seen her eat was a hair ball that my hair somehow ended up making its self. Will she be able to pass it?
If your hair isn't terribly long and it was tightly wound into a ball - and, it wasn't a large amount - she should be able to pass it - or she might throw it up. You can give her a dab of butter/margarine on her paw or from your finger for a few days to help with her passing the hair. Or, a few drops of olive oil in her food.

Pay attention to any changes in her eating or pooping, just as a precaution. Should she stop eating or repeatedly throw up, that could be a sign of the hair causing issues with her digestive system. But, I wouldn't overly worry about that happening.
 
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kat003

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If your hair isn't terribly long and it was tightly wound into a ball - and, it wasn't a large amount - she should be able to pass it - or she might throw it up. You can give her a dab of butter/margarine on her paw or from your finger for a few days to help with her passing the hair. Or, a few drops of olive oil in her food.

Pay attention to any changes in her eating or pooping, just as a precaution. Should she stop eating or repeatedly throw up, that could be a sign of the hair causing issues with her digestive system. But, I wouldn't overly worry about that happening.
Thank you very much, I will be watching her closely.
 
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kat003

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I would be more concerned about the length of your hair. Things like string and floss can actually get stuck and bind /tie pieces of the intestine together and have to have surgery to correct. I agree with brushing your hair only in the bathroom and keeping the door closed. Otherwise, you would have to vacuum every time!
I wasn't aware this was possible, havent seen her eat any strands, just hair balls. Thank you for the tips :)
 
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kat003

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If your hair isn't terribly long and it was tightly wound into a ball - and, it wasn't a large amount - she should be able to pass it - or she might throw it up. You can give her a dab of butter/margarine on her paw or from your finger for a few days to help with her passing the hair. Or, a few drops of olive oil in her food.

Pay attention to any changes in her eating or pooping, just as a precaution. Should she stop eating or repeatedly throw up, that could be a sign of the hair causing issues with her digestive system. But, I wouldn't overly worry about that happening.
Sorry to bother, but instead of the butter could I use pumpkin and water pureed ? I've heard it helps with digestion
 

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Sorry to bother, but instead of the butter could I use pumpkin and water pureed ? I've heard it helps with digestion
You can do that, but I am never sure about pumpkin as a resolution for hairballs, personally speaking. I am sure other members would say it is just fine.
 

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I can personally attest to the after effects of having a cat that eats long hair. It does get stuck in their excrement, and can make things...interesting on the way out. Think, turd necklace. Ahem. I hope you never get a chance to experience the hilarity and horror.

And never pull at something hanging halfway out. Though I did once without realizing it and she survived.
 

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I had a phase where my hair would fall out a lot and it was long, my cat also is champion of eating everything he shouldn't. Sometimes it would end up in his poop, how do I know? Cause half the hair with the poop would be out of his sasshole and the other half still in, he would drag it around real nice all over.

He is fine, but I'd still suggest to make the best effort to avoid it.
 
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kat003

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I had a phase where my hair would fall out a lot and it was long, my cat also is champion of eating everything he shouldn't. Sometimes it would end up in his poop, how do I know? Cause half the hair with the poop would be out of his sasshole and the other half still in, he would drag it around real nice all over.

He is fine, but I'd still suggest to make the best effort to avoid it.
Sounds.. not so fun hope I don't have to deal with that
 

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i have been feeding boiled egg yolks to graycie my gf has really long hair to it seems to be working she hasnt puked any hairballs recently and i have seen bits/tips of hair and one long strand of gf hair in her poop thoughits not fun chasing a cat trying to run away from the poop dangling from its butt cause of the long human hair
 

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Is your cat acting normally? How do their stools look in the box? Do you know if the stains are fresh? It might be best to call your vet with this information. They'll tell you what, specifically, to keep an eye on, and at what point, if any, you'd need to bring in your kitty.
 

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Hi. There are certain foods, due to their coloring, when vomited will look similar in color to blood. As said above, check the litter box, and continue to monitor your cat to see if you can catch them in the act of vomiting, on the chance the above pics are in fact vomit. You can take samples of both to the vet and they can check for the presence of blood. Just bag them in plastic, and take them to the vet as soon as you can. But, call the vet ahead of time and ask if they would check any samples you would bring in for traces of blood.
 
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