Cat May Have Ate String On Thursday

[andys1988]

My 10-month old male cat developed an addiction to... everything. He loves to chew on anything he can. We're trying to cat-proof our apartment, but it's difficult. He chews on random objects - wires, door knobs, plastic bottles, etc. The vet doesn't think it's a nutritional issue since our kitty gets wet food twice a day along with some kitten-specific dry food. We tried Yuck Spray, but it didn't slow him down at all. (Don't waste your money.)

Anyway, I noticed Thursday night that his one toy on a string was dismembered and missing the string - about seven inches of elastic string. I can't find the string. So, I assume my cat ate the string.

I emailed my vet on Thursday night, but haven't heard back - probably due to the holiday.

My cat is eating, acting and using the litter box as usual (knock on wood). So far, I haven't seen any sign of the string in his poop. If he ate it, it's been over 72 hours.

Should I call the vet tomorrow and set up an appointment? Or, will that be a waste of time since the string wouldn't show up on an X-ray?

Also, any tips on stopping the chewing is appreciated!

 

[stephanietx]

He's 10 mos old and needs to be eating more. He's hungry. Even kittens at 10 ms of age have a very high metabolism. I would make sure that he is fed wet food, an all meat grain-free canned food more 3 times a day and start mixing in some adult dry food with the kitten food. Again, if you can go grain free and feed all protein, it will help him stay fuller longer.

About the string, just keep an eye on him. If he stops pooping, becomes lethargic, stops eating, and/or starts throwing up, then get him to the vet immediately for the x-ray. Until then, stay on poop patrol for signs of the string. If it hasn't passed by now, I'd say you're pretty much in the clear, but it never hurts to remain watchful.

To keep him from chewing, you can wrap the cords with paper towel tubes or plastic tubing. Put things out of his reach in cabinets, drawers, closets. It also sounds like part of this can be boredom. Does he have a cat tree to climb and play on? Is it possible and are you open to a playmate for him? I'm not sure of your schedule, but he might need several hard play sessions with you to wear him out. Play is also a great time of bonding between humans and kitties.

 

[andys1988]

He's 10 mos old and needs to be eating more. He's hungry. Even kittens at 10 ms of age have a very high metabolism. I would make sure that he is fed wet food, an all meat grain-free canned food more 3 times a day and start mixing in some adult dry food with the kitten food. Again, if you can go grain free and feed all protein, it will help him stay fuller longer.

About the string, just keep an eye on him. If he stops pooping, becomes lethargic, stops eating, and/or starts throwing up, then get him to the vet immediately for the x-ray. Until then, stay on poop patrol for signs of the string. If it hasn't passed by now, I'd say you're pretty much in the clear, but it never hurts to remain watchful.

To keep him from chewing, you can wrap the cords with paper towel tubes or plastic tubing. Put things out of his reach in cabinets, drawers, closets. It also sounds like part of this can be boredom. Does he have a cat tree to climb and play on? Is it possible and are you open to a playmate for him? I'm not sure of your schedule, but he might need several hard play sessions with you to wear him out. Play is also a great time of bonding between humans and kitties.

Thanks, stephanietx ! I really appreciate the detailed response.

He is already 10-11 pounds. The vet said to transition him to adult food, but he has tummy troubles. So, I transitioned him from Blue Buffalo kitten wet food to Wellness grain-free wet foods that have less than 10 calories of carbs per serving. He's getting more wet food now than he did before he transitioned to Wellness. We also keep out Wellness kitten grain-free dry food 24/7 so he can munch when he feels peckish. We're planning to transition him to ScienceDiet Oral Health, because the vet noticed some gum disease. We didn't transition him to that food yet, because he was having stomach issues. Now that he may have eaten a string, I'll postpone that another week.

So far, no sign of the string. He continues to play, eat and drink normally. I'll keep a close eye on him.

I've been taping down all the wires I can find since he started chewing - about two or three weeks ago. So far, it's working. Though, I forgot about the phone wire last night and now it's truly a cordless phone. We have a small climbing tree (the one in my avatar), but perhaps we need to get him a larger one with a few more perches. I'm interested in getting him a playmate, but we're worried another little one might be a bit much for us. Luckily, I work from home several days a week. I try to devote an hour of play during the day and time in the evening. My boyfriend also plays with him at night, when he's home from work.

Thank you again for the information!

 

[stephanietx]

I have a cat with tummy troubles. He cannot have ANY Wellness product. I would encourage you to stay with the grain-free. The oral issues can be taken care of with proper dental cleanings. Science Diet food is really not all that great and is filled with fillers which will likely cause him to gain weight. You might ask in the Nutrition forum about a good food. I just know that we can't introduce new foods or my guy will get sick and land in the vet's office for a few days, so I understand the difficulty in transitioning food.

 

[andys1988]

I have a cat with tummy troubles. He cannot have ANY Wellness product. I would encourage you to stay with the grain-free. The oral issues can be taken care of with proper dental cleanings. Science Diet food is really not all that great and is filled with fillers which will likely cause him to gain weight. You might ask in the Nutrition forum about a good food. I just know that we can't introduce new foods or my guy will get sick and land in the vet's office for a few days, so I understand the difficulty in transitioning food.

Thanks again, stephanietx !

I think our kitten's tummy trouble is often from eating things he's not supposed to be putting in his belly.

My vet recommended grain-free wet food that is low in carbs to eliminate any weird fillers. He recommended this website to sort through the calorie content: Cat Food Chart from catinfo.org Unfortunately it doesn't include all foods, however. The companies need to volunteer the information.

I'll need to check on the dry food, because I can't really find a good analysis for those.

 

[orange&white]

I'm interested in getting him a playmate, but we're worried another little one might be a bit much for us. Luckily, I work from home several days a week. I try to devote an hour of play during the day and time in the evening. My boyfriend also plays with him at night, when he's home from work.

Thank you again for the information!

I had a pica cat who was very destructive when I wasn't home. The shelter insisted that he and his laid-back brother/litter mate be adopted together as a pair. I think having another cat (plus an older senior) around when I wasn't home had to have helped him, at least a little bit.

 

[andys1988]

I had a pica cat who was very destructive when I wasn't home. The shelter insisted that he and his laid-back brother/litter mate be adopted together as a pair. I think having another cat (plus an older senior) around when I wasn't home had to have helped him, at least a little bit.

Thanks! I'll need to talk my boyfriend into it.