Cat Swallowed Thread

huxleysmom

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my mom’s cat swallowed the thread from the dabird wand this morning while I was in the bathroom. Not all of it, but a good chunk. I found nothing in her mouth, but she was still chewing at it when I removed it from her and nothing was on the floor so I’m fairly certain she ate it. It’s been 8 hours now and so far she is showing no signs of distress. She’s eating, playing, doesn’t show signs of fever or lethargy. What should I do?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
As of course you will, keep an eye on things including the litter box...
Hopefully, fingers crossed for you!!, it'll simply go right on through.
I'm not a vet, but you could give her a one time dose of a little petromalt or a tiny bit of unscented Vaseline to help things slide along. Cats don't absorb any of these.
 
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huxleysmom

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Hi!
As of course you will, keep an eye on things including the litter box...
Hopefully, fingers crossed for you!!, it'll simply go right on through.
I'm not a vet, but you could give her a one time dose of a little petromalt or a tiny bit of unscented Vaseline to help things slide along. Cats don't absorb any of these.
Luckily things are already lose down there for her as my dad got her the wrong kind of food so she’s had a little diarrhea the last couple of days. I am hoping this will help her pass it along. I am in France and don’t know where I can get the things you mentioned. I am here with her and will keep a very close eye on her. My mom is in the hospital and if something happens to her beloved cat while she is under my care I will never forgive myself!
 

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My kitten ate a piece of fuzzy fake mouse tail once (about an inch long) before I could stop her. She luckily was fine. I would say just keep an eye on her
 
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huxleysmom

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My kitten ate a piece of fuzzy fake mouse tail once (about an inch long) before I could stop her. She luckily was fine. I would say just keep an eye on her
She ate a much longer piece, which is really what worries me as it could twist around her vowels. It is a very thin thread however so i hope the acidity in her stomach will break down most of it. Right now she is perfectly fine so i will keep her on observation and rush to the vet if I see any difference in behavior
 
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huxleysmom

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It’s been 24 hours. No sign of the thread yet though she pooped this morning. It’s still runny, but given the circumstances, I’m not going to do anything about that and hope it’ll help her pass it. She is still playful, cuddly and eats well. I hope she’ll pass it by tomorrow. If the thread doesn’t make an appearance should I take her to the vet to get checked?
 

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I would highly recommend a vet visit. Today if at all possible. Pieces of string, ribbon, this type of thing can turn very bad for a cat, quickly. String can quite often cause severe damage to the intestinal tract. You may not notice any difference in her behavior until she is very sick.
Please keep us updated with her, i will worry!
 

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I think you got excellent advice from duckpond duckpond . She needs an exam and possibly an X-ray or ultrasound. Watch her like a hawk. There is no chance that thread dissolved, it’s synthetic. My chewing cat is why I replace DaBird thread with jewelry wire.

Good luck and I hope she poops it out. Keep us updated, please.
 
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huxleysmom

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I would highly recommend a vet visit. Today if at all possible. Pieces of string, ribbon, this type of thing can turn very bad for a cat, quickly. String can quite often cause severe damage to the intestinal tract. You may not notice any difference in her behavior until she is very sick.
Please keep us updated with her, i will worry!
I called the vet and she just said to monitor her, give her some sort of oil (she said the word in French and I don’t know what that is in English) to help things go down and to bring her in if I see any digestive distress, lethargy or a hard stomach.
 

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I am glad you called the vet. I don't necessarily agree with what she is saying. But that's just me. I would want my cat to have a physical check, and the ultrasound. I tend to worry about things like this. Hopefully all will be well with your girl, but do watch her very close as this can go bad quickly if she does not pass the string. :crossfingers:
 

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At this point, the string will not show up on either an x-ray or an ultrasound.

The only thing you could possibly see is a mass of some sort from the string being tied around part of the intestine... at that point, the symptoms would be very evident.

My guy swallowed a bell!! a jingle bell.. I had to watch him, finally, after 10 days, I took him in. I could not find it in his litter box, he was acting normal... I was closely monitoring his poops...

They did an x-ray... never did find it.....
weird...
 

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I had a cat eat the tinsel off the Christmas tree and I didn't know it until it was hanging out of her butt. I pulled it out and she was fine. It never occurred to me to take her to the vet.
I had another cat who when I was out of town ate a thread off a carpet. The cat sitter called me all frantic because it was hanging out of her butt. If I had been home I would have pulled on it. I know you aren't supposed to but....I told her take the cat to the vet. So when I got home, the vet and I talked and he thought we were nuts for bringing the cat in. He said he simply pulled it out.
I don't think 24 hours is long enough so wait. You should see it come out.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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I'm pretty sure my cat ate a soft contact lens this year. The vet tech said it wouldn't really show up in an xray, and to just watch her for inappetance, lethargy, constipation or diarrhea, etc. Reminds me of when she ate a wool mouse toy's tail. It took about a day before I saw signs of it, luckily.

We should have someone start an 'official' ongoing PICA thread, lol.
 

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Everything i read says Never to pull anything hanging out the butt. I would be too afraid i would cause serious damage. My vet can laugh if he wants, but i would be at his office. :einstein:
 
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huxleysmom

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I did wonder if the thread would show up on the X-ray. It’s so thin. But anyway, I called my sister’s vet. She trusts them and it’s her dog’s vet too so I know they are good. Right now, it’s been 48 hours. Neige is as playful as ever, eats well and keeps asking for pets so right now she seems fine. I took care of a sick cat for a year and a half and I’ve taken Huxley so many times to the vet, trust me. I know the signs of a sick cat and I’ll be there in a flash if I even have a remote doubt that she’s unwell. I did what the vet said and gave her the oil she recommended so hopefully it’ll show up soon.
 
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huxleysmom

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Neige regurgitated some of her breakfast late this morning so I am taking her to the vet to be sure she’s ok. She does this once in a a while so I hope it’s just a coincidence, but better safe than sorry. Other than that, she’s still playful and cuddly. She’s also eaten since then and is fine. I hope she’s ok
 

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I hope she is fine as well. I just know string can cause a lot of damage to a cat. I am glad you are taking her in. Let us know what you find out. Keeping her in my thoughts! :crossfingers:
 
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huxleysmom

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I hope she is fine as well. I just know string can cause a lot of damage to a cat. I am glad you are taking her in. Let us know what you find out. Keeping her in my thoughts! :crossfingers:
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts. As I thought, it was just a coincidence. We did an X-ray and the thread is low in her colon. It should come out next time she poops. The vet gave her a shot and some paste with oil in it (usually recommended for hair balls). It’ll be out soon. I am very relieved.
 
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