It Happened Again... He Ate A Shoelace

[Britney91]

we had panick in the house before because he ate a hairtie... luckily he bit it to pieces and we found it in his stool the next day. We tried to induce vomit and the vet but it didnt work.

This morning he ate a shoelace... its pretty long too. Like 7 cm? I found the more hard part of the shoelace (that thing at the end of it) on the floor. So he didn’t want to eat that. The rest is nowhere to be found... I assume and hope he bit it to pieces... he loves chewing on straws and shoelaces etc and before you know it... its gone. We try to hide most and cut off straws off of toys but now he found the shoelaces of my boyfriends’ shoe. He tried to eat some of mine too but failed but you can see all the parts he tried to chew at.

I assume he ate in small pieces and will probably be in his stool again? Or can they slurp up a shoelace like we do with spaghetti? Because inducing vomiting didnt work last time i felt like it wouldnt this time either. Also it was five in the morning and i didnt have a ride to a vet. So it didnt feel like an option.

How long untill this can be in his stool? How long untill signs of something bad can be shown?

Thanks in advance

Btw the shoelace is pretty standard, not those flat broad ones

 

[stayhomeclub]

Does he have access to fresh grass? Cats often eat strange things when they are trying to regurgitate. Grass is like a natural medicine because they cannot usually digest it and it helps bring up whatever is making them feel sick.
I would get him to the vet as soon as you can. It could cause a blockage or irritation in his digestive tract. You could also discuss with the vet why he is eating these things and if there is something lacking from his diet.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Oh no!
When I was first reading the post I momentarily thought I was in a dog forum site. Didn't know cats also eat these stuff, as so far I have not seen any of mine swallow or eat anything (Thank God!) - only that Bourbon has this somewhat weird connection with grocery plastic bags. When there is plastic, there is Bourbon licking it.

S stayhomeclub is right. Fresh grass somehow is a natural medicine for them. Otherwise, it is wise to bring your boy to his vet.

Cats (and dogs) are like children. They are curious and all, so better keep anything they could ingest out of reach.

Hope he is ok.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Are stringy things the only things he eats? I had a dog with a similar problem as a puppy and it only manifested in to worst things with age. Turns out, she had pica. I thought it would be worth mentioning although, I heard it's rare in cats? Not 100% sure if that is true. Very dangerous condition.

 

[di and bob]

He will start displaying symptoms within a couple of days if it gets wrapped up in his intestines. the first symptom will be he will stop eating and not be as active. The reason for all this is taht cat's tongues are very rough as you know. The 'spikes' all direct food/prey to the throat. So once he starts chewing on a string, he can't get rid of it, it is slowly directed to his throat. That is why sometimes you will see them pawing at their mouths, it is lodged there and it is a one way street. I would just make sure he has plenty to keep him busy. Have a bag with catnip in it and keep an assortment of toys in there to occupy him. Change the toys out with the old ones once a week to keep them fresh. since you know this is happening now, you must be vigilant to keep strings put away or hidden. put shoes, boots behind a closet door, anything with a string at all, keep in a drawer or closet. Wrap blind cords up and tuck them into the top of the blinds. Do not ever leave floss laying around. They have cord protectors if he starts chewing on cords. I have a feeling he is bored, and just wants something to do. He will most likely outgrow this, and become much more relaxed in later years. for now just watch him carefully, and be attentive cleaning out the litter box for a week!

 

[Britney91]

Does he have access to fresh grass? Cats often eat strange things when they are trying to regurgitate. Grass is like a natural medicine because they cannot usually digest it and it helps bring up whatever is making them feel sick.
I would get him to the vet as soon as you can. It could cause a blockage or irritation in his digestive tract. You could also discuss with the vet why he is eating these things and if there is something lacking from his diet.

No, they are inside cats and we live in an appartment. I used to have catgrass but my other cat would always throw up and make scary noises during this. Then one time she hurt her throat and lost her voice for a week. I guess this made me a bit scared to get more cat grass. Maybe I should get it again and just let them play with it while I am there and then take it out of reach when I am not home? x

Oh no!
When I was first reading the post I momentarily thought I was in a dog forum site. Didn't know cats also eat these stuff, as so far I have not seen any of mine swallow or eat anything (Thank God!) - only that Bourbon has this somewhat weird connection with grocery plastic bags. When there is plastic, there is Bourbon licking it.

Haha, my other cat loves plastic. Doesn't eat it or bite in it.. but loves to lick it. And yes, the male cat I am talking about is kind of like a dog.. bites, chews and eats everything! Very frustrating! I am always nervous leaving the house because I get all neurotic about checking everything, wondering if he will do something stupid again. He also bites in plastic and tries to eat it... x

S stayhomeclub is right. Fresh grass somehow is a natural medicine for them. Otherwise, it is wise to bring your boy to his vet.

Cats (and dogs) are like children. They are curious and all, so better keep anything they could ingest out of reach.

Hope he is ok.

So far, his behaviour is like normal. I think he probably ate a lot more than we are aware of other times. I hope I will find it in his stool soon. I think he is alright.. I think he chewed it to pieces.. I can't imagine him eating the whole shoelace intact?!

I will indeed buy catgrass again! Good idea of you all... Thank you x

Are stringy things the only things he eats? I had a dog with a similar problem as a puppy and it only manifested in to worst things with age. Turns out, she had pica. I thought it would be worth mentioning although, I heard it's rare in cats? Not 100% sure if that is true. Very dangerous condition.

Wow, I never heard of that. Gotta research it! x

He will start displaying symptoms within a couple of days if it gets wrapped up in his intestines. the first symptom will be he will stop eating and not be as active. The reason for all this is taht cat's tongues are very rough as you know. The 'spikes' all direct food/prey to the throat. So once he starts chewing on a string, he can't get rid of it, it is slowly directed to his throat. That is why sometimes you will see them pawing at their mouths, it is lodged there and it is a one way street. I would just make sure he has plenty to keep him busy. Have a bag with catnip in it and keep an assortment of toys in there to occupy him. Change the toys out with the old ones once a week to keep them fresh. since you know this is happening now, you must be vigilant to keep strings put away or hidden. put shoes, boots behind a closet door, anything with a string at all, keep in a drawer or closet. Wrap blind cords up and tuck them into the top of the blinds. Do not ever leave floss laying around. They have cord protectors if he starts chewing on cords. I have a feeling he is bored, and just wants something to do. He will most likely outgrow this, and become much more relaxed in later years. for now just watch him carefully, and be attentive cleaning out the litter box for a week!

I hope he chewed it into pieces.. i can't imagine him eating that whole shoelace intact... He loves strings and all of it, and always chews them so they aren't whole anymore and for some reason loves to eat them. He does that with a lot... also cables etc.

I do feel he is bored. We have so many toys and stuff laying around. My other cat isn't as playful anymore but this one is only 1,5. He loves everything that isn't a toy and that can be dangerous. And the toys meant for him he doesn't like. He loves post-its rolled into a ball but then always drops it in the water and then plays with it, but the water turns into the color of the post-it. That cant be healthy. Strings we keep away from him just like toys that has strings etc for obv reasons. Just nothing is safe and all the toys we have laying around he either doesn't do anything with and the ones he likes he wrecks and we have to take it away from him before he eats it, incl. fluffy balls with a bell inside of it (no clue where one bell is, he probably ate that too) and a kickeroo,.. he even wrecked that! Very frustrating! x

Thanks all for your answers! Hope I will find pieces of it in his stool tomorrow... I just can't imagine him eating the whole shoelace intact?!

 

[Britney91]

Hey guys, only 12 hours later I already found about half of the shoelace in his stool... so that's good news. Maybe some of it was also chewed up so small that I couldn't see it... hopefully we'll see the rest too. And so far he is normal as usual!

 

[Kflowers]

Good news, hope for more. I guess you've looked under all the furniture?

On the side, those strange noises your other cat makes when throwing up cat grass? That's completely normal for some cats. Most of mine had such distinctive noises when hacking up a hairball, I knew who it was from the next room. One seemed so offended at having to throw up, she'd been a starvling, that you could hear her pissed screams outside when she was inside. You'd rush in and she would be backing up hacking, the others ignoring her, doing their own things.

 

[stayhomeclub]

That's good news. I'm sure the rest of it will pass soon too. I have an indoor cat too and I have to be careful of rubber bands, plastic bags, ribbon and string because she tries to eat these.
I know what you mean about the awful sounds they make when they are throwing up. I guess it's better out than in but not very nice to witness!
I think your idea of bringing the cat grass out at times and then putting it away is good. I do the same with my cat otherwise she will eat the whole lot of it!

 

[Kflowers]

With only one cat, I don't need the lush cat grass (It's wheat, right?) like in the picture on the package. I only plant 20 seeds of cat grass at a time, but I have two pots with it growing at different rates. This means she's got some to nibble. That it's always there maybe why my cat nibbles. Yours S stayhomeclub may be a salad fantic. I understand, I've been there. Do not get between me and my lettuce.

 

[dan32]

I have a boy that ate a long Christmas ribbon when he was little, got very sick then pooped it out about 2 days later - it was about 2 feet long.

I keep stuff like twisties and rubber bands and strings away from him - he is much older now, but he still gets that look in his eye when something long is left out. Some cats, like dogs just can't resist. He still likes that long waxed paper strip on the glue side of bubble envelopes. Usually, they aren't that long so they pass through him.