Kitten ate a 1cm button

[Renne]

4 days have passed, and I've found nothing in her litterbox or excrements.

Should I offer her for an abdominal X-ray by now? If yes, then in case nothing is found, should I ask for a gastric X-ray? I've heard that objects can get stuck in the stomach rather than pass into the intestines, but I don't know for sure if it's true, and I'm worried that if I ask a vet, they'd tell me 'Sure, you have to check the stomach!' just to make more money.

P.S. I'm not sure if gastric X-ray is possible or they do ultrasound. For an abdominal X-ray they use barium to find stuck objects.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I think you should talk to your vet and see what they suggest to do.

 

[Renne]

She might suggest that I do something I don't need to receive money for that

It's not like I'm greedy, I just want truth.

 

[Furballsmom]

It's not like I'm greedy, I just want truth.

Please allow me to clarify. You need to have your kitten looked at, one way or other.

 

[Renne]

Ah, I see... I phoned my vet the very first day and she didn't tell me to bring the kitten in. She inquired about her state (playful, no constipation, no vomiting) and told me that if she feels well I should wait for at least four days and then maybe bring her for an X-ray, to a different clinic. Hers is small and they can't do it. I thought that now it's up to me what and when to do.

 

[sivyaleah]

Are you positive she ate it? Could she have been playing with it and knocked it off somewhere and you just haven't found it?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! So, you are now at the 4 day mark, so something probably should be done at this point. As sivyaleah has suggested, you might want to thoroughly look over your home to see if you can find it. Otherwise, If the vet said an x-ray would suffice, then in most cases many vets perform a package of 3 x-rays for a single charge, so that should cover her entire digestive tract. Even if they charge by x-ray, a single one might do the trick. When they have done x-rays on my cat they have covered the entire spinal cord in one 'shot'.

You can ask the clinic you plan on going to if an x-ray is sufficient or if an ultrasound is a better approach, no need to do both really.

 

[Renne]

I'm positive she ate it. Everything started with her attacking the button, and I honestly didn't think she could tear it away, let alone eat it. I looked away for a second or two and then I saw the button being nowhere to be found and my kitten gulping something down. It was too late to make her spit. And yeah I've searched everywhere just in case.

Now I think that there's a possibility that I failed to find it in the litterbox, though. For three days I looked through everything, except her clumped-in-litter pee stuff... And then I thought, belatedly: what if she peed over the button, and it became clumped inside litter? (normally she never pees where she craps, she hates how 'dirty' it is, and the litterbox is really big, so I didn't think of checking her pee at first, even though I checked all litter in the litterbox every time)

And that's why I'm not sure what to do if abdominal X-ray shows nothing. Maybe it means that the button went out without me knowing, or maybe it's stuck in the stomach, which I'm not even sure is possible. I guess I should just go to another clinic, have them perform an X-ray and then decide from there... Thanks everyone! I appreciate the support.

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm positive she ate it. Everything started with her attacking the button, and I honestly didn't think she could tear it away, let alone eat it. I looked away for a second or two and then I saw the button being nowhere to be found and my kitten gulping something down. It was too late to make her spit. And yeah I've searched everywhere just in case.

Now I think that there's a possibility that I failed to find it in the litterbox, though. For three days I looked through everything, except her clumped-in-litter pee stuff... And then I thought, belatedly: what if she peed over the button, and it became clumped inside litter? (normally she never pees where she craps, she hates how 'dirty' it is, and the litterbox is really big, so I didn't think of checking her pee at first, even though I checked all litter in the litterbox every time)

And that's why I'm not sure what to do if abdominal X-ray shows nothing. Maybe it means that the button went out without me knowing, or maybe it's stuck in the stomach, which I'm not even sure is possible. I guess I should just go to another clinic, have them perform an X-ray and then decide from there... Thanks everyone! I appreciate the support.

Edited, sorry totally misread that! Will respond in a bit

 

[She's a witch]

it's possible it's too small to be visible on x-ray picture, I'd do either ultrasound or x-ray with contrast (the one with barium solution). I'd also would want to make sure it's not stuck somewhere there, I know a cat that was suffering from terrible pancreatitis for a year, and only during exploratory surgery they discovered a piece of plastic stuck in her (too small to be visible on the pictures, only the contrast gave some non conclusive clues), causing all kinds of painful issues.
But it's also possible it's still on the way, I'd call the vet and ask, maybe she'll recommend waiting two more days if she's otherwise good? but you'd need to be ready to take her for a surgery at the first sign of problems. In this scenario I'd give her something to keep things moving, like egg yolk, hairball paste, vaseline, butter etc.
And, didn't she vomit it somewhere? I know it's hard to miss, but who knows, maybe she chose a quiet corner..? Under the bed?
Lastly, I understand it was plastic button, rather than made from natural fabric..?

 

[Renne]

Yes, it was a plastic button, and with rather sizable slits. Technically she could vomit it out and I wouldn't know. If there's only a little vomit and she found a spot normally inaccessible for me, or played with it a bit and moved it somewhere inaccessible for both of us, l could miss it.

Hmm. I know that in humans abdominal ultrasound can be flawed b\c of intestinal gases, a diet has to be maintaned for a few days to prevent that + specialized pills, and for a similar X-ray (with barium) you have to prepare, too. Maybe it's the same for cats and she has to be prepared, I should definitely find out ASAP (but now it's nighttime, so the first thing in the morning).

Here's an identical button, I really hope it can be detected:

 

[Renne]

I know a cat that was suffering from terrible pancreatitis for a year, and only during exploratory surgery they discovered a piece of plastic stuck in her (too small to be visible on the pictures, only the contrast gave some non conclusive clues), causing all kinds of painful issues.

Where was it stuck? Do I understand correctly that even ultrasound didn't locate a piece of plastic and only X-ray with contrast gave some vague clues?

 

[She's a witch]

Where was it stuck? Do I understand correctly that even ultrasound didn't locate a piece of plastic and only X-ray with contrast gave some vague clues?

Correct, they only had some clues based on the contrast flow. It was a tiny thing (I don't know the name in ENglish, or any other language really probably the part of that thing on some plastic bottle caps- neck ring? that need to be "unzipped" before opening is possible). I don't know where was it stuck exactly unfortunately, I no longer have any contact with this cat owner. But it really depends on the situation, if it was positioned differently, who knows, maybe USG would capture this? Or a better machine? Or a better sonographer? I'd guess vets would know where to seek for a round button, I'd guess they have some experience in where such thing could stuck (if it's actually possible).

You know what I would do? I'd put this button into the glass of water with some vinegar added overnight and see what happens. Who knows, maybe if it's old button, there's a chance it broke into smaller pieces..?

Anyway, most importantly your girl is great despite eating it and even if something will be wrong with her behavior, you know what the potential cause would be, so you're in control and in contact with vet. My boy is strings eater, and I remember how horribly stressful it was when he ate the long piece the first time, but everything ended fine (he pooped 15cm long ribbon like fabric on third day) that time and the next times too....

 

[Renne]

You know what I would do? I'd put this button into the glass of water with some vinegar added overnight and see what happens. Who knows, maybe if it's old button, there's a chance it broke into smaller pieces..?

That's a great idea. I definitely want to try it out, the button is old. How much vinegar should I add? And should I do it just once or bit by bit? (you can tell I'm bad at chemistry!)

My boy is strings eater, and I remember how horribly stressful it was when he ate the long piece the first time, but everything ended fine (he pooped 15cm long ribbon like fabric on third day) that time and the next times too....

OMG that sounds awful. He's lucky he had enough fortune to poop it out every time! Strings are really dangerous.

 

[Renne]

Good news! I just went to a clinic, their surgeon looked at the button and said that such a button can't get stuck and cause an obstraction. Too round, too small. He said it isn't worth doing anything about it. I still said that maybe the kitten should have an X-ray for my own peace of mind, and he said that X-ray, even with barium, will be useless to locate such a button (it's rather flat and it won't be located if it's turned sideways), only ultrasound might help locate it, but anyway 'the button is either already out or will be out soon'. He said to watch out for vomiting or any signs of distress just in case, but that's it.



So everything should be fine. I'll still watch her, of course, hopefully I can see the button come out. Couldn't sleep tonight, I was so worried. If I don't see it coming out any time soon, then I'll opt for the ultrasound just in case.

 

[MissClouseau]

Don't underestimate how things can go to the weird places. Last year my Hima knocked over the nightlamp and its small drawing pin was nowhere to be seen. I found the pin inside a small box, in the shelf under the lamp. I had looked inside the shelf although it seemed unlikely it could fall there, but I didn't think it could even go inside a small box there - there was such a tiny open space.