Cat ate string, how long to pass?
MAG
Saturday night at about 9 pm our cat, Mariposa, swallowed a piece of
cotton string. It was soft cotton string (not kite cord), about 18
inches long. We saw half of it sticking out of her mouth, went after
her to get it from her, and she bolted the rest down while we tried to
grab her.
Called emergency vet; they said to keep feeding her, NOT PULL on it if
it starts to come out, and monitor for any signs of discomfort.
OK it is 36 hours later. She's pooped a couple times (no string), is
eating normally, and is acting in her usual fashion (sleeping, watching
us with an air of superiority). No signs of discomfort.
Yesterday afternoon we started giving her Laxatone, to make sure she's
properly lubricated to hopefully ease the passing.
How long should it take something to work it's way through in the normal
fashion? I'm worried about the posts I've seen of things "sawing through
the intestines." YUK!
Her normal vet is open today and we will call them, but I thought I'd
post for experiences here. Basically, how long do these things take,
presuming the string passes through her without serious problems?
Marc
kaeli
Some...@somewhere.com enlightened us with...
>
> How long should it take something to work it's way through in the normal
> fashion? I'm worried about the posts I've seen of things "sawing through
> the intestines." YUK!
>
> Her normal vet is open today and we will call them, but I thought I'd
> post for experiences here. Basically, how long do these things take,
> presuming the string passes through her without serious problems?
>
The string can get entangled in the intestines and never come out. She
can die. Take her to the vet. She may need surgery. If nothing else, the
vet can give her an enema and speed things along.
If the string were going to come out on its own with no problems, I'd
say 48 hours. However, after 48 hours, if it wasn't going to come out on
its own, the intestines might already be badly damaged.
--
~kaeli~
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
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MAG
tiny...@NOSPAM.comcast.net says...
Hi Kaeli-
Thanks for the feedback. Meanwhile, we spoke with her regular vet who
advised holding off on surgery for now (we're at 38 hours). They advised
increasing the laxative dosage. Surgery carries its own risks, and they
are advising us to wait and see for the next day or so. So far the cat
is giving no signs of distress, eating well, and pooping normally.
I just hate the idea of her intestines being chewed up! This is so
stressful.
Marc
kaeli
Some...@somewhere.com enlightened us with...
>
> advised holding off on surgery for now (we're at 38 hours). They advised
> increasing the laxative dosage. Surgery carries its own risks, and they
> are advising us to wait and see for the next day or so. So far the cat
> is giving no signs of distress, eating well, and pooping normally.
>
> I just hate the idea of her intestines being chewed up! This is so
> stressful.
>
I sympathise. One of our cats ate a piece of a shoelace once. Thank
goodness she was okay - the vet gave her an enema and was able to remove
it. It was only 6 inches though.
I hope your kitty turns out to be all right.
--
~kaeli~
Kill one man and you are a murderer. Kill millions and you
are a conqueror. Kill everyone and you are God.
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Phil P.
"MAG" <Some...@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1a229a283...@news.md.comcast.giganews.com...
If I were you, I'd have an ultrasound study done ASAP to make sure the
string isn't pleating up the intestines. X-rays won't show the string, but
they might show pleated intestines. I'd repeat the ultrasounds until she
passes the string... I tend to err on the side of caution which some
people consider "overreacting"... but that's just me.
String and threads are particularly dangerous because they tend to pleat up
the intestine and also cut through the intestine wall leading to the very
serious condition of peritonitis.
Best of luck.
Phil
KellyH
>
> Thanks for the feedback. Meanwhile, we spoke with her regular vet who
> advised holding off on surgery for now (we're at 38 hours). They advised
> increasing the laxative dosage. Surgery carries its own risks, and they
> are advising us to wait and see for the next day or so. So far the cat
> is giving no signs of distress, eating well, and pooping normally.
>
> I just hate the idea of her intestines being chewed up! This is so
> stressful.
>
I would take her to get an ultrasound ASAP, as others suggested. If you
haven't seen any string come out of her yet, then I would worry.
My cat Argyle died from swallowing fishing line when he was only 3 years
old. We had no idea that he ate it until it was too late. He was hiding in
my closet and very ill. Part of his intestine had to be removed, but he had
developed a bad infection and died post-op. Granted, fishing line is a lot
more likely to cut through something than a cotton string, but I would
definitely err on the side of caution in this case. You are lucky that you
saw your cat eat the string and can monitor her. We had no idea when Argyle
ate the fishing line.
--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
Check out www.snittens.com
MAG
says...
Hi guys-
Still waiting. Thanks for the followups. We've talked to our vet, and
she says that as long as the cat is eating and pooping normally, and
acting otherwise normally, that she will probably pass the string OK.
So, we've been advised to sit tight for the moment. I'll keep you all
posted.
Marc
Matt
ate 2 feet of dental floss it took some time to come out again (couple
of days or so). When it eventually did show up it was hanging out of
the cats butt and I pulled it out. I guess this is not recommended
(didn't know that back then) but the piece of string sticking out of
his butt didn't agree with my tomcats idea of what his butt looks is
suppossed to look like and he went beserk trying to get it out
himself.
Michele
If the string comes out of the butt, CUT IT! DON'T pull it.
I guess you were lucky...
Now you all know.
When I was a kid, our cats used to eat tinsel off the christmas tree
and it would come out of their butts. We stopped using tinsel and the
problem disappeared somehow.
Michele
i_hear_the_...@yahoo.com (Matt) wrote in message news:<8d601f79.03111...@posting.google.com>...
MAG
report that our cat, Mariposa, passed the string this morning, about 2.5
days after she ate it. It was all wadded up in two BIG turds connected
by the string, but came out normally.
We were quite worried yesterday when she stopped pooping and even took
her to the vet. Her signs were excellent. They said she was "working
on it" and to give it time as she seemed to be doing well. Turned out
to be the right thing.
She might be a little sore down there, judging from the size of the
turds, but the high drama is over for now.
Yea!
Marc
Mary
kaeli
Some...@somewhere.com enlightened us with...
>
> turds, but the high drama is over for now.
>
Glad to hear that everything...well, came out okay. *g*
I love a happy ending.
--
~kaeli~
A backward poet writes... inverse.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
Meghan Noecker
>When I was a kid, our cats used to eat tinsel off the christmas tree
>and it would come out of their butts. We stopped using tinsel and the
>problem disappeared somehow.
I have a cat that will eat anything. So, there are certain items that
are contraband in the house. No easter grass. He loves that stuff. He
no longer eats tape cassettes, thankfully. Those weren't always easy
to hidem and i had to buy tapes for other family members on multiple
ocassions.
We can use the tinsel garland stuff on the tree, but it has to be out
of reach, and cannot be left laying around anywhere. No ribbons on
packages.
He also likes to eat natural brooms (my other cats refer the synthetic
brooms). And we also keep rubber bands in drawers.
Meghan & the Zoo Crew
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com