Cat owners - advice please?

[tog]

Hello Geeks

I have a CATastrophic situation which I need some help with.
I have been cat-sitting my ex-husband's kitty for the last few days, she's a friendly creature and lots of fun, and her favourite game is chasing after a long piece of string which you have to trail ahead of her whilst she tries to grab at it with her paws.

The last time I played the string game, I noticed the string seemed a bit shorter than usual, maybe she had snapped a bit off, I thought.

Then this evening after playing the string game once more, I glanced down at her and noticed that she had the end of the string in her mouth, it was getting shorter and shorter and she must have been SWALLOWING IT. . YUCK! so that's where the other piece went!

What should I do now? will it affect her? tie itself into knots inside her tum? should I take her to the vet's first thing? look through all her poos in the litter tray and see if it's gone straight through?

Cat lovers, I need your help on this one!!

ps that's her on my avatar . . .

 

[angelina221]

I would call the vet and ask their advice. They may ask you to watch out for signs like vomiting or choking noises. String can get wrapped round their intestines and can cause serious damage so i would call the vet first thing and hopefully she will be ok.

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

Whatever you do....if you see it hanging out the other end....do not be tempted to pull it out in case it is tangled round something.....give the vet a tinkle and see what they say....they will probably tell you to keep an eye on her and look at her poos! Let us know how you get on...im sure shell be fine....you wouldnt believe the things that have come out the other end of my dog pmsl x

 

[fifitrix]

I wouldn't worry too much :hug: What goes in normally comes out no problem.

It is amazing what cats and dogs eat with no side effects.

If she is off her food and seems constipated and is throwing up, then there is a problem, personally I would be more worried if it was wire or the like.

I was a vet nurse for years before I swapped claws for nails. If in doubt and you want reassurance then ring your vet hun.:hug:

 

[The Guild]

It may be worth ringing your vet for advice, but try not to worry too much, it's amazing what they get through. Mine eats hair all the time, and the other day ate two cocktail sticks (while I wasn't loking I hasten to add). If it isn't nailed down, that cat eats it, and she's always fine. I'm sure yours will be too.

They all have a habit of doing stuff like this when someone else is looking after them - I'm sure they're just trying to wind you up!

 

[tonilee]

I am sure it will come out fine BUT if I were you I would contact the vets an ensure you know the process if you do need emergency vets and it may help the vets if they are pre warned about what kitty has eaten.

It is amazing what the little blighters eat and work out of thier systems, once my dog pooped out what looked like a hand, I was mortified but it turned out it was a latex glove!! It came out as a very neat poo parcel and Jay was fine!!:lol:

 

[Annie23]

One of my dogs ate my favourite hair ponytail thingy, it had a lovely large rose attached. The whole rose part was eaten. I contacted the vets and they said not to worry too much and sure enough everything was fine. I was quite upset at the time both for the dog and the hair thing :irked: If in doubt ring the vets as already suggested.

anne xx

 

[min11]

If it was one of mine I'd call the vet just to make sure of how to proceed. Usually things just work their way through but it could bundle up and get stuck. At least they can tell you what symptoms to be look out for until it reappears :hug:

 

[Claudia]

I would agree with Fifitrix on this one, wait and see, she will soon let you know if she aint feeling so good.

 

[tog]

Thanks so much to you all for your interesting and in some cases funny replies!
Tigga has gone home this evening to my ex and she has seemed fine all day. Eating, drinking and playing as usual and definitely not in any discomfort.
I told him what had happened and he wondered if she ate the string as she had no access to outdoors where she usually eats lots of grass in the garden. He's going to keep a close eye on her and report back to me ( and the vet! ) if there are any developments.

I am going to miss that cat, it seems quiet around here already.

I really enjoyed hearing your animal anecdotes btw! :lol:

 

[lucyann]

you should get your own cat I have 3 and the one likes to play with string and similer things especially ribbons, there have been a few times when I've cought her with a few inches of a long ribbon sticking out of her mouth! I'm sure the cat will be ok and if it was only a small amount it should come out the other end, you'd soon know (or your ex will) as she will probably stop eating and possibly start straining over her litter tray if she has one. I work in the pet trade and have heard of worse things being swallowed especially by dogs! from sanitary towels to knickers lol :lol:

 

[tog]

you should get your own cat I have 3 and the one likes to play with string and similer things especially ribbons, there have been a few times when I've cought her with a few inches of a long ribbon sticking out of her mouth! I'm sure the cat will be ok and if it was only a small amount it should come out the other end, you'd soon know (or your ex will) as she will probably stop eating and possibly start straining over her litter tray if she has one. I work in the pet trade and have heard of worse things being swallowed especially by dogs! from sanitary towels to knickers lol :lol:

Hi Luycann
yes I would love to get one!
my partner is unfortunately out of work at the mo, so will wait til he finds another job as I know there are costs involved, vaccinations, vet's bills etc and I'd like to do it properly. So in the meantime we are available for catsitting!
Your ribbon-eating cat sounds cute! they sure are playful aren't they?
Cathy x