Cats and String: A Dangerous Combination
Common household items such as embroidery floss, spools of sewing thread, rubber bands and even dental floss can be life threatening for a cat. Sometimes the thread or string can pass through the cat's digestive tract without serious injury if it's small enough. Unfortunately that is not always the case, especially if the cat swallows a large amount of string, twine or thread. Just imagine how much sewing thread a cat can swallow from even a miniature size spool of thread. The string or thread can get wrapped around the tongue and if swallowed can wrap around inside the intestines and cause the cat to become very ill and will lead to eventual death. The thread can even cut into the intestines. Surgery can sometimes be the only chance of survival and that isn't always successful. If you suspect your cat has gotten into some type of thread or string, be alert for the first sign of problems. If your cat begins vomiting abnormally, (more than the usual hairball) diarrhea, or constipation, lethargy or any erratic or unusual behavior, take her to the veterinarian quickly and assume she swallowed the string. The longer you put it off, the less chance the cat has for survival.
I knew someone many years ago who found this out the hard way with a spool of thread her beloved Siamese cats found. She wasn't aware of the problem immediately, but finally did realize what the cats had ingested when she found the sewing thread on the floor. After taking the cats to the veterinarian, the x-rays proved the seriousness of the situation. The thread or string can get tangled in the intestines and cause blockages and/or internal bleeding. Amazingly after very serious surgery, her story had a happy ending. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. It's just so much easier to be "safe than sorry" when it comes to our cats. Treat them as if they are children and try to eliminate the dangers before anything traumatic can happen to the cat.
Pay attention to the things your cat finds interesting and if it's dangerous, keep it out of sight. My cat has a bizarre fascination with curling ribbon. You know, the kind we all love to decorate our wrapped presents with because it can be formed into those cute ringlets of ribbon. This is my favorite ribbon, but I know I can't use it on a package unless it's immediately going out of the door with me. He will eat it until he throws it up! I don't know why, but he likes it. I have to store it in a drawer.
It's best to keep all small objects picked up and out of sight of your cat. Besides strings and threads, a cat can choke on small objects just as a baby can. I prefer to assume cat toys are dangerous until proven otherwise. I have seen several (and bought a few) that have some type of string with tiny bells or feathers attached to a little pole. They come apart quite easily and then can pose a choking hazard. Cats also have a fascination with plastics and plastic bags. I have actually watched a cat eat pieces of a plastic grocery bag. I don't understand this, but I know it can't be healthy and can cause intestinal blockages. Cats have such a fascination with bags and love to crawl in them. Paper bags are a better choice for your cat to use as a hiding place. I was unloading groceries and left one of those small plastic bags on the floor. These typical grocery bags have the built-in handle grasps and within a few minutes my cat was in the bag. His head was through one of the holes used as a handle and he was panicked and getting it wrapped around his neck. I can imagine what could have happened if I was not right there with him. When it comes to our cats, it's better to err on the side of caution and assume if there is trouble to be found, our feline friends will find it!
Published by Donna Kay - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Donna Kay is an avid DIY home and garden enthusiast. She enjoys making a house feel beautiful, inviting and comfortable, but doing it all very inexpensively. As a long time homeowner, Donna has learned a thi... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentMy cat swallowed about 2 feet of string last night around 11pm, my mom and i were frantically searching for advice and found a few sites that recommended inducing vomiting with a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (look up the dosage from a vet site to make sure.) After an hour of no puking, we'd lost hope that the would puke it up and just crossed our fingers that he would pass it. We gave him Cat Lax to try to help. I stayed with him on the couch and woke up when my hand landed in a pile of cat yak at about 6:00 in the morning. I desperately dug through the puke and FOUND THE STRING!!!!! YAAAYYYY!!!! 6 hours later. I'm surprised it took so long, but so happy he's ok. String of any sort is now banned from our household.
I had to put my 7 year old cat down yesterday because of this. I had no idea that this could happen. The surgery was going to be 3000-5000 dollars. PLEASE be careful of this! It happens so quickly and it is hard to diagnose if it happens. My life was torn apart in one day because of a stupid string....RIP Yoda I miss you so much!!!!
My cat swallowed thread in July, and has swallowed it again. She is currently in the animal hospital, waiting until tomorrow for her surgery. She's currently on IV fluids and she's looking BAD. :-( Breaks my heart. Even if you think you have it all hidden, they seem to find it anyways.
my cat just swallowed 2 feet of sewing thread.. She kept on throwing up and hiding i knew something was wrong. The vet called it exploratory surgery. It cost me between 5 and 8 hundred dollars. Had to put it on a credit card.
But at least she's ok now.
Wish I had read your article sooner. :(. Waiting to see how my cat does. Can't afford the $3000 for surgery.
if you cat has swallowed dental floss please get her to vet right away,
this can wrap around her intestines and shred it.
my cat also has swalloed something that may be caught in his intestine the sad part is that i dont have 3000 to have the surgery i call every where and they are telling me there is nothing they can do I cant beleive i may have to put my lil buddy to sleep he is only 1 years old
I just had my cat in surgery ( about $400) today to remove a string that she ate. I had caught it soon enough that it is not in the intestine and she is going to make a full recovery. But right now she is taking it easy, the poor thing had all her fur shaved off under her and has a whole line of stitches. I'm glad I found her in time, I never would have guessed how dangerous strings are but now I know and am a lot smarter. Like it has been said before DON'T pull on the string (I did this by mistake), the vet said you can do more damage and even if you pull hard enough you could cut into the intestine
My cat just ate about a 8 inch piece of dental floss! I'm now scared to death. Is it possible for her to pass it? I heard that I am in no way to try to pull it from her. Has anyone heard of a cat eating dental floss and being ok? Of course it's a Sunday and I'm sure my vet is not in today!
my cate was choking on thread the other day, and i ended up tackling her, and trying to pull it out of her mouth, but it ended up breaking the thread..
i was worried about her choking to death, as she seemed to have a lot of trouble breathing... now that i read this, i wish i hadn't pulled so hard, but i had no idea what else to do!
now today she is acting very lethargic, and she pooped on the carpet, which she hasn't done in MANY years..
im afraid we won't be able to pay a lot of money for an expensive surgery, so im REALLY worried. we're in the process of phoning a vet right now!
:( she's one of my favorite beings in the entire universe!! :( i had been hoping the thread would simply dissolve in her stomach! we also don't know if there was a needle on the end of the thread! a terrifying thought!
she's over 10 years old!