My cat ate Christmas tree flocking. Is it harmful? What should I do?

Hello, flocking may lead to a GI obstruction primarily if ingested in large quantities. The chemicals used to dye the flocking may carry their own toxicity if any. You can contact the Pet Poison Control line to be on the safe side and ensure there is no risk to your cat. If you cat otherwise seems to be otherwise acting ok, she either did not ingest any, ingested very small amounts, or the product is non-toxic. You should continue to monitor your cat for any evidence of vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased appetite, and contact your veterinarian if you note any. Hope this helps and best of luck. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Phone Number: (888) 426-4435

Since he is uncomfortable and unwilling to eat, I think it would be a good idea to get him seen as soon as possible. Oils from fir trees can irritate the inside of their mouths, causing drooling and vomiting and ingested pine needles can collect together creating an intestinal obstruction or potentially puncture the intestine, leading to a painful condition called peritonitis. I feel it would be best to get him seen in case he gets worse or perhaps ate something else you weren't aware of. As you probably know, cats cannot go for long without eating before developing hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease. Your vet will do an exam, possibly x-rays and labwork, and based on these results, will be better able to tell you what is wrong and how best to treat it.

Oh no, Snow! Tinsel and feathers run the risk of causing an intestinal obstruction/blockage by means of a linear foreign body. In these cases, the material gets stuck in the stomach or intestines and essentially causes the intestines to bunch together like an accordion. Sometimes this material can also get stuck under the tongue, so if you can safely open her mouth to look under the tongue, that would be helpful. If you see material under the tongue or if it has been less than two hours since Snow ate the feathers and tinsel, consider taking her to the vet to have vomiting induced. If it has been longer than two hours since the time of ingestion, you can closely monitor her for signs of vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence, as these can indicate an obstruction. If you do see any of these signs, Snow should be seen by her vet immediately because obstructions are a surgical emergency. That said, it is also quite possible that she passes this material in her stool.

It may not be toxic but it can cause an obstruction. Given that Misha is throwing it up, he should see a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The tree itself will not harm him, nor will drinking the water. The only thing that possibly could harm him if he eats ornaments, ornament hooks, pine needles or tinsel. That can cause an stomach or intestinal obstruction. You can use a motion detector noise deterrent near the tree that goes off as he approaches it that scares him away. You can confine him when you are not home and use a water bottle to squirt him when he is out. Overall Christmas trees and cats are commonly an issue. I hope this helps and I wish you and Bandit the best!

Cats and holiday decorations don’t always mix well. As curious animals, cats tend to explore any new additions to their environment and see many of these shiny, new objects as fun toys. Tinsel is the ultimate shiny object for a cat to play with, which often ends with subsequent ingestion. If ingested, tinsel poses a serious risk of causing an intestinal blockage, also known as a linear foreign body obstruction. This life-threatening surgical emergency can easily be avoided by keeping tinsel out of homes with cats. Other holiday decorations can pose problems to particularly curious cats, such as strings of lights that some cats may try to chew, decorative ornaments or snow globes that look like toys to bat around, or poisonous plants, such as mistletoe or poinsettias. When decorating for the holidays, try to look at your house from your cat’s point of view and keep decorations that look like enticing toys packed away.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend not allowing the cats to drink from the tree stand; if the tree was sprayed or treated with anything while at the tree farm, it could leak into the water that they are drinking. I would gate off the tree, or cover the top of the stand with aluminum foil. Good luck!