Cat ate cotton string. Dangerous? Should I take her to the vet?

String foreign bodies can become entangled in the bowel and cause significant complications. I would monitor her very closely for any signs of pain, discomfort, vomiting or altered stools and also contact your vets office to discuss the option of removal before they have a chance to become an obstruction

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Juna is obsessed with anything stringy, you will have to be vigilant about ensuring that she does not have access to anything she could possibly chew and ingest. When cats eat anything linear or stringy, they are at a HUGE risk of a linear foreign body obstruction, which is a surgical emergency and is life threatening. This occurs when a piece of the string/ribbon/yarn gets anchored in one part of their GI tract (ie under their tongue, in the stomach, etc) and the rest of the intestines end up scrunching up around it as they try to contract and move it along. The string can ultimately saw through and perforate the intestines, causing a septic abdomen. I recommend purchasing cat toys that are very durable and do not have any sort of fabric/string/yarn associated with them, and encourage Juna to play with those. If you ever notice that she is vomiting, hiding, uninterested in eating, and you believe she may have ingested any string, please have Juna seen by a veterinarian immediately so diagnostics (abdominal x-rays) can be done to evaluate for a foreign body obstruction in her intestines. I hope this is helpful, and good luck!

That's not good. Open Apollo's mouth to see if may be caught around his tongue or back teeth. You may not get a good view, so take him into the vet in the morning to have them check if it's there. If it is there, it can be removed, and prevent problems. Otherwise, he may have swallowed it completely, and you have to monitor him for signs of a linear foreign body. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or lethargy, take him into a vet right away. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ingested string is a very serious concern as it has the potential to cause an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract which may require surgery. You will need to visit your nearest emergency veterinarian to induce vomiting as soon as possible. After 2 hours, inducing vomiting will have little to no effect as the string will have likely passed through her stomach. Best of luck to you and Oreo!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could have been due to a partial obstruction. If she vomited all the obstructing material (string) then she may be ok. However, if she continues to vomit, this may be due to an obstruction and further therapy may be needed. If the issue continues, I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

It would be best to seek veterinary care in person ASAP as linear foreign bodies can cause a lot of GI issues if left untreated. Your vet can help monitor Silence, and let you know if he requires surgery or if it looks like things are passing.

1.5 " of a string should not really be a problem and will likely come out the natural way. It is too short to cause a linear foreign body obstruction. If you check her poo for the next 3-4 days you should be able to find it eventually. Apart from that I would monitor her for diarrhea and possibly retching/vomiting. If that occurs, please see your vet right away.