My cat ate Easter streamers and is hiding. When should I see a vet?

It can take up to 72 hours for signs of an obstruction to occur, and if she does get a linear foreign body from eating this ribbon, she will need surgery to remove it. Waiting until morning to see the vet will be too late to induce vomiting in Shadow, there is only a window of two hours in order to do this. I would take her into an ER vet or find a vet on call now to see her to induce vomiting with a shot.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms of linear foreign body are usually evident within a few days (1-3 days) after ingestion. The most consistent symptom is vomiting, which can be persistent (every few hours) or infrequent (for example every other day). As long as Tommy is not vomiting and he is not showing any other worrying symptoms like poor appetite, abdominal pain, difficulties to defecate you should continue monitoring him at home for another few days. If after that time he remains asymptomatic, it will mean that he is out of trouble.

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.

If the X-rays are still looking ok at this point, and he is eating, no vomiting, not painful, and is active and happy, its reasonable to just keep monitoring him. That is very concerning, and you do need to watch him very very closely. If he does start to show a decrease in appetite, or starts vomiting or straining to defecate or having diarrhea, take him back to your vet, and X-rays will need to be repeated. In the meantime, just ensure that he has plenty of water available to drink; put multiple water dishes throughout the house, and maybe offer him some canned food as well. The better hydrated he is, the healthier his bowel will be to function and tolerate the foreign material. Again, do watch him very closely. If he did ingest that large a piece of ribbon, he will be very lucky if he's able to pass that without incident. (but its possible!) My fingers are crossed for you!

Just monitor her for the moment; unfortunately strings and any type of linear foreign body can sit in the intestine and stomach for ages before coming out!. As long as she eating fine and drinking ok and passing feces and urine normally and being normal in terms of demeanor and activity level she will be ok and she won't need any check up. You could potentially give her some mineral oil (2mls every meal )like paraffin oil to lubricate the gastrointestinal canal and help to get rid of the strings if there. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Tape should not cause a problem, and it should pass in time. To be safe, monitor him for vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and/or lethargy. If you see any of those signs, take him into the vet. 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.