My cat ate a ribbon and has diarrhea. Is this an emergency for him?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tatum! The vomiting could be from residual irritation from the ribbon or there could be more ribbon that is causing an obstruction. It is also possible it is completely unrelated to the ribbon in general: intestinal parasites, hair ball, ate something else gross (plant, etc), pancreatitis, food allergy/intolerance, reaction to a new food/treat/table food. You can continue to watch him but if he continues to vomit or stops eating that is an emergency and he needs to see a vet for an exam and an X-ray to check for a blockage. I wish you the best!

Poor Ralph! If he is eating, drinking, and playing, then I would not consider this to be an emergency - it's never wrong to take him to an emergency vet if you're worried, but from what you are describing, I don't think it's necessary right now. If he had an intestinal blockage or other serious problem related to the paper he ingested, I would expect him to be vomiting, not eating, and acting lethargic. Since he's acting normal apart from his diarrhea, it sounds like he just has a mild upset stomach at this point - which is quite common in kittens who have eaten things they shouldn't :) As long as he's feeling fine, you can try feeding him a bland, easily digestible diet of plain boiled chicken or chicken-flavored baby food for the next 2-3 days to see if this helps to resolve the diarrhea now that he has pooped out the piece of paper. If this doesn't help, or if he develops any of the symptoms of an intestinal blockage that I listed above, then I would definitely recommend having him seen by a vet at that point as he may need x-rays or other testing to determine what's going on.

Ziggy may have diarrhea secondary to GI inflammation from the ribbon. As long as he is acting normally, not lethargic, eating well and not vomiting I would just monitor him for now. You can try offering a bland diet of boiled chicken and sweet potato or rice to see if this firms up his stools. It is very important to monitor him for any abnormal signs especially vomiting or not eating. Strings and ribbons can cause a serious GI blockage so if any of the above signs develop Ziggy should be seen by a veterinarian right away. Also, if his diarrhea persists I would recommend seeing your veterinarian as it could be related to GI parasites or may require medication to resolve. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Ziggy's diarrhea resolves quickly!

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!

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, I worry about cats having diarrhea when it lasts for more than two days, or is accompanied by a change in behavior, such as lethargy or increased hiding, or a decrease in appetite. I would not be concerned about a single incident with no other changes. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Make sure he is getting plenty of fluids. I would syringe him water and feed him wet food to get more moisture in him. I would feed a diet of chicken and rice and add in a probiotic such as Purina fortiflora which can be found online quite easily or at your local pet store. If there is no improvement or he worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.