My cat ate a rubber band and is still throwing up. What to do?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Rubber bands can form linear foreign bodies, which are very dangerous to cats. In Majid case, it also could be that a piece of a hairband or rubber has tangled up at the base of the tongue and is causing heaving and distress. If Majid has been vomiting that much, it would be safer if you take him to your local vets today to check him over.

Since your cat has a history of ingesting a foreign body and has been vomiting so frequently I would be concerned. I would recommend taking him in to the vet to be examined and have X-rays performed to rule out a potential intestinal blockage. If a blockage is present emergency surgery may be needed. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Holly. It sounds like Holly may have some rubber bands stuck in her stomach that are causing an obstruction. She will need to be seen by a veterinarian and have x-rays taken. If confirmed that she has an obstruction, the most likely next step is that she will need surgery to remove these rubber bands. Holly must feel really sick since this has been going on for a week. Have her evaluated today to prevent any further damage to her GI tract. Rubber banks may cause intestines to become piled and this can lead to multiple complications. Do not offer her food until she is evaluated by your veterinarian. If your veterinarian cannot see Holly today, you should bring her to another veterinarian or emergency clinic today. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Yes you always have to be worried with potential foreign body ingestions. Hair ties are pretty small so the chance that they can cause blockages are slim, but they can still get stuck in the intestines and cause problems There are two possibilities at this point: 1) There is another hair tie still in there ( this will take some deductive reasoning in your part) that is stuck. 2) All hair ties have been expelled and your pet now just has an upset stomach due to dietary indiscretion. The odds are good because it is very small and had no sharp edges. With small foreign bodies it is recommended feed the pet a bulking agent like 1/2-1 loaf of bread or canned food that will help bind any additional objects within the GI tract and potentially help expel them out of the system. Good luck with your kitty and I hope that things will progress uneventful in the next couple of days. - Dr.H

Oh no it's not good that Kitty ate that vomit! At most, I would expect that eating this vomit could cause some GI upset, causing her to vomit and/or have diarrhea. It's good that it doesn't look like she has eaten the plastic bag, and if she ate the bag, I would be concerned that the bag could cause a foreign body obstruction. Keep an eye on her for now, and if you see any vomiting or diarrhea, I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps her. I recommend withholding food for 12-24 hours, then feeding a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, she vomits the bland diet, the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, she stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Willie! Given that it appears she has vomited a foreign object (decorative balls from your bedspread) and the face she isn't eating, I would take her into a vet now. It's actually very serious when a cat doesn't eat, as they will develop a fatty liver when they go too long without eating. A fatty liver is fatal without treatment, so that needs to be avoided. She may need x-rays to determine if she has any more of those balls in her GI tract. Please take her into a vet now. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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!