My cat ate string and vomited it days later. Is this normal?

Once he threw up the balloon and the entire length of string, he should be fine. The offending foreign body has left his gastrointestinal system. However you should really check your house for any more items like that including string, as a linear foreign body (string causing an intestinal blockage) is a serious problem and would need surgery to remove. So since your kitty regurgitated the entire string and balloon he should be okay.

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!

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.

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.

Hello, You may have gotten very lucky and that was all that was in there. If not watch for any continued vomiting, difficulty/pain when pooping and any behavior changes (sleeping more, not wanting to eat, etc) those would indicate a need to got to the vet. They may want to do xrays at that point to see if there is evidence of any string caught in the intestine.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is possible that this was causing her an obstruction and now she has thrown it up and defecated some of it and has thankfully relieved her obstruction. That is good as surgery is needed in most cases as they are not able to pass it or throw it up on their own. You can continue to monitor her for signs of an on-going obstruction such as vomiting, abdominal pain, inappetence or lethargy and if observed, have her examined then as soon as possible as that may represent an emergency. Otherwise, if she is back to her normal self and no more symptoms show, she may be ok. Good luck!

Poor Lota! This fabric craft ball could have been causing her vomiting, as it wouldn't be easy for her to pass through her GI system. Given that she is acting normal, I would continue to monitor for her now. You can feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple days, then slowly add back in her normal diet. If she starts vomiting again, becomes anorexic, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, I would have Lota seen by a vet immediately.