My cat ate tissue paper and is vomiting. Is it an emergency?

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.

It may not be toxic but it can cause an obstruction. Given that Misha is throwing it up, he should see a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do back home and he needs to be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible as this type of foreign body can cause chronic inflammation and sit down in the gastrointestinal system for long time if not removed appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I can certainly understand being worried about your cat eating plastic! The problem with plastic is that is can get caught in the GI tract, causing an obstruction. The best thing to do is to take him into a vet on call or an ER vet to get a shot to induce vomiting now. That will get the plastic out of him, and prevent any chance of obstruction. If it did cause an obstruction, he would need surgery to remove it, so it's better to avoid a big surgery bill now by having him induced to vomit to remove it. There is a chance it could pass on it's own, and you can chose to monitor him over the next 72 hours. Signs of obstruction including vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, and constipation, and should you see any of those signs, he would need to see a vet immediately. In my opinion, it's best to be safe, so I would recommend taking him into a vet now.

Oh dear - poor Mickey! I agree that it's very concerning that she's been vomiting so much today and hasn't been eating or drinking. It's less surprising to me that she isn't using the litter box right now -- remember, nothing going in means nothing coming out. Given her young age, the most common cause for vomiting with a loss of appetite is a gastrointestinal obstruction or blockage from eating something she shouldn't have. As a result, I would strongly recommend taking Mickey to an emergency vet right away for evaluation. They'll be able to examine her and perform any necessary diagnostics (namely x-rays) to help get to the bottom of this issue. If Mickey is diagnosed with an obstruction, she'll need surgery to remove the blockage. In this situation, it's best not to delay treatment. I hope that she makes a speedy recovery!

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.

I would take Moony to a vet ASAP especially if she is vomiting up plastic. She obviously ingested something she shouldn't have. Vomiting 7 times in one day is very serious and could be an indication of an intestinal obstruction. The sooner she is treated, the better. I do not suggest you wait. Hope this helps. Best wishes.