My cat ate yarn and is gagging, but eating. Is this an emergency?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Zula! If she is extremely lethargic and is vomiting a lot she should go to the ER today. If she seems ok and the vomiting is minimal she should she your Vet first thing in the morning in case she needs surgery. I wish you the best of luck!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Juna is obsessed with anything stringy, you will have to be vigilant about ensuring that she does not have access to anything she could possibly chew and ingest. When cats eat anything linear or stringy, they are at a HUGE risk of a linear foreign body obstruction, which is a surgical emergency and is life threatening. This occurs when a piece of the string/ribbon/yarn gets anchored in one part of their GI tract (ie under their tongue, in the stomach, etc) and the rest of the intestines end up scrunching up around it as they try to contract and move it along. The string can ultimately saw through and perforate the intestines, causing a septic abdomen. I recommend purchasing cat toys that are very durable and do not have any sort of fabric/string/yarn associated with them, and encourage Juna to play with those. If you ever notice that she is vomiting, hiding, uninterested in eating, and you believe she may have ingested any string, please have Juna seen by a veterinarian immediately so diagnostics (abdominal x-rays) can be done to evaluate for a foreign body obstruction in her intestines. I hope this is helpful, and good luck!

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!

Thread can cause something we call a linear foreign body which can be very serious. I am attaching a handout with more information about that below. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3541 If Tursu does not seem to be feeling well, stops eating or has any more vomiting, it is a medical emergency and he needs to see your vet right away because he may need surgery. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Tursu is fine. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Yin. I would recommend having your veterinarian assess Yin. String foreign material can be a cause of severe intestinal obstruction and damage. There is also the possibility that the string will pass on its own, but you would be taking a big risk. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ingested string is a very serious concern as it has the potential to cause an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract which may require surgery. You will need to visit your nearest emergency veterinarian to induce vomiting as soon as possible. After 2 hours, inducing vomiting will have little to no effect as the string will have likely passed through her stomach. Best of luck to you and Oreo!

You can ask as many questions you like! I would take her into a vet to be safe, as these strings can often get caught in a cat's mouth around the tongue. The other problem with strings is that they can cause a linear foreign body. If you can get her into a vet now to induce vomiting, then you can prevent an obstruction from happening. The vet can also check her mouth to see if it's stuck in there.