My cat has poop stuck by a hair, did I hurt her trying to pull it?

Thank you for submitting your question Bosbos. He appears to have eaten a hair or thread. You can try to remove it with very gentle pressure. If it does not does come out, do not pull harder. It could be stuck to his intestines. If you cannot easily remove it, then he should see his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Definitely do not pull the plastic out. It could be anchored "further up" and you may do significant damage to her gastrointestinal tract by pulling on it. Monitor her closely over the next day or so for lethargy, vomiting, and decreased or absent appetite, and check the litterbox to see that she eventually does poop it out. If you don't see the plastic, or any of those signs develop, take her in to your veterinarian.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would not pull on the hair and I would let it pass on its own. If it is just a single piece of long hair, your cat should be able to pass it on his/her own. If your cat ever becomes inappetant, vomits or has diarrhea, these may be signs of a gastrointestinal obstruction, which is a surgical emergency. It is possible the hair is attached to something else inside your cat's gastrointestinal system which could potentially cause an obstruction. If your cat is otherwise healthy and acting OK, I would simply monitor his feces for the passing of the hair. I hope this is helpful!

HI there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he is otherwise able to pass feces and you have removed some of it, he is most likely going to be just fine. It sounds like you have already done the best you can so please try to avoid getting scratched further. Good luck and have a good night!

You can try to ease it out. Use some vaseline and gently massage the outside of the rectum to stimulate her. If this doesn't work, then visit your vet to have some help here; however, unless it is stuck to hair it should come out on its own. You can also try a warm saline only enema to see if that can loosen things up. Best of luck to you and I hope that you get Fluffy comfortable soon! Take care.

A little added fiber or a daily pet probiotic can help firm up loose stools, however bringing a stool sample into the vet to rule out anything such as parasites or an underlying illness causing it is a good idea. In some cases, even normal stools can sometimes get stuck on long-haired cats. Gently trimming the area to make it less easy for stool to stick, or using a pet wipe after Pockey gets out of the litter box before the stool can dry may help make it easier to clean.

It is hard to tell for sure whether this is poop or a growth; however, at this age dried poop is more probable. You can try some KY jelly or Vaseline massages on it for a few days to see if it softens up and falls off. You may also need to do a mild soap and water rinse on the area, if tolerated. This is seen a lot with cats. The poop gets stuck to the mucosa as it exits the rectum and then just sits there for a period of time. As long as the skin itself is not red or irritated looking, or excessive licking ensues, then its fine to try to resolve this on your own. I must also mention though, there is a good chance this will repeat itself, so weekly or bi-weekly maintenance may be needed to help remove the feces and prevent further infections to develop on the skin. I hope this helps and best wishes with your pet Smoak moving forward! Take care.