My cat swallowed thread, vomited, and passed some. Is he okay?

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tatum! The vomiting could be from residual irritation from the ribbon or there could be more ribbon that is causing an obstruction. It is also possible it is completely unrelated to the ribbon in general: intestinal parasites, hair ball, ate something else gross (plant, etc), pancreatitis, food allergy/intolerance, reaction to a new food/treat/table food. You can continue to watch him but if he continues to vomit or stops eating that is an emergency and he needs to see a vet for an exam and an X-ray to check for a blockage. I wish you the best!

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!

A thread like this should not cause Yuri any problems. You do not need to take him into the hospital, this should pass without issue. Just try to make sure he doesn't swallow any more. 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!

If she swallowed a short thread (so up to 5-6cm long), she should be fine. Long cotton threads pose risk of developing linear foreign body, which is when one end of the thread is anchored in the stomach and the rest of the thread is in the small intestine. You need to monitor Moon closely for the next 2-3 days. If she starts to vomit, goes off her food and become lethargic, you need to take her to your local vets as an emergency.

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.