Why do cats swallow thread?
Although cats are naturally playful animals, they may be genetically predisposed to swallowing string (or other long, thin objects).
On the one hand, this simulates swallowing prey.
Another reason could be that the cat may have obsessive-compulsive behavior known as pica.
Pica is a taste disorder that involves eating non-food material.
The most common material is wool (from blankets or socks), but some cats will eat paper, plastic, shoelaces, fishing line, and even human hair. Remember that it can't hurt to consult a veterinarian!
Is it dangerous if a cat eats threads?
Thus, if the tip of a thread or, for example, a Christmas tree “rain” gets into the cat’s mouth, it can swallow up to several meters of its length. This can cause intestinal blockage and is therefore very dangerous for the animal.
What to do if you find that a cat has eaten threads? Provided that the animal feels normal, you can try to help it at home. If the thread was recently swallowed by the cat, you can try to induce vomiting. To do this, salt water is poured into the animal’s mouth - at the rate of 2 teaspoons of salt per liter of liquid.
If some time has already passed since the threads were swallowed, they have probably reached the cat's intestines. In this case, a little Vaseline oil is poured into the cat's mouth through a syringe. It will facilitate the passage of a foreign body through the animal’s intestines. In this case, it is better not to feed the cat for some time. When the threads begin to come out naturally, do not pull on them under any circumstances! This is deadly for the animal because it can injure the insides of the cat. You can only cut off the end of the thread sticking out from under the tail.
What happens when a cat eats thread?
Linear foreign body is what doctors call threads and similar long, thin objects that cats swallow. The cat may have had access to fishing line, yarn, dental floss, or even long-leafed herbs that are not easily cut into pieces. These items are not digested as they pass through the animal's digestive tract.
Sometimes everything goes away without complications, but there is a possibility that a foreign body will group and cause obstruction. Rough edges, needles, and hooks are dangerous because they cause irritation or even perforation of the intestinal walls, which can lead to serious infection.
Another problem is that the thread gets caught at the base of the cat's tongue and stretches all the way to the intestines.
Should you brush your cat's teeth?
How to remove a thread that has not been completely swallowed
If a cat eats a thread and the owner manages to notice it, the pet needs to be helped immediately. The animal itself will not be able to spit out the object due to the structure of its tongue, the roughness of which prevents anything from falling out of the oral cavity. Therefore, if you catch a cat eating thread, you need to intervene and carry out the following actions :
- Take the animal so that it does not resist and, if possible, does not harm the owner.
- Force open the cat's mouth.
- Using your fingers, carefully remove the thread if it remains on the tongue.
In such a situation, the owner is forbidden to hesitate, since cats swallow inedible things at the same speed as regular food.
Symptoms of thread eating
This may bother the cat. You once watched a cat playing with a string, and then suddenly its toy disappeared, but the pet continued to behave normally. It is possible that your pet swallowed her toy.
If there are no complications, the threads will come out with excrement within 10-24 hours. The problem is that it is often impossible to know how much an animal has ingested or whether anything remains in its digestive system.
Monitor your pet's behavior and do not hesitate if he shows the following signs:
- Vomit
- Dry stool
- Refusal to eat or decreased appetite
- Urge to defecate, diarrhea
- Painful stomach
- Fever
- Depression, low mood
- Dehydration (due to vomiting)
Symptoms may appear immediately or over time, depending on the amount of material ingested, as well as the nature of the foreign body's movement through the intestines. Typically, symptoms appear within one to two days. It also happens that the cat ate something a few weeks before the manifestations, which were minor and delayed in time.
How to help a cat if more than 2 hours have passed
If a cat has eaten a thread and more than 2 hours have passed and the animal has not vomited, you should monitor its well-being. If the pet remains playful and his appetite does not spoil, it means that the thread has already entered the intestines and all that remains is to wait for its natural release.
To prevent the danger of a thread several meters long becoming entangled in a cat's body, you should speed up the process of removing the object by giving the animal a laxative. It is best to inject Vaseline oil into your pet's mouth using a syringe. After this you need :
- Make sure your cat goes to the toilet.
- Check whether the thread has begun to come out: whether the tail of the thread peeks out from the animal’s anus. If the tip of the thread is visible, it is forbidden to pull it out so as not to injure your pet’s intestines!
- Carefully cut the thread without touching the anus so that it does not disturb the cat.
- Continue to monitor the animal and cut off the thread gradually coming out until it comes out completely.
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Treatment
If you see a string under your cat's tongue (going down the throat) or protruding from the anus, do not pull on it. This can lead to disruption of the integrity of the organ wall and inflammation.
If you think your cat has ingested a linear foreign object, contact your veterinarian for help. If you see a string at the base of the tongue, take your cat to the vet so it can be safely removed.
You should also contact your veterinarian if you observe the above symptoms in your pet. Even if you think the string came out during a bowel movement, some of it may have remained in the stomach or intestines.
If a thread stretches from your pet's anus and does not show itself in any way, it should be cut off with scissors. And consult your veterinarian: prevention is cheaper than cure.
Kitten development
