# My cat swallowed an earplug..



## MyBabiesDaddy

Hi,

So tonight I bent down and a green, foam earplug fell out of my pocket. My cat (1.5 year old) grabbed it and ran away. I thought he'd just chew it and stuff, but turns out he swallowed it. Should I be concerned? I think a few weeks ago he also swallowed two of them (again I thought he had just played with them, didn't think he'd think they were food) and I think he was constipated for a while because of it. Anyway, what do you guys think? Should I be worried?


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## grrawritsjordi

I am not sure what to do about the situation now, but in the future I would make sure not to let the cat eat the earplugs or have anything that may resemble food lying around. I knew someone who had a cat that would lick their ears/eat q-tips because they liked the taste of earwax, so maybe your cat thinks it is food because of the earwax.

I would see how he does and take him to the vet if it causes any blockage. I am assuming that is something that doesn't digest well. My cats were eating packing peanuts and I had to throw a whole bag away.

Good luck!!


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## spirite

I can't even visualize how big an earplug is right now, but it seems kind of big for a kitty to eat. Maybe he just chased them somewhere where you can't see them, like under the fridge? Or did he pass them in his poop?

If he's eating and acting like his normal self, it's probably ok, even if he ate it. 

grrawritsjordi, I wonder if that's what attracted my first cat and made her eat part of a Qtip... I had no idea what was wrong with her. After I took her to the vet and paid for bloodwork, she pooped it out the next day.


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## MyBabiesDaddy

It's a relatively smallish ear plug, i guess. they all seem the same size to me though. a few weeks ago he went nuts with 2 earplugs, but he was keeping it away from his kitten brother so he ran away with it. my girlfriend looked for it because she was worried, but I honestly didn't think much of it because I didn't think he'd eat it. Now that you mention it, I also think it's the ear wax he's attracted to. You should've seen him wind around my leg after he swallowed it, begging me to give him another one!! it's like a treat for him!! Anyway, I watched him play with this one, and he chewed on it for a bit, and then it was gone and he was licking his chops, so he definitely swallowed it. i wonder if they have ear-wax flavored cat food?

anyway, this happened about 2 hours ago, so I'll have to wait. How do I know if he's "Stopped up"? I've fed him pumpkin and food in pumpkin broth (Solstice), so I hope that'll help him poop it out more freely. My girlfriend is panicking, thinking it'll "plug" him up and she's wanting to take him to the vet for whatever reason. I'm taking more of the let's wait and see attitude.


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## Carmel

I would be concerned, and keep a close eye on him until it passes through his system. An earplug is a pretty big size for a cat to pass without obstructing things. Didn't you find the other one(s) in his poop? If you don't see it in the litter box in a few days it should be time for x-rays.


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## orrymain

I would be concerned. My Orry swallowed a piece of window/door insulation foam about the size of an earplug and needed emergency surgery to have the obstruction removed. I had no idea he had even swallowed it. When he started vomiting and not being himself I took him to the vet. It did not show up on regular X-ray. The vet gave him barium and then it showed up on another x-ray. Please keep an eye on your cat. If he starts vomiting take him to the vet immediately, time is of the essence in these cases. Good luck.


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## grrawritsjordi

spirite said:


> grrawritsjordi, I wonder if that's what attracted my first cat and made her eat part of a Qtip... I had no idea what was wrong with her. After I took her to the vet and paid for bloodwork, she pooped it out the next day.


I would assume earwax has a lot of nutrition in it as it is a build up of wax and oils from our body. Cats use their sense of smell less than we do when it comes to determining what food is good for them. (If we smell something that is good, we are more likely to eat it than something that smells awful, even if it is good for you. Brussels sprouts... EWW). They probably sense that the earwax is nutritional, therefore it is a nice tasty snack! They are like "Hey! Don't be mad, I'm just trying to get my daily dose of nutrients."

Animals are strange. I had a guinea pig that loved cloth. She would chew on clothes, sheets, blankets towels and just about anything she could get her little teeth on. We had a dog that ate plastic bags. (I am not sure that the plastic bags were for any sort of nutrients as they are terrible for the environment, the dog was not the brightest.)


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## Marcia

I agree, keep an eye on him. If these are the soft foamy ones they won't show up on an Xray. Get rid of them and buy yourself the reusable ones on a string that go around your neck.
When our son and his wife lived with us for year (ugh - NEVER again), she used to leave the baby's bottle sitting around. Billy the cat used to chew on the nipples and ended up eating the silicone. Made DIL mad as *ell. Made me LOL (and secretly think "I warned you!") but I don't think Billy ever got sick over it. I NEVER tried to stop him because DIL was such a *itch.


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## grrawritsjordi

Marcia said:


> When our son and his wife lived with us for year (ugh - NEVER again), she used to leave the baby's bottle sitting around. Billy the cat used to chew on the nipples and ended up eating the silicone. Made DIL mad as *ell. Made me LOL (and secretly think "I warned you!") but I don't think Billy ever got sick over it. I NEVER tried to stop him because DIL was such a *itch.


So sorry your DIL was awful. My boyfriend is a mommas boy (not saying your son is) so I make a conscious effort to think of his mom's feelings before I do or say anything around her. We have been together for three years, and the only time we have ever had a problem was when my boyfriend and I moved out here to CA. He flew out here, but I drove my car and my boyfriend's mom and step dad drove his car with a Uhaul. Because of the three days on the road and lack of sleep, we got into a few little tiffs, but now we are good as gold. 

Hope your relationship with her got better.


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## MyBabiesDaddy

Well, it's been about 12 hours since he swallowed the earplug and so far he hasn't popped it. He played normally with his brother this morning, but didn't eat as much as usual. He also woke mommy up A LOT this morning me he seemed restless. He probably has a stomach ache  he hasn't thrown up though. What would the vet do to get it out? I can't imagine they'd need surgery for a foam earplug; do they just give him something to make him poop?


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## orrymain

"What would the vet do to get it out? I can't imagine they'd need surgery for a foam earplug; do they just give him something to make him poop?"

No, once in gets stuck in the intestinal track it will have to be removed surgically. He will not be able to poop it out. If he continues to not be himself with or without vomiting please take him to the vet just to be on the safe side. I'm sure the others with more experience with cats than me will also advise you as to what's best for your cat.


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## MowMow

Ok, I sleep in earplugs and Shepherd Book has swallowed ...a lot of them. He *LOVES* them and if I don't keep them inside a case he works open the bedside drawer and pulls them out so he can nom them down.

He has always thrown them back up or pooped them out. They are foamy and soft so they SEEM to squish up enough to pass through. I would keep an eye out for a few days to make sure it passes (or is tossed back up) and if nothing or you notice kitty stops eating head to the vet. 

Now I keep mine in a plastic case that he can't see through (if he sees them he'll work the case until he gets it open) and inside the bed side drawer under a book. I have a very determined cat.

ETA: Determined enough that he's woken me up at night, trying to get the earplug out of my ear.


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## MyBabiesDaddy

MowMow, that's funny that shepherd book will try to get them out of your ear  after Cuddles ate the ear plug he came back and begged me for another! Lol! Maybe I should pick my ear and let him lick my finger


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## cinderflower

wow. i never knew so many cats like earwax. i only have one that does, so i've been throwing away my q-tips in a separate little bag. i flush my dental floss because they will dig it out of the trash (q-tips too). the floss is obvious to me because it's string, but i don't want them swallowing a long durable piece. i read something somewhere (like my acuracy? lol) about the barbs on their tongue make it so they can't spit out string once they get started.

i just don't leave anything smallish foamish/rubberish lying around. the same cat who likes earwax likes to eat packing peanuts so i always request they please use something else. i don't think i'd intentionally feed her earwax though. it might have "nutritious" properties but one of the main reasons it's there is to trap dirt so ew.


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## ezmeray

wow, I'm pretty sure I would be beyond freaking out if my cat swallowed something as big as an earplug (I mean, that just seems really big to pass through the cat's body normally?), but then, I don't have that much experience (only having one at a time) with cats I guess, so I defer to those with more. I'm increasingly thankful the weirdest thing my cat tries to steal from me is saltine crackers.. 

But, isn't it still possible that your cat batted it under the refrigerator or something? (my cat has lost so many small objects/toys under big furniture) I mean, if you didn't actually SEE him.


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## MyBabiesDaddy

How in the world did you test this? Did you actually give her ear wax?

Also, @Ezmeray, although he was sitting with his back to me, I watched him the whole time. He chewed it, then spit it out, then chewed it some more...and then he was licking his whiskers and the earplug was gone. I guess I have yummy ear wax. 



Kitty-The-Cat said:


> I just did a test on my current cat and - yes, she likes earwax too! It's official: Cats like weird things. I hope there's some nutritional benefit to this. :cat3


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## MyBabiesDaddy

Oh, an update. I came home from work an hour ago, and I saw a pile of vomit near his dry food. It was a mixture of his dry food and some goop, but no ear plug  I don't think he liked the flavor of his new wet food, so he ate dry food instead. However, since he usually eats mainly wet food, I guess it was too rich for him. I am eagerly awaiting the next time he poops, I hope the ear plug is in it.


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## spirite

MyBabiesDaddy said:


> I am eagerly awaiting the next time he poops,


I find myself saying this often, and then realize how funny it must sound to people who don't have pets.


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## Zilla

spirite said:


> I find myself saying this often, and then realize how funny it must sound to people who don't have pets.


Hahaha me too.... They all think we are nuts :|


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Mysticalmudd

I use to sleep with ear plugs...Justin would eat the ear plug that would fall out while I slept and then meow around after awhile. If you are lucky like me all I had to do was rub his belly for awhile, he let me know his belly didn't feel right but then he passed it. However that ear plug became the best thing he has ever eaten and when I felt him snuggling near my ear while I slept for another I knew I had a real problem. I have since learned to sleep (kind of) with the sound of snoring humans and cats (Lily sleeps under my side of the bed and can snore with the best of them).


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