# Cat ate yarn



## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Hey all.

My cat Mekong just threw up a good chunk of yarn. I'd say probably a couple feet of it. I had to cut the strand coming out of his throat so there's definitely more in his stomach. I'm about to go buy some petroleum jelly to give him, and I have all day off work tomorrow so I can be around to watch him. 

What are the danger signs I need to be watching for, and is there anything else I can do to help him? Should I still feed him his dinner?

Thanks. I'm pretty worried.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Here's a thread about cats eating inappropriate things:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=63472&p=629293


WhiteKitties said:


> Keep an eye on her eating and eliminating for a couple of days. If she's eating and drinking without throwing up, and she's pooping, she's probably just fine and it'll pass on its own. If she starts throwing up regularly or isn't pooping, get her to the vet ASAP. *My Fergie ate about eight inches of braided yarn last year, and it had to be surgically removed. If I had waited another day, she might have died from her intestines being ripped apart. * I've now learned to keep ANY object with strings or feathers put away where she can't get it, and I cut the tails off of those toy mice. You also want to make sure to keep small objects that can be swallowed out of her reach - Fergie's eaten earplugs and hairties, and she'll swallow just about anything. It's scary at times, when you can't find something small and you think she's eaten it, but be diligent and you and your kitty will be happy and healthy! :luv


Hopefully, someone will post with advice about what to do at this stage. I hope everything turns out okay. atback


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Thanks for the link. The piece that he got out is something like, 6 ft long. Crazy cat. He seems a bit more subdued than normal but doesn't seem to be in any discomfort.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

8O My apologies, but I think Mekong needs to go to an Emergency Vet right now. 
Reasons:
He threw up six feet of yarn. _TWO YARDS!_ 
He is acting 'subdued'.
You had to cut the yarn so you *know* there is *more* inside.

_IF a quick vomit of 2 yards of string would have put him right, I do not think 'subdued' would be an issue at all. If my kitties hack up a hairball, or food from eating too fast, they are perfectly normal in under a minute._

I would NOT want to take a chance on God-knows-how-long-a-piece-of-yarn is still in there and trying to hope it all comes out okay in the end. Vet. Now. For an exam and possible medical observation with treatment available immediately in case of The Worst. 
This is something that I find SCARY and I would not want to wait-and-see. 
If at all possible, this needs to come out the way it went in, maybe the vet can anesthetize Mekong and fish it out. Surgery may be required. Mekong may be able to pass it on his own, but if 8" of string almost killed a cat, I would hate to think what an unknown length could do. Trying to help it through his digestive system could saw his intestines in pieces. Time is of the essence, here.

Wishing you and Mekong great luck!


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

I already called the emergency vet. She said it'd be fine to wait until morning and take him to my normal vet, unless he starts vomiting more. I'm always up late anyway, so I'll be keeping a close eye on him for the next several hours and waking up early to get him in. By subdued I just mean he isn't insanely running around everywhere or attacking random bits of paper, he isn't really moping about or anything.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Whew! Okay! I'm glad you spoke w/ E-vet and they aren't worried AND I'm also glad you clarified the subdued part. I'm also a night owl. Midnight for you, but its' after 3am here and I need to get to bed, or I'd 'stay up with you'. 
Please let us know how he does? I'll be sure to check first thing when I get up.
heidi


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

The vet said the main problem is not knowing how much yarn is still in there, 2 inches or another 2 feet? He drank some water, and she said it was ok to let him eat something and he was happy for dinner, so I guess his stomach must not be troubling him too much, but he isn't quite as silly as he usually is. Oh well. Waiting is always the fun part. I'll definitely update tomorrow.

Here's hoping he won't need surgery, I'm already scraping pennies just to pay bills. I would've had that credit card paid off in another paycheck, too. Sigh.


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## MelissaC (Jan 1, 2004)

How did the cat get into so much yarn?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

MelissaC said:


> How did the cat get into so much yarn?


Oooooh, these kittehs, they can get into sooo many things! :lol: 

I had to learn The Scary Way to keep my serger boxed or put away.








Mousie was known for chewing/eating threads. She had created an area on the lower mattress where she had pulled out several long threads. She didn't *eat* the threads, she liked to hook her claws into the threads, pull them tight and then run her face along them ... but also run her teeth through them. _I *swear* it was like she was flossing!_
Anyhow, I was *very* careful to keep ALL threaded needles put AWAY and to cover my serger, which has a lot of enticing threads, but I must have not covered it well enough, one day. My scare happened when I walked into the hall and sort of 'tripped' over a thead. The thread was coming from my Serger in the bedroom, to the doorway (15') and down the hallway and into the living room (18'). That was more than 30' she had unraveled! The reason it was stretched between the two places was because she had the end of it in her MOUTH and she ran with it to the LR and it unspooled as she ran.
I quietly walked up to her and held her while I grasped the thread at her mouth and gently pulled it free. She did seem relieved to have it out of her mouth. I am certain she didn't want to eat it, I think she only wanted to 'floss' on it, but the thread kept unraveling and wouldn't pull tight so she kept backing up, hoping to pull it tight but it just kept unspooling until she was in the LR and didn't know what to do with all that string. I am *very* glad I was able to prevent her from eating it. 
After that experience, I sewed a serger cover that protected the machine and all of its' threads.
Accidents happen, and we simply have to learn from them and take better precautions in the future.
h =^..^=


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Although my experience with animals swallowing things involves a dog. I think it's probably the same. I had another dog (in my past), swallow a peach pit. He wasn't vomiting and wasn't pooping. So that is a sign that something is stuck in there. But with you not knowing exactly how much was swallowed, it is a good idea to get to the vet to have an xray. 

You have to be so careful with them! Depending on personality, cats/dogs will eat anything! I'm not sure if you can teach a cat, but because my dog eats everything on the floor, I've trained him to drop anything in his mouth on command. Sigh, if only cats can be trainable like that!


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## MelissaC (Jan 1, 2004)

Yea cats do get into alot their not suppost to lol. My cat loved to chew on my floss  so I started to get the mint stuff and he won't go near it now


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

He got into my knitting, unraveled a ball of yarn and ate a chunk out of the middle. Knitting is now cat proofed.

I just got him home from the vet. I went to my (new) regular vet, who scared the living bejeebus out of me with her doom talk and sent me (crying) to the emergency vet anyway. He got x-rayed and it looks ok so far. His intestines look fine, and she saw something that may have been the yarn in his colon, which means he should be able to pass it (if that's actually what she saw). So I have to watch him closely for the next day or two and poke through all his poo (yay!). If I don't find any poo string in 24 hours, I'll bring him back in for more x-rays. 

So far so good. *fingers crossed*


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Keeping fingers crossed here!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Praying for her, Faile! It's nice to see you here again, but such a shame you and your cat are going through such a rough time.


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

WE HAVE POO STRING!!!

He just passed about a 3 inch long piece of yarn. He is looking quite smug right now too. 

Thanks for all the thoughts, looks like we'll be ok.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Thanks goodness!  Happy for you!


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Well, he just vomited up his lunch plus another 2 feet of yarn. That's about 8 feet of yarn he's expelled. I don't call him crazy kitty for nothing. Talked to the vet, I'm keeping my eye on him.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Holy cow! He really made a meal of it!
Fingers and toes crossed that that was all of it!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

So glad he's (hopefully) done with his new winter knitting project. 8O 

I'm curious, why did your vet send you to an E.R. vet? Does your vet not have an xray machine?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

"Yay!"  for poo-string and "Poo!" :evil: for vomit-string. 
*_closes eyes to send good thoughts and string-y wishes_*


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

I was sent to the E vet because the regular vet was worried about the prospect of him needing immediate surgery and her schedule was full. 

He seems to be feeling better, I'm letting him eat a little food. He hasn't vomited again, which is good. We'll see if dinner triggers anything. 

I have a friend who can never remember the names of my cats so she makes up her own. Mekong was a stray kitty, and she likes to call him Death-Defy. It's quite fitting for him.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Okay, that makes sense. Just seemed like it made things more expensive for you, though. 

I'm glad your little Hoover is feeling better. atback


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Expensive or not, I'm glad I went to the E vet. They were vastly more comforting than the normal vet who had me in tears while I was driving him to the Emergency vet. I moved recently and I don't have a regular vet here yet, so that was my first experience with her. Not sure I'll be going back, although they are the closest to me and I don't normally have a car. I had to borrow one for all my adventures today.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

My god, 8 feet of yarn? I'm glad Mekong's on the mend.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

How is Mekong today?


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Mekong seems to be back to his normal silly self. He threw up a little bit of food today but I think he just ate too fast. He kept down all his dinner yesterday. The E vet even called me herself today to check on him, which was super sweet of her.

Thanks again for all the well wishes for my crazy kitty! I think he's going to be fine.


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

Here are a couple pics of him, cause I know you people love it. :wink:


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

What a beauty he is! I hope his ordeal is over.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, what a sweet looking boy! :luv I'm so glad everything seems to have come out okay in the end. 
_...pun intended!_ :wink 
h


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Oh my, Mekong is so beautiful. I love the color and bushiness of the coat!


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## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

Wow, I'm sorry I've been away for a couple of days, as I'm the one quoted in one of the first responses regarding my silly kitty eating yarn last winter.... Fergie couldn't keep anything down, though, not even water. We took her to the vet when we realized she was vomiting up even water, and they did a barium test on her to highlight her intestines and see where any blockages might be. Yarn won't show up on an x-ray, so the blob the vet thought was the yarn may have simply been poop.

I'd bet that you're in the clear now, if after two days you're not seeing any more problems. If you're seeing poop and no more vomiting after eating, you should be fine. I guess every cat is different - Fergie's problem was that the string bunched up just after entering her small intestine, so nothing could pass by, including the string. Sounds like your Mekong got lucky and had everything work its way forward or back without bunching up!


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