My kitty seems to have swallowed a string or something

[Der Blaue Engel]

He's been making occasional gagging faces since yesterday and spitting up a bit of clear fluid. I couldn't figure out what he was doing; at first I just thought he was being weird (because he frequently is, and both my cats puke with the usual cat frequency). Tonight when I got home from work, he seemed a bit listless and I noticed he hadn't eaten his food. A little while later, he came into the bedroom doing the gaggy thing again and spit out a piece of unchewed food, and it finally dawned on me that he must have some kind of obstruction. :(

He doesn't seem to be having any trouble breathing. Am I being stupid to wait until morning to take him to the vet?

[badgerpup]

1. If he's breathing OK, it shouldn't be problem

..but if you want to give a bit of assistance, a bit of hydrogen peroxide and water (about half and half) might help him barf whatever it is back up.
This was recommended by my ex's vet when his cat ate a piece of ribbon. The peroxide won't hurt them.

[NMMNG]

2. Contact an emergency vet ASAP

If you think he ingested string it could be lodged in his intestines which is very bad. If he has an obstruction it could kill him. Don't wait!

[enigmatic]

4. Buffy's right

Please, get your kitty to a vet as soon as you can..

[Robeson]

3. Get him to the vet. Things like strings or thread can obstruct their...

...system, and can even lead to death. I don't want to push the panic button, but I'm hyper sensitive to this issue. If the time you are going to be able to get to a vet is more than 6 hours, then try to get to one now. Otherwise, as long as he is breathing, you should be able to make it for 5 to 6 hours. But, I wouldn't want to sugar coat it. An obstruction in his bowels, could lead to death, so you really need to take this seriously. Let us know how this turns out.

[Der Blaue Engel]

5. Thanks, guys, I'm taking him now

n/t

[Jamastiene]

6. To the vet ASAP.

He could have swallowed a string or he could have something else wrong. When a cat quits eating, it's dangerous. It doesn't take but a couple of days before their desire to eat completely goes away. I'd take him to the vet to have that checked. He might be ok until morning, but I wouldn't wait much longer.

[Der Blaue Engel]

7. Update on kitty

Just got back from the vet, who said it was most likely something he had eaten that had irritated his throat, like a plant from our deck, but that it was no longer in his throat. He was a little dehydrated and had a fever, so they gave him some subcutaneous fluids and sent him home with some meds that should help coat his throat so eating and drinking isn't uncomfortable.

As soon as I got him in the house, the little bugger ran straight for the cat dish and ate everything in site. I think whatever poking around they did dislodged any remaining bits that were bugging him.

Naughty Engel beasty, giving DBE a scare. ;)

Look how cute he is ----------------------------------------v

[Love Bug]

8. That's good news

Not to scare you or anything, but my coworker's cat swallowed some thread and died in spite of the surgery. Poor coworker was left with a dead cat and several-hundred dollars poorer. I guess the thread saws through the intestines. The other thing that can happen is when string or thread gets caught around the toungue and the cat swallows the rest, which causes the cat to have an experience similar to yours. Might want to check the litter box later to see if there are any surprises.

Glad to hear your kitty will be ok.

[NMMNG]

9. That's wonderful news

I can imagine he was hungry after going without for so long. It's good to know it wasn't anything serious after all. :thumbsup: