Cats are curious by nature. They love to investigate new sights, smells and tastes. Unfortunately, this curiosity can lead them into trouble. This is probably how the saying "curiosity killed the cat" began. Cats are notorious for ingesting thread, wool, paper, rubber bands, plant materials and small toys. Many of these foreign objects pass through the intestinal tract without problem. It is common for cat owners to report all sorts of objects found in their cat's vomit or stool.
"Kitty" a 9 month old curious kitten presented to our clinic with a three day history of vomiting and not eating. He was becoming progressively lethargic and was hiding a lot.
On his physical exam Kitty was 10-12 % dehydrated his abdomen was tense and uncomfortable and when we looked closely in his mouth we found a loop of thread under his tongue and extending down his esophagus.
Upon further questioning it turns out the owners had noticed "Kitty" playing with thread before getting sick.
After x-rays and IV fluids "Kitty" was taken to surgery where we discovered the thread traversed from under his tongue through his stomach, and extended 3/4 of the way through his small bowel. Is bowels were red and inflamed and bunched up in accordion fashion in an attempt to pass the thread. We had to perform a total of 6 enterotomies (incisions into the bowel) to get all the thread out.
"Kitty" made a great recovery and is back to his feisty , curious self!
