Cat ate short thread - how worried to be?

April 22, 2024 11:10 AM

I have called the vet - see below. Our cat ate a 1.75" bit of thread that just appeared out of nowhere. Is she likely to be okay?

The vet feels that thread under 2" long is unlikely to cause a problem and has advised that we watch and wait. This was not elastic thread. How worried should I be by this?

Normally we don't leave thread around - this must have come loose from clothing. The cat does not generally seek thread out - it had fallen into her dish somehow and I saw it just as she ate it.

posted by Frowner to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

I wouldn't be that worried because a lot of cat hair can be that long and they deal with it by barfing up a hairball or just letting it pass. I would just watch them over the next few days for unusual behavior.
posted by dawkins_7 at 11:23 AM on April 22 [10 favorites]

I would be zero percent worried.
posted by Jairus at 11:26 AM on April 22 [18 favorites]

Adding in another vote for the two above answers, don't have anything additional to add.
posted by stormyteal at 11:36 AM on April 22 [1 favorite]

If you are tallying votes, I agree with all the previous answers. That length is the size I once found in my cat's poo, never having noticed her eating it in the first place.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:55 AM on April 22

In general, no worries at all. My cats have eaten much worse and I didn't even know until they vomited it up (I semi-recently found an entire shoelace in vomit!! That however would have been a vet trip if i'd known!!) If your cat starts vomiting a lot (and you don't see the string in the vomit) or seems to have litter box issues (string stuck in butt) then I'd call the vet. Otherwise, i'm pretty confident she'll be fine.

Cat tax please!
posted by cgg at 12:00 PM on April 22 [4 favorites]

Yeah it's probably no problem but we'd have to see a pic of the cat to be sure.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:28 PM on April 22 [17 favorites]

Probably fine - I'd probably encourage some grass eating to see if a good vomit might purge the issue. Otherwise I'd just monitor their behavior to make sure nothing seems off.
posted by coffeecat at 12:57 PM on April 22

Also agreeing not to worry unless cat acts unhealthy, and pointing out I thought you said your cat ate shortbread, which is about as worrisome as two inches of thread.

The main worry is eating something long enough to get wound and tangled in all the various bends and kinks of the stomach and intestine and not being able to pass, two inches is very unlikely to be long enough.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:15 PM on April 22 [3 favorites]

We've had cats with tinsel in their poo, back when icicles were the thing for the Xmas tree. Never an issue. You're okay.
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:08 PM on April 22 [2 favorites]

My dad retrieved about 16" worth of mylar tinsel from the cat's butthole many years ago. The cat lived for several years past that incident. I wouldn't worry.
posted by bashos_frog at 5:32 PM on April 22 [3 favorites]

Our cats have regularly ingested all sorts of fibers, including ribbons and my spouse's foot+ long hairs, and have been fine. Keep an eye out for unusual behavior, but it should be fine.
posted by mollweide at 5:42 PM on April 22

At two inches, it's shorter than most of my cat's fur if that helps ease any nerves. That's really too short to do much other than just pass through. Definitely keep an eye on eating/drinking and on the litter box to make sure she's using it as normal, but you don't need to be especially worried in this case.
posted by augustimagination at 6:25 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]

Two inches is also about the length of my cat's fur, so please don't worry too much!
posted by In Your Shell Like at 2:57 AM on April 23

My cat ate a longer thread. I called the vet and they said to bring her in. The imaging they did on my cat was quick and told us the entire sad story of what would happen next. She died.

I would call my trusted veterinarian and ask this question asap.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 4:59 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

My cat ate a 12" string from some sleepy pants without me knowing (I thought I had thrown it out) and threw it up intact exactly 24 hours later, no worse for wear (I'm sure he used up one of those 9 lives that day!) I believe your kitty will be fine. Sending good vibes regardless. They like to scare us!
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:03 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

You should not be worried. You should watch and wait, like the vet said. Maybe give yourself permission to freak out about this in 72 hours. If you need to be worried, don't do it now, while you can spiral.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 5:09 PM on April 23