Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
So last night I was sitting on the couch watching tv when I noticed Bax was pacing and licking at his rear end alot. I followed him around for a bit and noticed that his butt looked a bit dirty so I went in for a inspection. I saw that he had a bit of diarrhea on his butt and there was a piece of plastic half in half out! I went to grab a paper towel to clean him up a bit and out came the plastic piece.. It ended up being a piece of a plastic bag from when I bought bagels. It was pretty gross to inspect it covered in poo but I HAD to know what it was so I could make sure it did not happen again. He is acting normal and has been since last night. I had to lock him outside of my bedroom which absolutly killed me because the little guy sleeps with me every night and I could hear him crying outside of the door but I did not want him to get poo all over the bed (his fur is VERY long around his butt and it took a bit for him to completely clean up). Its now almost 24 hours later and everything seems fine other then he threw up a very little bit of food while eating earlier.. I think he may have just choked on a piece and some came back up. No other accidents but he still has a bit of diarrhea. Should I be worried or just keep an eye on him? I am definate that the entire piece of plastic came back out and have checked all other plastic food bags and what not to make sure nothing else was chewed. Everything has also been put away out of his reach. I have always had a problem with him licking and tasting plastic bags, but never him chewing and actually ingesting them. Ideas?
- Mike
-
mamabear
- Formerly mamaof4soon
- Posts: 589
- Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:39 pm
- Location: The Garden State
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
Hello again hope you are doing well. I would have to say a call to the vet wont hurt. Tell him/her what happened and see what they say.
I am SURE that if you say you checked it to make sure it was all there and even checked the other bags just to make sure how much he ate that you mean just that...!!! CAn't help laugh knowing fully well that you really did do this just to make sure. I would have done the same but not only did you do this you actually posted that you did and that takes well that takes guts. lol
He is fully cleaned up, eating, drinking ok?
Did he get into anything else? Call the vet and see what they say, if he is still having diarrhea they might want to do an xray just to make sure there is no blockage.
Kudos for catching that!!!!
I am SURE that if you say you checked it to make sure it was all there and even checked the other bags just to make sure how much he ate that you mean just that...!!! CAn't help laugh knowing fully well that you really did do this just to make sure. I would have done the same but not only did you do this you actually posted that you did and that takes well that takes guts. lol
He is fully cleaned up, eating, drinking ok?
Did he get into anything else? Call the vet and see what they say, if he is still having diarrhea they might want to do an xray just to make sure there is no blockage.
Kudos for catching that!!!!
Almost 7 years in remission from Graves disease and no meds!
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
he is eating and drinking as normal and is currently sitting at the sliding glass door ready to knock all of the vertical blinds off as he chases the lizards running across the patio (I have never seen lizards running around like this wild in MD until I moved here LOL).. It keeps him entertained for hours! I just completely cleaned, scrubbed his litter box so I am awaiting his next bowel movement even as gross as that sounds. He has himself all cleaned up and everything seems A-OK.. I am 100% sure he did not get into anything else as the GF and I went through all of the stuff that was "out" and made sure it ended up in cabinets.. I have never had a problem with him actually ingesting stuff like that so it was very wierd.. Dunno why cats like to lick stuff like that anyway as my parents have 2 cats that do the same thing!
- Mike
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
lol he is sitting by the window with his tail going a mile a minute and the only attention he is paying to me is when I say "Bax".. He will look back at me for a split second and then shoot me a "stop bothering me.. I'm busy" look and back to the window he goes.. He even spazzed out on the puppy a minute ago for trying to take his space on the "bed" that is by the door that he usually lays in.. I think it is safe to say that he is back to normal for now 
- Mike
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
What type of plastic was it, you made reference to a bag with bagels, then a reference to plastic grocery bags, so what was the plastic he ingested?
What size of the piece of plastic was it?
I'm confused, earlier today/tonite when he vomited, did you actually see more plastic in the vomit?
Did you match the size of the plastic in his stool to the missing piece on the bagel bag? If anything more is missing, chances are he has ingested it and it may still be trying to pass. It is more common that is might be passed in normal stool, it's not so common it would be passed in diarrhea, although you do need to monitor his stool for any further evidence of plastic.
If you can actually match the size found in the stool with the missing piece on the bagel bag, it might not cause further worry, but if he ingested more than you are aware of, you need to watch him like a hawk, watch his stools, watch his appetite, watch for continued vomiting. If the diarrhea and vomiting continue, do not wait, get him to your vet immediately. An xray won't pick up the plastic, but it might pick up inflammation, such as when a foreign body gets tangled with food or a hairball in the stomach or intestine, intestines then become enlarged, gas loops are visible etc. Other than seeing inflammation, a barium xray series is the only way to deterime a blockage for certain.
For future reference, and as it regards string, yarn, tinsel, anything elongated like that, do NOT pull anything from the anus, because you do not know where the other end is, this can strangulate an intestine and be fatal. Should a string be visible and attached from the anus, get the cat to a vet immediately! I realize you tend to be extremely careful about these things, but it needs to be said.
Do be extra careful about any plastic bags, and put them away immediately, don't let them left out for even a second. Cats are attracted to their taste, their feel on the tongue and mouth, the texture, the sound as it crinkles etc, but the fact of the matter is they are deadly. The cheap plastic bags the grocery stores use, are light and when combined with static electricity, or from the cat's curiosity can form around a cat's head/neck within seconds and the cat will panic and get tangled in seconds. Do not let that happen!
What size of the piece of plastic was it?
I'm confused, earlier today/tonite when he vomited, did you actually see more plastic in the vomit?
Did you match the size of the plastic in his stool to the missing piece on the bagel bag? If anything more is missing, chances are he has ingested it and it may still be trying to pass. It is more common that is might be passed in normal stool, it's not so common it would be passed in diarrhea, although you do need to monitor his stool for any further evidence of plastic.
If you can actually match the size found in the stool with the missing piece on the bagel bag, it might not cause further worry, but if he ingested more than you are aware of, you need to watch him like a hawk, watch his stools, watch his appetite, watch for continued vomiting. If the diarrhea and vomiting continue, do not wait, get him to your vet immediately. An xray won't pick up the plastic, but it might pick up inflammation, such as when a foreign body gets tangled with food or a hairball in the stomach or intestine, intestines then become enlarged, gas loops are visible etc. Other than seeing inflammation, a barium xray series is the only way to deterime a blockage for certain.
For future reference, and as it regards string, yarn, tinsel, anything elongated like that, do NOT pull anything from the anus, because you do not know where the other end is, this can strangulate an intestine and be fatal. Should a string be visible and attached from the anus, get the cat to a vet immediately! I realize you tend to be extremely careful about these things, but it needs to be said.
Do be extra careful about any plastic bags, and put them away immediately, don't let them left out for even a second. Cats are attracted to their taste, their feel on the tongue and mouth, the texture, the sound as it crinkles etc, but the fact of the matter is they are deadly. The cheap plastic bags the grocery stores use, are light and when combined with static electricity, or from the cat's curiosity can form around a cat's head/neck within seconds and the cat will panic and get tangled in seconds. Do not let that happen!
..........Traci
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
Traci,
The bag was just a regular thin plastic bag like you would get at the grocery store (I think they were "lenders bagels" if that helps any) and yes after it was out I did do my best to keep my stomach and pulled it all apart to make sure it was the entire piece. I did not realize what it was that was hanging out and I was just trying to clean him up and when I went to pull the paper towel together so I did not drop it, the piece of plastic came with it. It could not have been in very far because I did not feel any pulling back.
He vomited the next day while he was eating and it was a very little bit so I think that he had just choked on a piece of food and it came back up. It was all pieces of food that he had just swallowed and he went right back to eating after it happened.
I took extra care to put EVERYTHING away that might even temp him. I even put some stuff I had covered up with tin foil in a cabinet just incase he got curious with that too!
He has not poo'd since last night when I completely emptied and scrubbed his litter box but was peed a few times today while I was at work. He met me at the door like normal, attacked me when I went for his treats and is now sitting in his little spot behind the bar and I can hear him chomping on food from his bowl. I will have to wait for a solid bowel movement tonight (I just scooped the littler so its nice and fresh and I will be able to tell what is in there from now) I think he usually only goes poop once a day anyway and it seems like he waits until I am eating to do it lol. I picked him up when I came in the door and rubbed around his belly and there was no pain or anything abnormal. I am also 100% sure that all of the piece from the bag came out and I have not seen anything else that he has chewed on. I will still watch him like a hawk atleast until he makes a solid poop.
Sorry for the long post,. but you know me!
The bag was just a regular thin plastic bag like you would get at the grocery store (I think they were "lenders bagels" if that helps any) and yes after it was out I did do my best to keep my stomach and pulled it all apart to make sure it was the entire piece. I did not realize what it was that was hanging out and I was just trying to clean him up and when I went to pull the paper towel together so I did not drop it, the piece of plastic came with it. It could not have been in very far because I did not feel any pulling back.
He vomited the next day while he was eating and it was a very little bit so I think that he had just choked on a piece of food and it came back up. It was all pieces of food that he had just swallowed and he went right back to eating after it happened.
I took extra care to put EVERYTHING away that might even temp him. I even put some stuff I had covered up with tin foil in a cabinet just incase he got curious with that too!
He has not poo'd since last night when I completely emptied and scrubbed his litter box but was peed a few times today while I was at work. He met me at the door like normal, attacked me when I went for his treats and is now sitting in his little spot behind the bar and I can hear him chomping on food from his bowl. I will have to wait for a solid bowel movement tonight (I just scooped the littler so its nice and fresh and I will be able to tell what is in there from now) I think he usually only goes poop once a day anyway and it seems like he waits until I am eating to do it lol. I picked him up when I came in the door and rubbed around his belly and there was no pain or anything abnormal. I am also 100% sure that all of the piece from the bag came out and I have not seen anything else that he has chewed on. I will still watch him like a hawk atleast until he makes a solid poop.
Sorry for the long post,. but you know me!
- Mike
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
Ok, continue to watch him, hopefully he expelled every bit of plastic he ingested.
Most cats defecate soon after their morning meal, or right after their evening meal, before bedtime, those are good times to watch for stool or watch him to make sure he isn't straining in the litterbox.
Thanks for all the detail, LOL, and don't worry about that, we cat people are like that, scrutinizing stool is just a fact of life for us
Most cats defecate soon after their morning meal, or right after their evening meal, before bedtime, those are good times to watch for stool or watch him to make sure he isn't straining in the litterbox.
Thanks for all the detail, LOL, and don't worry about that, we cat people are like that, scrutinizing stool is just a fact of life for us
..........Traci
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
he did have a normal stool last night as well as this morning so it seems that everything is a-ok now thank god. Thanks again all
- Mike
Re: Baxter ate some plastic.. It all came out though!
Continue to keep an eye on him for the next couple weeks. Make sure his stools are normal (not loose or diarrhea or blood) not straining in the litterbox, eating well and active, and not painful in his abdomen.
..........Traci