Sometimes our pets eat strange things. To their devastation, it happens all the time. I thought I’d share some of the weirder things I’ve seen animals eat. A special cat for today’s article.
When a cat eats something inedible, it is called a “foreign body”. In most cases, these foreign bodies need to be surgically removed because the cat cannot pass anything and is often very sick. Sometimes a cat can eat a foreign object without it. Signs and symptoms of foreign body ingestion in cats include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever, bloating, and/or loss of appetite.
It isn’t always continually smooth to evaluate. An abdominal x-ray and/or ultrasound is often necessary to identify the cat’s internal organs. Now that you know a little about this “condition,” I bring you the Amazing Cat Food from medical experts.
Jerk
One day one of our patients got very sick. He was a large, black, male domestic panther cat, tired and exhausted. The doctor did a blood test and the patient was given an IV until he found out what the problem was.
Finally, a few days later, the radiologist who was allowed to perform an abdominal ultrasound confirmed the presence of a foreign body blocking the passage from the stomach to the intestines. Mr. House Panther was going to have surgery soon.
We were surprised that the foreign object was an acorn. And the cat didn’t even bother eating it… just swallowed it all. Even the owner was very surprised. Luckily these lounge pants were in good condition and survived the ordeal.
Name Tag
I don’t remember all the facts about this case, but we determined that this cat patient ate something he shouldn’t have. I remember helping during this surgery, and the doctor and I were amazed to see a heart-shaped plaque with the cat’s name on it.
Yes, this cat decided he didn’t want to wear his name around his neck. In this case I think: what are you eating?
Houseplants
One of our cat patients was showing general ‘sick cat’ symptoms when she came to see us this weekend. He usually walked fast. After discovering that the cause could be a foreign body attack, we had to undergo surgery after hours of surgery.
It’s actually not uncommon for cats to eat plants. However, the plants we obtained from this cat’s stomach were unusual. I’m not sure what kind of plant it is, but it looks like a tall piece of grass. They were probably 6 to 8 inches long and all came from one head. I guess they didn’t chew this sick cat too much.
Foam darts
I saw two cats eat the foam darts that came with toy guns. Wanting to eat seems strange enough, and I find it strange that I have seen such foreign objects more than once.
Rubber bands and hairpins
Rubber bands and hairpins are not without reason among the things cats love to eat. In one case, our patient chose to eat more than ten. It was like an endless pit of hair that we removed from the patient’s abdomen and intestines. We kept them all to show to the owner. It was surprising how much hair this cat ate. I wish I could remember the exact number.