In 1999 around Christmas-time I had gone on vacation, leaving my darling furrballs with a wonderful pet sitter. On Christmas Eve my pet sitter called and told me that one of my babies, Rogue was dead. She agreed to take Rogue's body to the vet for autopsy to make sure Rogue didn't die of something that could harm my other seven angels. As it turned out Rogue had ingested curly ribbon which killed her. I would like to pass on some information to you all in hopes that you will read and take this advice to heart.

Vets term it "ingestion of a linear foreign body". This can be ingestion of a number of things: dental floss, ribbon, audio or video tape, string, yarn, etc. Essentially, the intestines attempt to move the object through, but often the object will ball up on one end causing the intestine to bunch up and result in a decrease in blood supply to the intestine. The object often times will cut through the intestinal lining causing peritonitis and leading to death. Sometimes surgery will be able to save the cat, but often that is not possible as they can not sew up all of the holes in the intestine.

One of the ways that one may find that one's cat has ingested such a foreign body is that the cat may vomit every three hours. This will occur when the intestine is blocked which keeps digestive juices from flowing through. At this point, time is of the essence to save your cat's life.

I cannot suggest strongly enough that you take great care when using these types of objects that your cat may ingest. I thought that there was no way my cat could get at the ribbon, but still she managed to do so. Curly ribbon is no longer allowed in my home. When we floss we immediately dispose of it and ensure that there is no way the cats can get to it. When thread is used in the house the cats aren't allowed into the room until it has been thoroughly swept.

While researching the above, I came across some information that I would like to pass on to you, to help keep our fuzzies safe during the holiday season. There are many plants that cause stomach upset to cats and vets seem to be divided as to whether or not these plants may be toxic, so do be aware of that and call your local poison control center before you bring that plant into your home. Do be careful of electrical cords, which can give your cat a nasty burn to say the least, should she decide to bite it. Be careful of your food disposal, holiday foods are often fatty which is irresistible to cats, but will cause stomach upset. Turkey cartilage can be hazardous, as well as the bones. Toothpicks may also prove to be fatal if ingested. Some say that pine sap is dangerous, as is the water that Christmas tree trunks soak in and if you are going to put an additive in said water, be sure that your kitty does not have access to this.

If you are interested in cat health you may want to check out the Health section of Flippy's Cat Page, in particular the HOLIDAY HAZARDS section.

With thanks to: The Cat Practice, the SPCA, Dumb Friends League, Dr. Mike, Dr. Larousse, and Dr. Miller.

This article is Copyright © Mechele de Avila,
and printed with permission of the author.
November 26, 2002