Cats and kittens love to play with string, but we have all been warned about leaving a cat alone with a piece of string. Muir and Rosen from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Department of Surgical Sciences recently reported the result of a 5 month old female Siamese who had swallowed string. The owner delivered the cat to the a veterinarian because she had been vomiting for a week and was becoming dehydrated. The veterinarian removed a 10 centimeter piece of string from around the cat's tongue. When he noted an intestinal bunching, he sent the cat to the University of Wisconsin.
Muir and Rosen found that the swallowed string had knotted and matted such that it was distending the intestine in several places. They first attempted a conservative method of removing the string, because the clinical signs did not indicate immediate surgery. However, the string was sufficiently lodged that manipulation resulted in several full-thickness perforations in the intestine. At that point, it was necessary to remove 60% of the jejunum, a section of the intestine.
The surgeons were able to repair the intestine and close the incision normally. The young cat was eager and able to eat the next day. When last seen one month after surgery, she had gained weight and was in good health.
This cat did well because she was in capable veterinary hands. however the owner erred in two ways. First, the owner left string available to the playful young cat when there was no supervision. Second, the owner responded very slowly, allowing the cat to continue vomiting or one week. Over the course of the week, the string became more deeply lodged in the intestine. An earlier intervention may have avoided the need for surgery.
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