Question
Okay, so bit of an odd question, but this happens every year like clockwork, so I want to be prepared.
I have a cat, who likes to eat ribbon and tinsel and the like. Normally, I just try to keep it the heck away from him (and thus generally not in my house at all), but he keeps finding ribbon like things (like the strings from my bag of onions) and trying to eat them.
I stop him when I can, but the odd time, I find him running about the house with a nice bit of string or ribbon poking out of his butt. As hilarious as this sounds, I worry.
Should I help him with the extraction by pulling on it (gently, oh so gently) to help it out, or should I just leave it and hope he passes it safely?
Answer
Do NOT Pull on it!
It is possible that the string/ribbon is very long. A cat's intestines can be several feet long the short piece sticking out could be attached to a 5+ foot (2 meter) long items stretched thorough out the gut. In extreme cases it can cause blockage and actually cut the gut open from the inside. Pulling on it will only make the situation worse.
When this occurs, the prudent course of action is to schedule a vet visit. If the cat is vomiting, has diarrhea, appears to be in pain, or otherwise appears unwell, an emergency trip to the vet is your best course of action.
Even if you recognize the piece sticking out as short piece of known origin, it is possible that a second longer piece (that you don't know about) is in there also. It is very possible that the two pieces have become intertwined (tied together) in the gut so what you really have is 9 foot (3 meter) string with a big knot in it.
The safest way to remove tinsel/ribbon from a cat is to take it to the vet.
Answered By - James Jenkins