"Cat Mom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Dear fellow cat-lovers,

I was wondering if anyone could advise, or if you've been in a similar
situation.
I'm out of my mind with worry.

Our little 7 month old male kitten, Socrates, a tortie-and-white
Domestic Shorthair, was operated on yesterday. The Veterinary surgeon
removed a very long piece of string from his tummy. He's still under
observation for about 48 hours. They had to make several incisions
apparently and there is some damage.

String is one of the most dangerous types of gastrointestinal foreign
objects because it can pleat up the intestine and cut through the intestinal
wall. This is what it looks like:

http://www.maxshouse.com/Illustratio..._intestine.jpg



I wish we had known not to leave any long lengths of string around, now
we will cat-proof our house once again -- if the little scrap survives.


Here're some tips on cat-proofing your home:

http://www.maxshouse.com/cat_proofing_your_home.htm


He started vomiting on Friday, as Cats will, at first we assumed it was
normal feline response but watched him anyway. When he did it again,
every 3-4 hours, we called the vet. By then he was also hunched over
and not his usual bright self.

It was Sunday and we were lucky our Vet is one of the better ones here
in London, they had an emergency backup team and were able to operate
on Sunday. However, the vet asked us to leave him behind after an
initial examination where he could feel a foreign body lodged in
Socrates' abdomen. They performed an x-ray and called us back. I asked
to wait while they x-rayed him, which might have been of comfort to
Socrates, but the vet advised us to leave him with them.

If he makes it through and we are able to bring him home-- do you have
any suggestions or experience of how to care for him? Will he have to
wear an Elizabethan collar? Is ther a high likelihood of the stitches
getting infected? Will we have to change his dressings often? It won't
be easy to care for him as he's quite frisky and will object to being
handled and will also fuss to be let out into the garden. But I'm
assuming we'll have to keep him indoors and not let him jump up or
climb stairs?

Thanks in advance,
Shona (first-time cat mom)

He'll definitely need antibiotics to ward off post op infection and
peritonitis if the string cut through the intestinal wall, and probably
fluids to prevent dehydration and correct electrolyte imbalances. Your vet
will probably prescribe a highly digestible food that may need to be given
via a feeding syringe such as Hill's Prescription Diet a/d. He'll probably
need an E-collar which will limit his activity and help him heal quickly.

I see you're in the UK where allowing a cat outdoors unsupervised is
ingrained in your culture, but he's going need to stay indoors while he
heals so he can be observed and to avoid infection and trauma to surgical
site. One of the many downfalls of indoor/outdoor cats is that you have no
control over what he gets into- or what gets into him. I think you need to
seriously reconsider his lifestyle.

Best of luck,

Phil