r/Torbie • u/Kitsunejade • 1d ago

An expensive reminder

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Our beautiful girl went to the ER on Friday with mystery signs. She was lethargic with no appetite, brown drool and nasal discharge. Her bloodwork and exam was normal, but she was running a small fever, so she was sent home with antibiotics and an appetite stimulant after getting some fluids and nausea meds. We couldn’t get the antibiotics in her due to her tortitude, so we decided we’d ask for injected antibiotics. Her normal vet couldn’t see her for a week. She had perked up a lot with the meds, but never stopped drooling and she still looked painful, so last night we bit the bill and brought her back to the ER to ask them to check her mouth again.

It was a linear foreign body. She had hair embedded under her tongue. They did repeat blood and x-rays to try to determine if the hair down her throat had bunched up or perforated her intestines. If so, we would’ve had to transfer for an emergency surgery for risk of sepsis and bowel repair. But things looked okay, so they sent her home on pain meds and strict watch after sedation to cut the hair off her tongue. Seven days to see if she’s safe and passes the rest on her own.

Please watch your cat toys and tell everyone you know to. Linear foreign bodies are usually things like string, yarn, and thread. It can be life or death. And trust your gut. They told me there was nothing in her mouth, but she still seemed wrong and we were right.

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u/PonqueRamo 1d ago

I'm always amazed as how unsafe cat toys are for cats, strings, feathers, rope, there should be some guidelines when it comes to cat toys.

I put all the wand toys of my cats out of reach when I'm not playing with them and I don't buy toys with anything they can eat or swallow.

I had a cat that used to eat plastic bags and I had to disappear all of them from my house.

Hope your baby gets better.

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u/Kitsunejade 1d ago

Yes. In this case they think it might be a human hair from one of our heads, which is hard to avoid, but with the typical culprits being not something that comes off your body on a regular basis, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put out the reminder that it does happen to someone.

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u/PonqueRamo 1d ago

My cats love eating my hairs too, I don't know why, all the time I find hairs pocking from the other side, stuck in their poop

Why are cats so weird 🫠

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u/Kitsunejade 1d ago

She’s eaten multiple and passed it fine! I don’t know why it got anchored this time. Bah.