The cat ate the rain from the tree. How to get rid of a foreign body?

Very soon the most long-awaited magical holiday - New Year - will be knocking on the door. Adults and children look forward to it, counting the days. It's nice when your pets are nearby with your family waiting for New Year's miracles. But the most dangerous days of the year are coming, capable of darkening the festive mood of the owners, bringing trouble to animals, even death. A cat may eat bright New Year's decorations (rain or tinsel) from the tree, and then it is important to know what to do to help and not harm the pet.

Language as a trap

In cats, curiosity sometimes outweighs caution, which leads to disaster. The desire to play with Christmas tree decorations and taste them is just such a case.

Take a closer look at the cat's tongue: it is covered with small papillae, resembling villi or hooks, which face the inside of the mouth, towards the pharynx. For this reason, the cat cannot spit out any foreign body that gets into its mouth; it is forced to swallow it.

Christmas decorations

Natural curiosity and hunting instinct do not allow a cat to pass by shiny Christmas tree decorations. Glass decorations are dangerous for cats - broken glass can cause cuts and splinters in their paws. Therefore, it is better to hang plastic balls within the cat’s reach. If the purr nevertheless breaks the toy and is pricked by a fragment, inspect the wound; if it is shallow, you can help the animal yourself, using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and wound-healing ointment. But if the wound is bleeding heavily, your cat won't step on its paw, or is limping, contact your veterinarian.

Why is Christmas tree rain dangerous for a cat?

Swallowed rain can wrap around the root of the tongue and tighten it, damage the esophagus, and clog the intestines, causing obstruction. This often ends in the death of the animal. How to prevent death?

First of all, watch your pet carefully. Immediately stop his attempts to play with the rain. If you catch your cat chewing on glitter ribbon, do not try to pull the Christmas tree decoration out of his mouth. You don't know how much your pet has already swallowed. The rain could get into the esophagus and get caught on the tongue. It is durable, thin and capable of cutting your pet's internal organs like a blade.

Guests

The owner’s guests are no less stressful for a pet on New Year’s Eve. Domestic cats tend to be afraid of strangers. In a state of stress, a usually affectionate and calm animal can show aggression and use its claws and teeth to defend its territory. During the holiday fun, don't dress up your pet in costumes to amuse your guests, and don't take photos with flash - the cat is unlikely to like it. For the holiday night, arrange a place for your cat in a separate room or other quiet corner where the animal will feel calm. It is best if the pet sleeps during the feast and subsequent festivities. To do this, arrange an active workout during the day and properly “play” the cat. Do not give sedatives or sedatives without consulting a veterinarian.

Signs of a foreign body in a cat

A signal that a cat ate the rain while you weren't looking could be its suddenly changed behavior. Pay attention to these symptoms:

lethargic, depressed state
poor appetite or complete refusal to eat
vomit
lack of stool
increase in body temperature

The fact that the jewelry is caught on the cat's tongue can be indicated by copious salivation, slurping sounds made by the pet while eating, as well as tearing of the lips with its paws in attempts to free itself from the interfering object. If there is a putrid odor coming from the cat’s mouth, and the saliva contains traces of blood and pus, the tongue may be injured and necrosis is developing.

What to do if the cat ate the rain from the Christmas tree?

Expert opinion
Maria Kruntyaeva

Veterinarian in X-ray room

— In their natural habitat, cats sometimes eat things they shouldn’t. This way they clean out the stomach, so there is nothing strange about your pet trying to eat a cardboard or bag. The problem is different: the cat cannot distinguish safe inedible objects from dangerous ones. And there are a lot of the latter in our apartments: small plastic items, plastic bags and, of course, Christmas tree tinsel and rain. They, together with foil, are considered the most dangerous and can cause severe intestinal obstruction.

When should you worry?

If your pet has eaten a small piece of rain or wrapping paper, there is a chance that it will come out naturally. Monitor your cat's behavior for several days. If it has not changed and the pet does not refuse food and goes to the toilet consistently, then everything is fine.

Symptoms to watch out for:

Poor appetite, refusal to eat;
Constipation;
Diarrhea;
Restless behavior;
The pet does not allow itself to be stroked, especially in the abdomen;
Bloated belly.

If you notice anything unusual in behavior, contact your veterinarian immediately and describe what happened. It will not be possible to solve the problem on your own by simply giving the animal a laxative or waiting a few more days. This will only make the situation worse.

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Well, then everything depends on how critical the situation is. After an examination, ultrasound or x-ray, the specialist may prescribe a special diet or, in extreme cases, decide on immediate surgical intervention.

Precautionary measures

Throw away food bags, especially chicken, sausage or cat food, out of reach of your pet;
Clean regularly and don’t forget to look under the sofa and under the closet;
If possible, do not let the cat into the room where the Christmas tree is located. If this is not possible, keep an eye on your pet or decorate the Christmas tree so that it does not reach the tinsel and the rain;
Avoid plastic and foil decorations. Replace them with toys made from plant materials (nuts, cones, dried fruits, star anise), knitted toys, and so on;
If your cat constantly wants to chew something, buy him “cat” grass (oats, millet, wheat, rye, sorghum) or, after consulting with a veterinarian, special solid food and toys that can be chewed.

Self help

The percentage of rain that gets into a cat’s body will come out naturally without causing harm to it is small. The faster the foreign body is removed, the better. This can be done in two ways.

Make the cat vomit. Dilute 1-2 teaspoons of salt in 1 liter of boiled water and give your pet this solution. This measure is effective if the tinsel was recently swallowed.
Speed up the exit of Christmas tree decorations through the anus. Vaseline oil will help here: it will soften the stomach and intestines, which will minimize the risk of damage to the mucous membranes. The dosage of oil is calculated simply: 1 milliliter per 1 kilogram of the cat’s weight.

Having given the cat liquid paraffin, all that remains is to wait for the rain to come out through the anus. Once the process has begun, do not try to speed it up, do not pull the tape out of the animal. There is still a risk of injury. Just cut off the part that has already come out with scissors.

These measures should be taken when it is not possible to show your pet to a veterinarian. As soon as it appears, immediately go to see a specialist. As already mentioned, rain can clog the intestines or tighten them, which threatens necrosis. Therefore, delay is unacceptable.

At the clinic, the cat will be examined and an x-ray will be taken, which will clearly show the decoration. If the worst fears are confirmed, the animal will undergo abdominal surgery, during which the surgeon will remove the foreign body.

Main rules

If your pet suddenly swallows rain, you should immediately take him to the veterinarian. Only he knows what exactly needs to be done. Any delay in decision can lead to dire consequences. You need to act quickly, and in this case you cannot hesitate. One of the most dangerous complications that can occur is intestinal necrosis, which will lead to the death of the pet.

In this situation, as a rule, surgical treatment is used. Under general anesthesia, abdominal surgery is performed to remove rain from the intestines. The operation is not difficult, it is not very difficult, so you should not worry too much about your pet. All this is carried out in a veterinary clinic. Next, the doctor will write out a certain list of rules that will need to be followed after the operation. All prescriptions indicated by the doctor will be aimed at improving the cat’s condition.

If the situation is not critical, and the rain has not yet had time to fall into the intestines, then you can do without surgery. With the help of an endoscopic device, a professional veterinarian can easily help the animal. It is not dangerous and will take a little time. The main thing is to react in time, and then perhaps the doctor will have time to use the endoscope.

Prevention is cheaper than cure

The operation is an expensive procedure. In addition, the cat will need quite a lot of time to recover its health. The pet will need to be given injections, tablets, and special medicated food, which is also not cheap. You can avoid all these expenses, save your nerves and your cat’s health by taking simple preventive measures.

To discourage your cat from playing with the rain, experts recommend spraying the area around the tree with a citrus-scented solution and spreading out lemon and orange peels. In addition, you can lubricate the trunk of the spruce and the tips of the branches with some spicy seasoning.

This has a deterrent effect on most cats, but not all. To completely eliminate the risk, you may want to avoid some Christmas decorations altogether.

Prevention

Cat owners should remember that the Christmas tree is an unwelcome guest in their apartment. But if you can’t do without it, you definitely shouldn’t hang dangerous tinsel: you can come up with a much more interesting and non-dangerous design.

When I got my first cat at home, we stopped decorating the Christmas tree. But I once wrapped gifts using rain ribbon and even chased the cat out of the room. But she made her way, and before I could blink an eye, she was already playing with the rain, which somehow fell on the floor. Don’t expect that you will attach the tinsel higher up so that the cat won’t reach it. He will get there. Or the tinsel will fall off on its own. Therefore, make sure that there is no rain, snowballs or anything like that in the house at all! Today there are many other beautiful Christmas decorations that are safe for cats.

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Symptoms

Symptoms of poisoning are quite different and, first of all, they depend on the cause of its occurrence. First, the reaction occurs locally, that is, where exactly the poison or toxin has entered. For example, if an animal has inhaled harmful gases and vapors, then first shortness of breath, inflammation of the respiratory tract, swelling and suffocation will begin. If complete absorption of harmful substances into the blood occurs, then symptoms of damage to the heart, nervous system, and the functioning of individual organs may occur. Let us consider in more detail the symptoms of different types of poisoning.

Nature of poisoning	Symptoms
food	vomit; liquid stools, sometimes mixed with blood; thirst; lethargy and depression; loss of appetite.
medicinal	drowsiness or agitation, anxiety; loss of coordination of movements; change in color of mucous membranes; vomiting and diarrhea; weakness, drooling, foamy discharge from the mouth; pupil dilation.
poisonous plants	vomiting and diarrhea; trembling throughout the body; decreased temperature, chills; rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia.
acids	convulsions; shortness of breath, swelling of the mucous membranes; salivation.
Pesticides (rat poison, insect poisoning, crop treatment)	trembling, chills; vomit; salivation; diarrhea.
Mercury and toxic fumes	ulcers on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose; severe vomiting, loss of consciousness; temperature drop; convulsions and paralysis.