29/10/2026
Meet Salem. I met Salem on one of my locum days after he had eaten string. This resulted in him not eating for 48 hours with constant vomiting.
One end was caught under his tongue, and the rest had gone down into his stomach and intestines. This is called a linear foreign body. With one end anchored, the gut keeps trying to move the string along, the intestines bunch up on it, and it can cut through the gut wall.
It couldn’t be safely removed through his mouth, so Salem needed surgery. It took one incision into his stomach and two into his intestines to get it all out.
He’s now recovering at home.
If your cat swallows string, thread or ribbon, don’t pull on it from either end. Call your vet. Watch for vomiting, not eating, and drooling or pawing at the mouth.