There was no poop from Akira this morning.
After reading about strings having the possibility of causing perforation to the intestines, I was really worried all night. If there is some remaining string (the “plication” in the X-Ray yesterday), it would have to move through the intestines in order to be eliminated. What if while moving, it causes perforation since the string is made up of fiber?
Akira wasn’t interested in eating this morning. Her last meal was at 9.45am so that would be enough fasting if surgery is needed. So I didn’t coax her to eat. Instead all she wanted to do was to explore and PLAY!!
Out to play! I was watching her like a hawk, hoping she would defecate, but no. It’s playtime as far as Akira is concerned.
I was watching her throughout and all she did was urinate. She wasn’t interested in eating nor did she defecate. She only zoomed around to play.
In fact, Kai and Indra weren’t as active as she is.
I had already decided I would take her to the vet’s for another X-Ray to see if there has been any movement of the “remaining string”, or if the stomach is still distended. All this can be seen from an X-Ray. By the time the clinic opened, I texted all the information and the vet said to bring her in for a X-Ray and if need be, an ultrasound.
So, off we went, but there was a massive traffic jam at the outlet of Subang Jaya due to an accident, so we got delayed and by the time we reached the clinic, the vet who attended to Akira yesterday (not her regular vet) already had a prior appointment. The vet was very kind so that we didn’t have to wait; she briefed Akira’s regular vet about the case and so Akira’s vet took over and did the X-Ray.
I waited.
That’s when I learnt about another recent case of a cat who had swallowed a lot of strings. For that cat, an operation had to be done to remove all the strings. Luckily the owner knew the cat had swallowed a lot of thread and took her to the vet. The operation was successful and the cat was saved. As I’ve shared before, swallowing strings and threads is really a very serious matter. It would be worse if the owner is not aware of what has happened and the cat is simply unwell. Sometimes, it is too late to save the cat, as in the case of a vet’s cat who died because of it. So really, it is definitely no laughing matter.
Soon, Akira’s vet came out to call me in to look at the X-Rays.
A total of 3 X-Rays were taken today. All showed no presence of any string or foreign object!!
And all showed there is already movement of faeces in the intestines. The gut is just a bit gassy, that’s about it.
So what happened to the “remaining string” which resulted in the “plication” yesterday? Well, the vet did review yesterday’s image and she says that judging from today’s images, yesterday’s “plication” wasn’t a plication. It was just the intestines undergoing peristalsis. She showed me what plications normally look like – it looks like pearls/beads. Akira’s image did not resemble pearls or beads so that must have been just peristalsis of the intestines.
There was no string or any foreign object in all of today’s 3 X-Rays. Everything looks good and normal.
Hooray!!!
Just that bit of gas. For this, the vet prescribed Famotidine for 3 days. She says to continue with the Lactulose for 3 more days, but only 1.5ml once a day (instead of twice).
But I said Akira had not defecated. The vet says that from the images, the “poop is coming soon”!
And Akira’s stomach is totally empty today. This means yesterday’s huge night meal has already been digested and has gone into the intestines.
Left lateral view
Right lateral view
If we were to compare this right lateral image with yesterday’s, the “plication” was observed at the spot marked No 1, but it is no longer there today. No 2 shows the stomach (the black part) which is totally empty of food. And there is faecal matter movement in the intestines too.
So, yesterday’s “plication” was actually due to the peristalsis movement of the intestines. It wasn’t due to the presence of any foreign matter. I totally understand that in X-Rays and scans, sometimes certain images can be mistaken as something else. I had a brain scan done decades ago and there was also an artifact (shadow) which was mistaken for a large tumour. The neurologist said it wasn’t likely to be a tumour because I could still walk in a straight line, but it was still better to get it checked. It finally took an MRI to rule that out, to my relief, but that took a 4-month wait at that time.
So, better to err on the side of caution. If there are any doubts, re-checking is good rather than totally dismissing the possibility.
For Akira’s case, she did eat the strings, and she did pass out one piece. The earlier piece I discovered must have been from her too, I assume. So, it was better to assume there could have been some remaining string and recheck today, which is what we did.
So, all is good with Akira. No wonder she’s still so active and playful. She had already passed out both strings as of yesterday morning.
All she needs now would be the Famotidine for the gassy stomach and the Lactulose, both for 3 days.
Off we went home, so relieved.
The vet said that it is normal for cats who had been caged to just play and play and not do anything else when they are released. So I decided not to cage her anymore. I don’t think she needs anymore monitoring.
You are home and free now, Akira.
This is the type of string that she swallowed.
I did ask the vet about the chances of such type of string causing perforation or tears in the intestines. She said it is usually thin threads the cause perforation and tears, not thick strings.
I offered all kinds of food and she rejected all but finally ate some canned food.
I saw her sniffing around and digging at the soil and I thought she wanted to poop, but no.
She has always been very interested in this “hidden” drain hole.
Kai and Indra were playing with Jayden.
Finally, she ate some dry Primal Freeze-Dried.
I don’t know she Akira finally pooped, but I think all is well with her now and there is no need for any monitoring anymore.
Phew!! What an experience!
From now on, I will constantly check the garden to ensure there are no strings of any kind!