Cat ingested dental floss

My cat may have eaten dental floss after knocking over the bathroom trash bin. I have watched for it in her feces, anus, under her tongue, etc. And, I have also watched her for any symptoms I have read about (lethargic, pain, ceasing bowel movements, loss of appetite, fading color of the gums) and have noticed none. I was wondering if it was possible the floss passed through and was unnoticed by me, i.e. instead of passing as a straight piece where I could notice, it was a tightly wound bundle and packed into feces. My cat is 6 years old, may have eaten the floss 48 hours ago, and has diarrhea at the moment (for the last two days but I noticed her diarrhea right after I noticed the floss was unaccounted for as I cleaned the knocked over trash, so I doubt they are related). Anything that may help my situation would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

ANSWER:

It sounds like you know exactly what to watch for in terms of symptoms that may indicate that your kitty is in danger from having eaten the dental floss, and I applaud you for keeping such a close eye on your kitty!

The situation leaves you with two options: If you have not seen the floss, there is, of course, a chance that it passed through your cat’s stool without you noticing, just as there is a chance that your kitty didn’t ingest the floss (or maybe didn’t ingest as much as you thought). However, assuming she did ingest the dental floss, you could bring her to the veterinarian for xrays to check for obstructions soon. Often, following the rule of “better safe than sorry” is the way to go with your precious kitty’s care.

The other option at this point is to continue to watch your cat very carefully for any changes in appetite, behavior, and all of the other symptoms you have been watching for, and make sure you have contact information for an emergency veterinary center in your area in the event there is the slightest change over the weekend.

Best regards,
Dr. Neely