Angelica K. came to our hospital with her young cat, just before Christmas. Her father has been a satisfied client of ours for 10 years. She told the veterinarian her kitten was ?crying all the time, had blood in her stool which was painful to pass?. and had just passed a liquid stool with blood?. She also said the cat ?could possibly have eaten something like string and carpet?. The cat was obviously in heat (crying is the main sign) and spaying her is the usual solution. However changes in stool, straining etc. are not part of the heat cycle. At Christmas, cats love to eat tinsel, ribbons and strings and unfortunately these commonly get caught in the digestive tract and cause obstruction. The doctor discussed the possibility of a string foreign body, based on the history and exam. Angelica agreed to the x-ray which showed signs of extra gas but no obstruction. She declined any other diagnostics and said she would watch the cat for any signs that might mean a surger
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