Ask a PetDoc: Cat eating plastic and throwing up

Written by Jonathan Baker

Question: Cat eating plastic and throwing up

Dr. Jim,

My cat eats plastic and throws up. Now she throws up all the time. What could be wrong?

Andrea

Dr. Jim says:

Andrea,

Any time an animal consumes unusual items that are not digestible it is highly likely that a good portion of the material will remain in the stomach. Your veterinarian should be able to palpate the stomach through the abdominal wall to determine if there is, in fact, foreign material in there. If palpation does not reveal anything then contrast radiography using air introduced via the esophagus might reveal the culprit.

The extreme case would be to do exploratory surgery, then determine if foreign material is retained in the stomach and then remove it. If you have a pet that has this eating disorder, called pica, you need to try to retrain the animal to not consume the material(s). Leave some of the desired plastic or whatever where the pet can get to it – first treat it liberally with white pepper or Tabasco sauce. Using a very loud "bad cat/dog" when the pet goes to consume the item may help.

Dr. James Sokolowski, DVM, PhD is a veterinarian with 40 years in the pet industry. He has appeared extensively on radio and TV including CNN, Fox, ABC and other national and local radio and TV programs. Dr. Sokolowski is a recipent of veterinary professional awards for his contributions to the veterinary profession. Read his full bio here.

Have a health question for Dr. Jim's next column? Just send an email to AskThePetDoctor@PetDoc.com. Can't wait till next month's column to see if your question gets answered? You can either ask a question on our forums or scroll down to the bottom of the page and pay for an immediate answer from JustAnswer.com.