The doctor was shocked by what the X-ray showed in the cat’s mouth

Sudden nausea and bloody vomiting were the signs of trouble. Only an X-ray revealed the cause of the cat's symptoms.

Surprising footage shared by the Exo-Pet Veterinary Centre community page. The X-ray shows the skull of a 13 and a half year old cat with something quite out of place. The shadow of a long, thin metal object is visible at the animal’s palate.

Opportunity born

As answer to the doctor’s question the owner said that it is not at all typical for their pet to put anything in their mouth or swallow anything. And they had not even had a bone before the onset of symptoms. During the examination, the mouth of the animal had limited opening, the tongue was swollen and purplish discoloured, they were also missing some teeth where bleeding was observed.

All this, together with the foamy, especially bloody vomit, led to suspicion of internal damage, and the cat was x-rayed. The source of the problem was then discovered: the object mentioned above was a sewing needle that had penetrated the base of the tongue.

Fortunately, as the post says, the needle was easily removed under anaesthesia and the kitten recovered quickly after the procedure.

How did it happen?

Although it was not typical for the cat to chew anything, it can happen.

The lesson to be learnt from this case is that even an older cat, who is not otherwise prone to picking up foreign objects, can be playful if a thread is dropped while sewing, with serious consequences if it comes with a needle

– cat owners are reminded of the potential dangers.

What is pica?

The four-letter word covers a serious and common phenomenon. Pica is when an animal starts eating things that are unfit for consumption. This can be many things. They can eat the contents of cat litter, small utensils, or even start chewing the owner’s hair. These can cause irritation, intestinal blockage and, in the case of sharp objects, internal injuries. Obviously, all of this means you need to talk to your vet and have your pet checked to see what might be causing the behaviour. Causes can be health related, such as nutritional deficiencies, or mental problems. Boredom and stress can often lead our pets to do unusual things.

Beyond that, it may indeed be that the kitten is just playing with something, as some objects may also arouse the cat’s hunting instinct. In our case, our cat ate a silicone snake, but any fidgety plastic object can become prey in their eyes.