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My cat ate a string. Is a 1.5-inch piece dangerous? What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 months and 20 days old | 4 lbs

Yumimii just swallowed a string from my bookmark! It's about an inch and a half long. How worried should I be? She already has a vet appt on Friday...

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 11th, 2018

1.5 " of a string should not really be a problem and will likely come out the natural way. It is too short to cause a linear foreign body obstruction. If you check her poo for the next 3-4 days you should be able to find it eventually. Apart from that I would monitor her for diarrhea and possibly retching/vomiting. If that occurs, please see your vet right away.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 17th, 2017

    Hello, sorry to hear about Julius. 2 cm in an adult cat may be short enough for it to pass through, however, each pet is different and Julius can still come down with an obstruction if this string does get logged in his intestines. I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian so that they can at least monitor his GI tract for obstruction. This can be done with serial x-rays repeated for the next day or two. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 6th, 2017

    String foreign-bodies can be dangerous, because they can get caught in-between junctions of the intestines and slowly saw away at the lining of the intestines. However, it is usually longer pieces of string that cause these problems. If the string was just eaten, then it may be easier for a vet to retrieve it, so this would be the rationale for going to the vet as soon as possible. However, the procedure would be costly and may not be fruitful. You may consider waiting for the string to pass normally. I think the chances are low that a 2 inch string will cause problems. There is a small risk that it may cause problems, but you can take him in for an exam and surgery (if necessary) if it does cause a problem (vomiting, diarrhea, not eating, painful are classic signs). You may consider getting pet insurance in the meantime to help cover the costs. Otherwise, the string should pass normally in 3-5 days in the stool. I would examine each stool until you see it, so you can be sure that it has passed. I hope that helps and all is well with Impa.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 20th, 2017

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Penny! Strings and ribbon are common causes of intestinal obstructions in cats. They tend to get stuck in the stomach and cause a linear foreign body with the intestines telescoping. Some cats can pass the string. Sadly we rarely see the string on X-ray but your Vet might. Taking her in now and getting X-rays may be helpful but most often than not we do not see anything and it is still a wait in see game. You vet may want to prescribe a laxative to move things along. The other option is to wait and take her in the moment she is lethargic, vomits or doesn't eat. I hope this helps and I wish Penny the very best!

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