Cat may have swallowed broken glass...

[calamityjen]

Hi there,

I have an 8-month old kitten, Bailey. About a week ago, I came home from work and caught her with a broken Christmas tree ornament in her mouth and shards of glass on the floor near her. I have no idea how she got to it, since the room with the Christmas tree is always closed so she can't get in there. It's just me, so there was no one else who could have let her in. That was unnerving, because I have no idea how long she had it. I work 12-hour shifts, so she could have been playing with it all day.

Anyway, I removed the ornament from her mouth, did a finger sweep as best I could, and didn't find anything else. I was terrified that she had eaten glass, but literally only had ten dollars to my name. I called every vet within an hour of my area, and none of them would agree to a payment plan if I brought her in, so I was given no choice but to watch her closely and look for anything abnormal.

That's been about a week ago, and she has acted fine ever since. She's not lethargic, and her stools are somewhat dark in color, but I don't think there is blood (although I have no idea how to tell for sure). If after a week, she still isn't showing any symptoms, is it safe to assume she will be okay? If she had indeed swallowed a piece of glass, wouldn't she have displayed signs/symptoms of internal injury by now? Please let me know what you think. Thank you!

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I am upset that no vet in your area would give you the option of using Care Credit.  Care Credit is a zero interest credit card that can be applyed for either over the phone or at the vets office or on-line.  It can be used for  vet or human medical bills.   It may be an excellent back up plan for future vet bills for you, since you will eventually have to take your cat to the vet for vaccines, spay (if she is not already spayed), and emergencies. Pet insurance is also very helpful and an excellent tool in your veterinary arsenal.  Pet insurance may seem costly when your pet is young but it will pay for itself as the cat becomes middle age or a senior citizen.  ASPCA and VPI are two well known pet insurance companies among many out there. Information about pet insurance is available on-line.

Back to you cat...  Check her gums and tongue.  They should be light pink in color.  If they are pale she may have anemia as a result of the glass passing through her digestive system and creating micro-tears.  A large cut from a sharp piece of glass would have been apparent early on as she may have been bleeding frank blood, having bloody vomit or diarrhea, panting, lethargy  unconsciousness, or worse.  Right now since your cat is not lethargic, and I assume she is eating and  drinking  normally and not vomiting or having diarrhea than she may be ok.  However, you did mention that your cats stools are dark.  This may be of concern since dark stools can result from blood being digested higher up in the digestive tract from an erosion or ulceration (possibly from a cut from a piece of glass), or the dark color might simply be from a new food.  So keep an eye on her and if everything continues status quo than perhaps there is nothing to worry about.  

[amandamae]

If your pet has eaten glass or other sharp objects, give them a cotton ball dipped in milk. I have actually done this before and it works. The cotton ball will wrap around any sharp object, then will naturally pass through the system without damaging the inside of your pet. If a whole cotton ball is too big for your pet to eat, cut it in half. Hope that helps!

[calamityjen]

Thank you for your input! And no, not one told me about this Care Credit option. I have terrible credit, so I may not even be eligible, but it would have been nice to know about. I will look into it, as well as pet insurance. I agree with you that it would be worth it.

Thanks again for your advice, and have a great New Year's!