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Austin, Texas 78729

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April 2004 Pet of the Month: Kracker Jack

Kracker Jack is an 8 month old neutered male brown tabby with white spots.  He began vomiting several days before he was seen at the Cat Hospital.  Another veterinary hospital performed some initial diagnostic procedures on him, but was unable to discover the source of his vomiting.  When we saw him, he was unable to eat anything without vomiting it back up and was not really drinking any water.  Xrays were taken of his belly because an otherwise young healthy cat that suddenly begins to vomit makes Dr. Percival suspect he has eaten something that he shouldn't have.

The Xrays were suspicious for this exact cause.  After discussion with his owner and failure of an initial treatment plan, Dr. Percival performed surgery on Kracker Jack.  When surgery was performed, a large piece of cellophane ribbon was found inside of his small intestine and stuck to the bottom portion of his stomach.

Dr. Percival removed the cellophane from his intestine and after a day of pain medication, Jack was eating again and not having any problems with vomiting.  Kracker Jack's owners diligently worked to discover the source of the cellophane and removed it from his environment.

Young growing kittens often get busy with playing when there is something that interests them.  Before you know it, the kitten has eaten the toy.  If it is a piece of string or other long fabric that is swallowed whole, it can easily get lodged in the intestinal tract.  In the worst case scenario, this type of foreign material can cause large cuts in the intestine and possibly even cut through the intestinal tract to cause a life-threatening condition.  If there is a playful kitty in your household, I encourage keeping any sewing materials out of reach of kittens and never encourage the cat to play with a piece of ribbon or other long and stringy object.  Finding cat-safe toys is a very important part of raising a kitten

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