Dear Dr. John,

I am a college student, and had just come home from class when I  saw my cat playing with a string with a sewing needle attached. My cat was startled by a loud noise from outside and ran across the apartment with the needle in her mouth. I chased after her but suddenly the needle and thread were nowhere to be found. That’s when I called my father, who is friends with a vet. They connected and the vet suggested that I immediately take her for an x-ray to see if the needle had been ingested. I did so, and it was in her stomach! What kind of problems could have arisen had I not taken her to be seen? The vets at the ER suggested I wait to see if some food was digested so they could retrieve it without surgery. It all worked out. T.O.

Dear T.O.,

I have dealt with several situations in my career of cats ingesting sewing thread with and without needles attached. There are several problems that can develop. Thread can become wrapped under the tongue actually cutting into the soft tissue there. This leads to bleeding, pain, and infection, as well as an inability to chew food normally.

Sometimes this thread can be relatively easily removed and on more than one occasion, when I pulled it out, the needle which had been lodged in the esophagus followed attached to the thread.

It sounds as if the needle in your cat had already moved into the stomach. When this happens, it can be retrieved by passing an endoscope into the stomach, grasping, and removing it. When this is not possible or if the needle has moved further along into the small intestine, abdominal surgery may be needed. This situation is not usually fatal. Just like any needle, once located, it can be passed through tissues to remove it, and without more extensive surgery unless more trauma is present. Thread can saw through intestines requiring more extensive repair. In all cases, this is followed by giving some antibiotics and pain medication. I’m sure your cat will be fine and that you received some good advice! Just don’t leave a needle and thread lying around again.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.