The cat was brought to the vet for a check up by its owner because they were concerned that their feline friend wasn't well.
Stomach problem
The vet began examining the cat, and everything seemed fine until they touched the cat's stomach. As they felt around the cat's abdomen, they could feel a large, firm mass on the left, which the vet couldn't identify.
The vet decided to get an x-ray of the cat's belly to see if they could work out what was going on and what the big, hard mass was.
As the vet examined the x-ray of the cat's stomach, they couldn't believe their eyes and immediately phoned the cat's owner.
Results hard to swallow
The x-ray revealed that the cat had swallowed an incredible 12 hair scrunchies and a hair band — no wonder the greedy kitty wasn't feeling well.
When the vet phoned the owner to share their findings, the owner revealed that their cat tends to eat carpet, though the owner hadn't seen it do it for a while. But the cat had lost its appetite and wasn't eliminating waste properly. While it's unclear what happened next, the hair accessories were presumably surgically removed from the cat's tummy.
When a cat eats an object that's not food, it's not because they are hungry or mistook it for food. This compulsive behaviour, known as pica, is frequently linked with stress and anxiety or in some cases, it can result from medical problems or nutritional deficiencies. If you're concerned that your cat is eating items that aren't food, it might be trying to tell you that something is not right with them. Speak to your vet for advice.
