Well that's not supposed to be there...

     Hmmm...Skeeter was a bit of a naughty man. Skeeter's owners called us when they noticed this piece of bikini string hanging out of his rectum. At the time he was not straining to go to the bathroom, but they were unable to remove the string with gentle pressure. We advised his owners to not pull on the string and watch for it to pass within 12-24 hours, with the caveat that if he stopped eating, seemed uncomfortable, or if the string didn't pass, that we would need to see Skeeter for an exam. Two days passed without success, so they brought Skeeter in to be examined. Dr. Jones took x-rays and did a complete exam. The x-rays showed the string through his colon and Skeeter was painful with any gentle traction on the string.

     Skeeter was admitted that morning for hospitalization with IV fluids and canned bland food in an effort to help move the string along, a process known as "floating" it out. If this didn't help him pass the string, Skeeter's only other option was surgery. By the next morning the string was still there despite his fluids and all his feedings. He had urinated in his litter box but had not passed any stool. At that point we were planning to take Skeeter to surgery later that morning. Per usual surgical protocol, Skeeter was administered an injection of a pain relief medication shortly before he was to go to surgery. Only a few short moments later, an assistant noticed that Skeeter had used the litter box and produced.....

     Talk about cutting it close! Only in a veterinary hospital would you hear the cheers of the whole staff over a cat having a successful bowel movement. Skeeter had saved himself from undergoing surgery with just a touch of dramatic flair. He stayed with us for the remainder of the day and overnight to continue receiving his IV fluids, which provided better hydration to aid in healing his irritated GI tract. He didn't mind, all the hard work was done now. What cat wouldn't want to spend their time casually snacking and getting loved on?