RISK FACTORS FOR GASTROINTESTINAL FOREIGN BODIES IN CATS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN EGYPT

Gastrointestinal foreign body (FB) obstruction in felines is one of the emergencies and commonly required surgical interventions. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the risk factors that could prone cats to ingest FB. This study was retrospectively conducted on sixty-five cats that had been diagnosed with FB obstruction. On the other hand, sixty-five cats that had no clinical findings suggestive of gastrointestinal illnesses were used as controls. Among cats with gastrointestinal illnesses, we found that 9.97% had FB obstructions. The most common presenting breeds of both cat patients with FB obstruction and controls were Persian and Siamese. Similarly, most of the presented normal and diseased cats were males. Cats with FB were younger (p<0.05) than those of control cats. There was no significant difference in the body weight for cats with FB versus control cats. Among the investigated factors, we also observed that living style, anxiety/stress, and frequency of exercise were the only factors that were strongly associated with the occurrence of FB obstruction. In conclusion, observations of this study indicate that a living style, anxiety/stress, and frequency of exercise have a significant impact on cat behavior and should be seen by cat-owned clients as important to prevent pica. Thus, the likelihood of blockage of the gastrointestinal tract by foreign bodies can be reduced.