Dear Siouxsie, Thomas and Dahlia:
The other night, my fiancé and I were in a rush to get to a movie and I accidentally forgot to put on my engagement ring. When we returned home the ring was nowhere to be found. I have turned the apartment upside down looking for the ring and nothing has come from it. I have heard that cats have been known to ingest shiny objects, and I have two cats which may double my chances. I spoke with the vet, and he said he could run x-rays on both cats, but that its a fairly expensive procedure so we should be sure we want it done before investing.

If by chance one of the cats did ingest the ring, how long would it take to pass, if at all? And finally, the cats aren't showing any strange symptoms (vomiting, anorexia, etc.); are these symptoms always present when cats ingest foreign objects? Thank you so much for any insight you can provide!

~Christina, and Pip & Bullock

Siouxsie: I have to say that I myself have never had even the slightest inclination to ingest a shiny object. The only objects I like to ingest are the ones that smell like food!

Thomas: I've licked a coin or two, but really, we cats aren't much for eating shiny things. It's dogs you really have to worry about in that regard.

Dahlia: I like to bat at shiny objects! Especially Mommy's glasses and earrings! But for some reason she doesn't like that very much.

Siouxsie: Christina, I'd have to say it's more likely that your cats played with your ring and knocked it under, into, or behind something.

Thomas: Mama says that if you haven't checked the traps of the drains in your sinks and under your heating baseboards or radiators, refrigerator, stove, couch, and other large and heavy furniture, you should do that before subjecting your cats to X-rays.

Dahlia: You and your fiancé should try moving all the huge furniture first. Mommy's found earrings, rings, cat toys and coins under stoves and refrigerators. If you have forced air heat, check inside the floor heat ducts too. The ring might have fallen down into the duct.

Siouxsie: If you or your fiancé are good with tools, it's easy to open a drain trap yourself and see what's inside. If not, call a plumber or your building manager and have him or her open up your drains. A one-hour visit from the plumber will certainly cost less than two X-rays.

Thomas: Keep in mind that there's going to be water and a lot of yuck in there too, so take everything out from under the sink and put a bucket or dish pan under the drain before you open the trap.

Dahlia: Mommy says you should check under your rugs and, if you've vacuumed since you lost the ring, in your vacuum cleaner's bag or dust receptacle in case you vacuumed it up by mistake.

Siouxsie: If you've done all these things and you still haven't found the ring, then it might be time to X-ray the cats.

Thomas: We're pretty sure that cats' intestines are too small to successfully pass a ring, so if one of your cats did swallow your engagement ring, it's going to be inside them until it's removed. If your kitty did manage to pass your ring, the diamond or other sharp parts might injure his rectum or anus.

Dahlia: Ow!

Siouxsie:: A cat wouldn't necessarily show signs of illness from swallowing a foreign object unless the object caused a blockage, caused an irritation that led to infection, or began to release something poisonous as a result of being in contact with the cat's stomach acids.

Thomas: Our concern is that if one of your cats did swallow your ring, it may cause a blockage or that its sharp parts might irritate or puncture your cat's stomach lining or intestines and start a disease process.

Dahlia: You should keep a sharp eye on your cats' litterbox habits. If your cats produce less feces than usual, or if they have diarrhea or the color or smell of their stools changes (particularly if it becomes black or stinks like death), then get to your vet right away.

Siouxsie: Ironically, diarrhea can be a sign of constipation or intestinal blockage. That's because the intestines get so irritated by being filled with waste that they begin producing watery feces that can work their way around the blocking material.

Thomas: Mama says that if there was even a chance that one of us had swallowed a metal object like a needle or a ring, she'd take us to the vet to get X-rays before we got sick.

Dahlia: If you've looked in every possible place in your apartment for your ring -- including in the drains and under the heaviest pieces of furniture -- and you still haven't found it, we'd say to get the cats X-rayed just to be on the safe side.

Siouxsie: If one of your cats has a history of eating strange objects or getting into things he shouldn't, start with that cat first.

Thomas: Good luck, Christina. We hope you find your engagement ring without having to X-ray your cats!

Dahlia: Please let us know how things turn out.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.