When Namkhaeng Swallowed a Hair Tie

Namkhaeng has one amber eye, one blue eye and no impulse control. In our Chatuchak condo he chirps at the pigeons, knocks my pens off the desk while I work, and, his latest hobby, steals my hair ties. I used to find them in the corridor, under the sofa, or in his water bowl. I thought it was cute. It was not cute.

One evening I noticed that he was hiding under the bed and refusing his dinner, which is extremely unusual for a cat who sings at the sound of the pouch. He also kept stretching his neck and making little swallowing movements. I looked at my wrist, then at the drawer, then at him. There were only two hair ties left of the packet of five, and I had a bad feeling.

I put him in the carrier and called a Grab Pet. The driver was wonderful, he drove calmly and did not complain about Namkhaeng's loud opinions on the whole journey. At the clinic, the vet examined him, felt his belly gently and explained that an X-ray or ultrasound would help to see whether anything was stuck. I agreed immediately. The picture showed a small object that had not moved far, and our vet said the safest way was to treat him under her care, with medication and monitoring, rather than trying anything at home. I will not describe the technical parts because I do not know them well, and every case is different, so please ask your own vet.

He stayed overnight. I did not sleep, and I stared at my phone like a teenager waiting for a message. In the morning the clinic called: he was eating, he was alert, and the problem had resolved without surgery. I almost cried in the middle of Chatuchak market.

He came home with a small shaved patch on his leg and a very dramatic walk. Now all hair ties live in a closed tin, and I wear my hair in a clip. Namkhaeng looks at the tin sometimes, with one amber eye and one blue eye, and I swear he is planning something. Please check your drawers, cat people.