The ball of yarn has long been the quintessential cat toy. Some people, in fact, consider it the ideal cat toy. Not only is this a myth, but it is also a dangerous one. Cats may love to play with a ball of yarn, but they love to play with all sorts of things that could be dangerous for them.
A ball of yarn is essentially a big ball of string. If there is one type of item you should never let your cat play with, it is a string. Never give your cat yarn, string, thread, or anything similar, and try to make sure these items are not lying around where your cat can find them. If your cat likes balls of yarn try felted wool balls instead.
The Life-Threatening Danger of String for Cats
Cats play with their paws but also with their mouth and teeth. Here is the problem: Your cat’s tongue is covered with thousands of little rear-facing barbs. If you’ve ever been licked by a cat and thought it felt like sandpaper, you felt these barbs at work. These projections, called filiform papillae are there not only to help kitty groom but to help tear the meat off bones. Yes, kitty has an amazing tongue.
This amazing tongue, with its rear-facing projections, presents a danger if your cat plays with string. If a piece of the string gets caught in his mouth, the papillae make it difficult for him to get it out of his mouth.
Instead, the string is forced backward and he may end up swallowing it. Imagine continually swallowing a long piece of string. While you may be able to pull the string back out, your cat will have no choice but to continue to swallow the entire length.
This string could end up blocking his intestinal tract or even cause severe damage. It may not even wholly pass from the stomach to the small intestine, causing a blockage.
Swallowed Yarn Or String Could Be A Medical Emergency
If you and your cat are lucky, the string will pass through. If it does not, the danger is urgent. Playing with a ball of yarn could culminate in an emergency trip to the veterinarian and perhaps even a dangerous operation.
When swallowed, the string will tend to travel through the intestines length-wise. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians often have to carefully pull string from a cat’s rear end. If the string does not come out easily, surgery may be required to remove the string.
This is a very dangerous situation. On its way out, the string could cut into the intestinal tract. In a worst-case scenario, the intestines could contract and scrunch up like an accordion, a potentially fatal situation.
Even if your cat doesn’t swallow the string, it could end up being wrapped around his neck. If he runs around and gets caught on something, this could become a choking hazard. Some cats, once the string gets wrapped around them, may panic and start trying to run from the string. The string could easily get caught on something and then tighten around the neck causing soft-tissue injury, vertebral damage, or strangulation.
String Toys
Pet stores carry many string toys which consist of cat toys tied to strings on the ends of sticks. These are just fine for playing with your cat. But once that string breaks, unless you can secure it again to the toy, throw it away.
In general, do not let your cat play with string toys without your supervision. They are meant for collaborative play between you and kitty. For self-play, pick a safe cat toy without any strings.
Window Blind Cords
The cords used open and close window blinds or any kind of window coverings that use cords are a cat hazard. The dangling cord could attract your cat as a play item. Many of these cords have a closed loop on the end.
Cats have been known to become hung up in the cords. Strangulation has occurred. The same products used to baby-proof the cords, such as a cord wind-up, could be used to cat-proof the cords. These allow you to wind the cord up and keep the ends high out of reach while allowing you to unwind the cord as needed.
Of course, if balls of yarn (and string in general) are dangerous for a cat, there are a great many other dangerous household items that are similar. Many of the items on this list are cat favorites. Do not let your cat play with these:
- twist ties
- any type of wire and anything with wire in it (like twist ties above)
- rubber bands
- hair ties
- any kind of plastic zip ties, small or large (the small ones could be swallowed, and your cat might bite a piece off of large ones)
- Notice the last item on the list is plastic zip ties. Often, when you buy new products, certain parts are secured with these, as well as twist ties and various other fasteners. Make sure to dispose of these.
- feathers: cat toys often come with feathers. Feathers can present the same dangers especially when small parts of a feather (usually artificial) break off and find their way into your cat’s mouth
Other Dangerous Household Items
Stringy stuff is not the only household items that are dangerous for cats. There are many. Also do not let your cat play with plastic wrap or any kind of plastic film, including garbage bags. And, similar to large plastic zip ties, don’t let them play with anything that may allow them to bite a piece off and swallow it. And, as always, no bones for cats. Especially chicken bones!
You may want to check your house for anything on this list that could be dangerous for your cat to play with. Now that you have learned about these items, you can easily identify other types of dangerous items to keep away from your cat.
If your cat does swallow a string or any other foreign object, take him or her to a vet immediately. If you find string protruding from your cat’s rear, do not attempt to pull it out yourself as this could be extremely dangerous. Consult your veterinarian immediately.
There are many safe play options for cats. Anything with plastic balls is great fun for cats. Ping pong balls in the bathtub are great as the balls are captured and will roll around in fun way as your cat plays with them. It’s frustrating when the balls roll under the sofa or other furniture so anything that lets kitty play with them without easily losing them is a good option, like this Catstages Tower of Tracks Interactive 3-Tier Cat Toy, shown below.
I’d like you to keep in mind that this article is meant as nothing more than a general overview of the subject. It should not be considered a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Please consult your veterinary professional should you have concerns or would like more detailed information on the dangers of yarn or other string toys, ribbons, etc. to cats.