Cat Behavior 101,  Cats,  Holistic cat care

Play it Safe: Yarn Kills Cats

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

cats say no to yarn

Seeing kittens and cats playing with yarn is cute but it can kill. During the Super Bowl weekend I was watching a really funny cat video when my heart sank seeing the cats playing with balls of yarn, It was one of those last straw moments when something snapped in me and I said, enough. Play it safe! NO MORE YARN! Or string, ribbons, thread or even dental floss. Yarn or other linear object can get twisted around the tongue or once ingested twisted in the intestines causing a blockage. Cats find yarn irresistible but once they begin swallowing they can’t stop. We all know how rough and sandpapery a cat’s tongue is. It’s thanks to tiny hooked barbs on the tongue called papillae which help cats groom themselves spotless. Those same little barbs prevent swallowed yarn or string from being vomited out.

If your cat has swallowed yarn or has string hanging out from their mouth or anus, call your vet or emergency clinic. The good news is a vet will likely be able to save your cat’s life but it may involve abdominal surgery. And you’ll be stuck with a big vet bill. The worst case scenario? A big vet bill and a dead cat. Just say no to yarn. Keep yarn, sting, ribbons and any potentially cat hazard safely stored away. If you see advertising for products depicting cats playing with yarn, ask them to stop.

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