My cat eats string and yarn. Is it dangerous? How to stop her?

Question

My cat isn’t obsessed with anything linear. She scavengers for strings, yarn, literally anything she can chew in half and swallow. What does this mean and how’s can I prevent it’s. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 lbs

Catherine Stecyk · Accepted Answer

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Juna is obsessed with anything stringy, you will have to be vigilant about ensuring that she does not have access to anything she could possibly chew and ingest. When cats eat anything linear or stringy, they are at a HUGE risk of a linear foreign body obstruction, which is a surgical emergency and is life threatening. This occurs when a piece of the string/ribbon/yarn gets anchored in one part of their GI tract (ie under their tongue, in the stomach, etc) and the rest of the intestines end up scrunching up around it as they try to contract and move it along. The string can ultimately saw through and perforate the intestines, causing a septic abdomen. I recommend purchasing cat toys that are very durable and do not have any sort of fabric/string/yarn associated with them, and encourage Juna to play with those. If you ever notice that she is vomiting, hiding, uninterested in eating, and you believe she may have ingested any string, please have Juna seen by a veterinarian immediately so diagnostics (abdominal x-rays) can be done to evaluate for a foreign body obstruction in her intestines. I hope this is helpful, and good luck!

My cat eats string and yarn. Is it dangerous? How to stop her?

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