"Yum! This tastes better than my Meow Mix!" Photo: theogeo/Flickr
A: Cats love playing with long thin objects, but they can easily swallow them. This is a huge problem and it's something I see pretty often working in the emergency room. Cats will chew on all sorts of items in their home, such as paper, wires, string, dental floss, needles, pennies, paper clips, and thread.
These thin objects -- called linear foreign bodies -- can cause an obstruction in the cat's gastrointestinal tract, which requires immediate veterinary assistance. Vets typically do an endoscopic removal, but if the object has traveled past the cat's stomach, it may require a surgical removal.
If a linear foreign body is left in a cat for a long time without treatment, the cat can become severely ill and even die from the gastrointestinal perforation.
To prevent these situations from occurring, you need to make sure your house is essentially baby-proofed. Don't leave any napkins, string, floss, or needles within your cats reach and make sure your cat has plenty of safe toys to keep themselves happy.
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hmmm....hello? That was not the question....
Is it just me, or did he NOT answer the question?
I just read the article and it seems clear that it is not safe to let your cats do this so it seems he did answer the question.
He kind of addressed it by saying to "babyproof" your home and included in the items to watch out for was paper. So I guess he felt that answered the question. Paper can cause harm.
Have a good day
My 2 year old Havanesse is so happy when I come home that she yaps and yaps and cries very loud for afew minutes. Help! What is the solution??
Pam
I would add to also be aware of those "stryrofoam peanuts that so many items are shipped in. If those get loose in your house they are a very tempting plaything to a cat because they bounce around so freely and react to static electricity. But if swallowed can sufficate your cat. I don't know if these have been outlawed in the areas that have recently banned other styrofoam food containers or not, since the popcorn is more often recycled/reused. The newer air filled plastic pouches are certainly easier to deal with when unpacking, but have more limited applications.