Cat Toys that Can Be Dangerous!
Cats are very playful animals. I love to watch my cat play with every little thing he finds around the house, and because he can find so many options in our home, maybe it’s not necessary to spend so much money on cat toys. But recently I’ve heard and read about the dangers of some common “homemade” cat toys. Cats have been injured and sometimes killed by the things that we love to see them play with.
Toys are a very necessary part of a cat’s life. They provide an outlet for that natural instinct to hunt and pounce. They help cat’s
from being bored, and they are a great way for us to bond with our cats. But take into account the unexpected dangers that are involved in some of your cat’s favorite playthings.
Your cat's safety can be at risk
playing with some common household objects. Even if you don't plan
on it being a cat toy, your cat might still be attracted to it and
be choked or injured.
Catnip toys are great for keeping the cat entertained and occupied for long periods of time. Plus they bring us great joy in watching them play. Be careful in choosing a catnip toy. Be sure it is sturdy. If pieces of the toy come off as the cat plays, they can become choking hazards immediately, or they can become digestive obstructions later.
Some cats love soft toys, and they are a great option to have in the home. Be sure that the toy is safe for a child under three years old. If you use that as a guideline, you can prevent the small parts that can come off and choke your cat. Google-eyed toys are cute and fun, but they eyes can come off when your cat chews or plays with it, and it can be a choking hazard. The other danger to be aware of in soft toys is the filling. Be sure to avoid nutshells and Styrofoam beads. The nutshells, should the toy develop a hole, are hard and pointed. They can cause cuts in your cat’s mouth, and if swallowed, in the stomach and intestinal tracts. The Styrofoam beads can cause a toxic situation in your cat. Avoid these possibilities by choosing soft toys with no glued-on parts and a filling that does not pose a problem for your cat.
Other toys that are safety issues for your cat are the crinkly, shiny toys that draw our eyes in the pet store. We think that multi-colored, busy toy will provide our cat’s so much enjoyment. The problem is that the colors are muted in the cat’s sight, providing little to no draw for the cat. Plus the crinkly inside can cause problems for the cat if ingested. The shiny outsides can come off and also be ingested, prompting a trip to the vet for emergency care.
Some of the household objects that we love to see our cats play with the most are also quite dangerous. For example, the image of a cat with a ball of yarn is one we all know and love, yet that ball of yarn can have fatal consequences for your cat. I read recently of the incidence of a cat swallowing a significant section of the yarn. In that case, my natural reaction would be to pull the yarn out of the cat’s mouth. The problem is that the yarn can become entangled in the cat’s digestive tract. If you remove it, you can tear his insides out. If you find your cat with yarn hanging from his mouth, get him to the vet immediately. Vets report having to remove balls of yarn from a cat’s stomach. Avoid putting yourself or your cat through that trauma. There are plenty of other options for enjoyment that don’t include an emergency trip to the vet.
Another danger of the string/yarn/ribbon our cats love is the possibility of strangulation. A cat will focus on the ball rolling across the room, and fail to realize that the other end of the string is wrapping itself around the cat’s neck as it runs. A cat who discovers the string tightening may panic and cause itself more trouble by pulling at it to release. They actually can cause their own strangulation in their attempts to break free. String, yarn, and ribbon are not good toys for cats. Even if you are watching, strangulation can happen so fast, and a panicking cat is not likely to calmly let you free him from his noose!
Other popular cat toys include paper clips, pins, needles, and sparkly items you may have in the home. These cause choking issues in cats. Obviously cats don’t have hands, so everything they want to pick up goes directly into their mouths. Whether they intend to or not, cats can end up swallowing these objects. Even if they do not pose an immediate risk as a choking hazard, they can become an obstruction in the digestive tract.
Similarly, cellophane and candy wrappers that make that fun crinkling sound will be a draw for your cat. Even if they do not become an immediate choking hazard, they can dissolve in the cat’s stomach, creating a plastic coating in the stomach that prevents the cat from processing the nutritional value of its food.
Finally, be sure that the small items cats love are big enough to prevent swallowing or lodging in their jaws or throats. The pom poms that cats love to play with can cause choking or be ingested if they are too small for your cat.
Hearing the stories of cats having endured traumatic situations because of household cat toys has caused me to deal differently with Tommy. I have reevaluated the size, shape, and sturdiness of each of his toys, and I have removed the dangerous household items from the places Tommy can reach. As you walk down the aisles of the pet store, don’t be turned off by the higher prices of the safer toys. Invest in the toys that are safe for your cat. You will avoid the undesirable trip to the vet’s office due to an injury that could have been prevented.
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