Cat Health & Safety

To your cat, string is an awesome toy — but if they swallow it (as far too many unfortunate cats have done!), it’s likely to land them on your vet’s surgery table. Swallowed strings — or yarn, shoelaces, tinsel, Easter grass, balloon and giftwrapping ribbon, kitchen twine, and dental floss — are notorious for causing a particular type of digestive obstruction we in the vet world call “linear foreign bodies.” These often end in painful and potentially deadly tears in the intestines. Cat-safe toys are your best bet. But if you do use a shoelace or other string as a toy, don’t let your cat chew on it and never leave it lying around. So, what should — or shouldn’t — you do if, despite all your precautions, you spot a piece of string sticking out of your cat’s back end? It’s a long story. See below for the answer.