String eating

My Boots is driving me nuts. He insists on eating short lengths of string
and ribbon. He has chewed off every tie on my bath robes. I had a roll of
ribbon (about 1/4" wide) I was using to attach the clips to hammocks I had
made for my fosters and he unrolled a short length of the ribbon, chewed it
off and ate it. He will pull threads off of things and eat that. He eats
short lengths of string that I have no clue where it came from. I'm
wondering if he's not pulling something apart to make the dang string.

Then of course it doesn't come out the other end all that easily so he
leaves skid marks on the rug from wiping his butt to get it out.

I just don't understand the attraction. He's also been chomping on my spider
plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is he eating
the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

Hey at least he left the Christmas tree alone this year )

W

Wendy wrote:

My Boots is driving me nuts. He insists on eating short lengths of
string and ribbon. He has chewed off every tie on my bath robes. I had
a roll of ribbon (about 1/4" wide) I was using to attach the clips to
hammocks I had made for my fosters and he unrolled a short length of
the ribbon, chewed it off and ate it. He will pull threads off of
things and eat that. He eats short lengths of string that I have no
clue where it came from. I'm wondering if he's not pulling something
apart to make the dang string.

Then of course it doesn't come out the other end all that easily so he
leaves skid marks on the rug from wiping his butt to get it out.

I just don't understand the attraction. He's also been chomping on my
spider plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is
he eating the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

Hey at least he left the Christmas tree alone this year )


Perhaps if you give him his own pot of grass to chew on he'll stop eating
your plants and other stuff. Petsmart sometimes has already growing pots
of grass and they always have the seed kits for "kitty grass".

I don't understand the whole thing, but cats seem to have an instinctive
need for a bit of roughage. They might be after the trace minerals in the
grass or maybe it just helps them pass the hair through the system
instead gacking up hairballs.

Mine sometimes eat the grass and then throw it up on the carpet. Icky,
but safer than letting them eat string or plastic. (George would go after
bubble wrap and other bits of plastic if I don't keep it out of his
reach.)

"Wendy" wrote:

My Boots is driving me nuts. He insists on eating short lengths of
string and ribbon. He has chewed off every tie on my bath robes. I
had a roll of ribbon (about 1/4" wide) I was using to attach the
clips to hammocks I had made for my fosters and he unrolled a
short length of the ribbon, chewed it off and ate it. He will pull
threads off of things and eat that. He eats short lengths of
string that I have no clue where it came from. I'm wondering if
he's not pulling something apart to make the dang string.
Then of course it doesn't come out the other end all that easily
so he leaves skid marks on the rug from wiping his butt to get it
out.

I suspect you will be bombarded by this idea/fact as the day goes
on, that eating string can be deadly too. I think the warnings are
sincere and they do make perfect sense to me after giving it some
thought but fortunately having no personal experience with the
problem. Considering the horrid conceivable consequence, something
like seeing a piece of dental floss lying around alarms me. It has
to do with a cat's need to continue swallowing when a string is
lodged in its throat and then the swallowed length of string getting
tied up and cutting into the cat's intestines. Definitely not a
pretty thought.

Good luck.

I wrote:

snip

Umm, sorry if you already knew that stuff.

Eating string or similar items could prove fatal for your cat when it gets
caught up in his guts and cannot pass through. Elastic bands are another
definite no-no.

chas

Wendy wrote:
He's also been chomping on my spider
plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is he eating
the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

House plants can be toxic and deadly to cats, pointsetta's for example.
You may want to check each plant before "feeding" to kitty.

String eating can be fatal (and an agonizingly painfully slow demise)
to cats and dogs. Never pull the string from the bung hole, just let it
pass. Have Vet. check if needed.

Do anything necessary to stop this activity today! Good thing you found
out about it here the easy way! I'm Happy "Boots" has a owner who
cares! Great Job!

Karl.

"Wendy" wrote in message
...
My Boots is driving me nuts. He insists on eating short lengths of string
and ribbon. He has chewed off every tie on my bath robes. I had a roll of
ribbon (about 1/4" wide) I was using to attach the clips to hammocks I had
made for my fosters and he unrolled a short length of the ribbon, chewed
it
off and ate it. He will pull threads off of things and eat that. He eats
short lengths of string that I have no clue where it came from. I'm
wondering if he's not pulling something apart to make the dang string.

Then of course it doesn't come out the other end all that easily so he
leaves skid marks on the rug from wiping his butt to get it out.

I just don't understand the attraction. He's also been chomping on my
spider
plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is he eating
the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

Hey at least he left the Christmas tree alone this year )

W

If you see a piece of string hanging out of his butt or looped around the
base of his tongue- don't try to pull it out- the other end could be
entangled in his intestine. Most of the times, short strings will pass
through the intestines without any problems unless one end of the string
becomes snagged at the pylorus.


Number 11 in the diagram (pyloric sphincter) is the most common spot where
strings get snagged:

http://www.maxshouse.com/anatomical_...tive_Tract.jpg


If the string becomes snagged, the muscular contractions (peristalsis) that
move food through the intestines can cause the string to pleat up the
intestines and even cut through the intestinal wall.

http://www.maxshouse.com/Illustratio..._intestine.jpg

String and some other materials usually don't show up on plain x-rays, so, a
contrast agent is often necessary to see them. Even though some materials
aren't visible on x-rays, the distorted intestines are.

The most common practice is to wait a few days to see if the cat passes the
string. I don't think that's wise because in a day or two, the string could
pleat up and cut through the intestine if one end gets snagged at the
pylorus. If you even suspect your cat swallowed a string, I'd have him
x-rayed right away. If the string makes it past the pylorus, there's a good
chance it will pass-but its too great a risk to wait and see.

Phil

"Phil P." wrote in message
nk.net...

"Wendy" wrote in message
...
My Boots is driving me nuts. He insists on eating short lengths of string
and ribbon. He has chewed off every tie on my bath robes. I had a roll of
ribbon (about 1/4" wide) I was using to attach the clips to hammocks I
had
made for my fosters and he unrolled a short length of the ribbon, chewed
it
off and ate it. He will pull threads off of things and eat that. He eats
short lengths of string that I have no clue where it came from. I'm
wondering if he's not pulling something apart to make the dang string.

Then of course it doesn't come out the other end all that easily so he
leaves skid marks on the rug from wiping his butt to get it out.

I just don't understand the attraction. He's also been chomping on my
spider
plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is he eating
the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

Hey at least he left the Christmas tree alone this year )

W

If you see a piece of string hanging out of his butt or looped around the
base of his tongue- don't try to pull it out- the other end could be
entangled in his intestine. Most of the times, short strings will pass
through the intestines without any problems unless one end of the string
becomes snagged at the pylorus.


Number 11 in the diagram (pyloric sphincter) is the most common spot where
strings get snagged:

http://www.maxshouse.com/anatomical_...tive_Tract.jpg


If the string becomes snagged, the muscular contractions (peristalsis)
that
move food through the intestines can cause the string to pleat up the
intestines and even cut through the intestinal wall.

http://www.maxshouse.com/Illustratio..._intestine.jpg

String and some other materials usually don't show up on plain x-rays, so,
a
contrast agent is often necessary to see them. Even though some materials
aren't visible on x-rays, the distorted intestines are.

The most common practice is to wait a few days to see if the cat passes
the
string. I don't think that's wise because in a day or two, the string
could
pleat up and cut through the intestine if one end gets snagged at the
pylorus. If you even suspect your cat swallowed a string, I'd have him
x-rayed right away. If the string makes it past the pylorus, there's a
good
chance it will pass-but its too great a risk to wait and see.

Phil

I'm as careful as I know how to keep him away from string. I never thought
he'd be attracted to ribbon that was rolled up on the spool with no loose
ends hanging but he's apparently very motivated to find and consume stuff
like that. I flush dental floss immediately after using it and never leave a
spool of string out of a cabinet. I'm going to have to install childproof
latches on the cabinet doors though as he's learned how to open them and
will go in a cabinet to get something he wants. I've found him sitting on
the cabinets eyeing the drawers so he's trying to figure them out too. He's
too smart but not smart enough for his own good.

Guess now I have to climb under the couch to see if he's found a source
under there. If not I'm stumped as to where he's finding stuff to eat.

W

Spider plants are on the non-toxic list and anything that isn't safe isn't
growing in this house.



wrote in message
oups.com...

Wendy wrote:
He's also been chomping on my spider
plant quite a bit lately. Is that to help the string pass or is he eating
the string because his tummy is upset for some reason.

House plants can be toxic and deadly to cats, pointsetta's for example.
You may want to check each plant before "feeding" to kitty.

String eating can be fatal (and an agonizingly painfully slow demise)
to cats and dogs. Never pull the string from the bung hole, just let it
pass. Have Vet. check if needed.

Do anything necessary to stop this activity today! Good thing you found
out about it here the easy way! I'm Happy "Boots" has a owner who
cares! Great Job!

Karl.