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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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A cat chasing a ball of yarn is as familiar as a dog with a ball, and most cat owners know that their felines struggle to ignore such a tempting sight.
"When mom is using the forbidden toy and we must resist," reads the text on a video from TikTok user ScreamingFishy which has over 480,000 views.
In the video, the original poster can be seen sitting on the couch knitting a baby blanket out of green yarn. The camera then pans to the spot next to her, where two little kittens, one ginger, one tabby, are staring expectantly at the ball.
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Cats are distantly related to big felines such as lions and tigers and despite almost 10,000 years of domestication, they still retain their instincts to stalk and hunt.
Despite this urge and the cute image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn, there are some serious reasons why string, wool, and yarn like materials and cats do not mix.
"Most of the toys that attract cats tap into their innate predatory sense," Mohammad-Zadeh, a veterinarian at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Arizona tells pet website The Dodo. "String is interesting to cats because it wiggles and moves as they play with it. It can be unpredictable and it's more of a challenge to 'hunt.''"
The danger with letting your cat play with string is that playing may turn into chewing and swallowing, which can cause some serious issues with your cat's digestive system.
"This issue is officially called linear foreign body (in other words, a string-like thing stuck inside your cat)," adds The Dodo, "and can result in the yarn cutting through your cat's intestines or causing other serious damage."
Lethargy, poor appetite and vomiting are all signs your cat has swallowed something like string
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"The absolute first thing you should do is bring your cat to the vet, because swallowing yarn often requires surgery," says The Dodo, "But in order to avoid these issues completely, and keep your cat safe, make sure to keep yarn (and similar string-type objects like ribbon or tinsel) away from him."
Users on TikTok were impressed by the cats self-control.
"They look exhausted from the resistance lmao," said one user. "The look on their faces, they want it so bad," commented another user.
"I keep my yarn in an Ikea box and feed the string through a hole in the side to keep it safe," recommended another user.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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