You should never let cats eat hair ties. They are often made with things like plastic and metal – and none of them are digestible by cats. If your cat is playing with a hair tie, that’s okay. Chewing it or worse, eating one, is completely off-limits for your cat.
You probably know hair ties are not food. No human or animal should try to eat one. Unfortunately, cats don’t know what’s edible and what’s not. They simply see something that looks or smells tasty and they go for it!
For some unknown reason, cats love to play with hair ties. As long as your cat paws at it, there’s no problem. When they start biting it off, that’s when trouble begins.
Few cats will resist the temptation of biting at a hair tie, so it’s better if you keep them away from your cat’s reach.
Why are hair ties dangerous for cats?
The issue with hair ties is that they are non-edible and a choking hazard. If your cat tries to eat a hair tie, it’ll have trouble swallowing it. You may have to go to the vet for emergency surgery if one gets stuck in your cat’s throat.
Even if your cat manages to swallow such a thing, it won’t be able to digest the hair tie. Why? Because it’s made with things like plastic. Nobody (not even humans) can digest that.
Once your cat has eaten a hair tie, there are two possible scenarios:
- It’ll go right through the cat. You’ll find the hair tie in the litter box (but you shouldn’t use it ever again, though).
- There’s a big chance it’ll get stuck in your cat’s digestive system. If that happens, you’ll have to call your vet for emergency surgery.
Should I let my cat play with a hair tie?
As long as you can supervise your cat and avoid it from eating hair ties, you can let your cat play with them. You shouldn’t let your cat play with hair ties on its own, though. You never know if your cat will feel like eating one!
The only scenario where a cat can play with a hair tie is if you’re right there with your cat. If you can, you should be the one moving the hair tie around for your cat to chase.
Other than that, it’s rather dangerous to allow your cat to play with hair ties. There are cat toys shaped like hair ties that are completely safe for your cat to play with – that’s what your cat should play with!
What should I do if my cats eat a hair tie?
If your cat ate a hair tie, call your vet right away. You may think nothing will happen – but before you know it, that hair tie will get stuck somewhere. Don’t wait around, in scenarios like these, there’s no time to waste!
Even though a cat eating a hair tie is dangerous, there’s no need to panic if the vet’s around. He will manage to save your cat – and your cat will go back to normal in no time!