By seeing your cat falling for a thing that is as lame as a string, you might wonder now why cats are associated with a ball of yarn! Strings are such things that no cat could resist, they bounce madly to chase them. In a room full of cat toys and a string, without any doubt, your cat is going the other side!
It’s very important to understand, why cats love strings, and are it a matter of concern, do they need supervision while playing with strings? Or do you need to strictly remove any string from your cat’s sight!
Let’s find out, why do cats love string.
Are Strings Good for Cats?
Pretty much, yes, strings are safe for cats, but only if they limit their use for playing. If your cat at all happens to digest a string, then it can be wrapped around the intestine, causing life-threatening complications.
Cats are obsessed with anything that looks like a string, also cats are very intelligent creatures, they tend to stay away from anything which can be a danger to them. Then the question arises again that why do cats love string!
6 Reasons Behind Cats Love for String
No matter how many cat toys you bring in for your cats, sometimes they just surprise us by choosing weird playing choices over cat toys. One of such very basic and lame chose is a string! Why do cats love string? Let’s find out the possible reasons behind it.
Why do cats love string:
1. It Twists, Turns and Offers Motion
The curious nature of cats is no hidden element, especially for cats parents. you must be knowing how excited they get by seeing weird things as weird and lame as a string! well, that’s the core nature of cats! isn’t it?
Any cat is motivated by moving things, and a string is capable of twisting, turning, and moving all at the same time! This gives pleasure to cats at another level.
2. Fullfills Your Cat’s Hunting Instinct
Cats, in order to stay healthy they need to fulfill their hunting and killing instincts. However, there are many toys available on the market to support their curious nature. But if you fail to provide them with such cat toys, they are going to find another alternative.
Especially, cats are very likely to get attracted to strings, they have a deep connection with anything that is moving, turning, and twisting. Cats in the wild were very much attentive to such figures, resembling possible danger such as a snake.
3. Conducts a Good Play Session
You bring different types of cat toys and cat interactive toys for your feline friend, and still, they go behind a normal string, why! Why do cats love string so much!
One of the most important things which strings have is that they are stagnant. This makes any lazy cat happy, as she doesn’t have to chase a lot, and while chasing any bird, mouse, cat laser toys, etc. is a tough job.
This becomes a good cat’s playing session, and they can engage for hours without getting tired.
4. Physical and Mental Stimulation
In order to stay healthy, every creature on this planet needs mental and physical stimulation, including you, me, and our adorable cats and dogs. It is very essential for you to provide it for your indoor cats. At least 10 minutes a day.
The movement of strings and balls of yarn is endlessly stimulating and can make your cat super excited, release stress and anxiety, and engage in a good amount of exercise.
Another argument is that string is a more pleasant toy than genuine prey because it is so readily captured, torn apart, and consumed. Long, thin, dangle items can satisfy the hunting need better than toys that can’t be pulled apart or even caught.
5. Texture
Why do cats love string, it has multiple reasons and multiple answers, so far we talked about how it attracts our felines, now what keep them going is the texture! The texture of a string is capable of satisfying cats’ need to dig her claws into.
Also, one of the reasons, why cats love to play with carpet as it has the perfect texture to dig their claws into. What else can be more appealing than a big ball of string?
Apart from dipping their claws, stings also have a very chewy effect in them, again it helps the cat to fulfill her teething needs, which many toys don’t have! They are either slippery or hard to bite, a string is easy to cinch and tear.
The texture of a string or a wool ball resemblances that of your cat’s prey, and that’s why she’s more attracted to it.
6. Resembles the Cat’s Own Tail
One of the funniest reasons, why do cats love strings is it not just has a resemblance to the prey, but it also resembles the cat’s tail. We all have gotten the amazing chance to see a cat chasing their own tail at least once out of a hundred times in our life.
Kittens and cats are found chasing their own tails, this also sharpens their hunting skills.
As your kitten grows into a cat they will drop this habit, but anything which looks like their tail, they will chase it, a tail. Yes, it is so much easier to grab it into the small- small paws and play with string without getting hurt.
Are Strings Bad for Cats?
Well, not just string but anything that resembles it, for example, a ribbon, yarn, threads, etc. can be bad for cats to play with if you won’t keep an eye on them, cats like string.
The possible threat these stringy strings have is if your cat swallows it mistakenly, the results could be life-threatening.
For long strings, your kitty can easily get stuck in it, they can roll around it like a Christmas light around the Christmas tree. And trust me, a cat sounded with a ball of yarn is not at all cute.
This can result in physical damage, limb damage, or in the worst-case scenario even strangling to death. Ok, dying from a ball of yarn might sound a little too dramatic, but it can cause serious damage to your cat if she happens to wrap her head around it.
On the other hand, if your cat digests any part of it, it can get stuck in your cat’s organism. It will cause intestinal blockage, you will have to rush to the emergency room, and they will perform surgery on your cat to remove a string.
Conclusion
Strings and cats, no matter how relatable the world makes it, you should know the possible risks of leaving your cat unsupervised with it. If your cat is attracted to such stringy things present in your house, it’s time you need to revisit the sites of the best cat toys, cat interactive toys, and so on.
Mental and physical stimulation is very necessary for any cat in the world, if she is deprived of it, then it might result in destructive behavior and put herself into trouble by choosing such objects to play with.
We hope this article was helpful for you to find all your answers to why cats love string.
References
- Hunting instincts of cats — International Cat Care
- Cat toys and their potential dangers — RSPCA Pet Insurance
- Why Cats And String Are A Really Bad Idea — The Dodo