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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2015 13:07:04 GMT
Short version: Is it safe to leave a young cat alone with a plush toy? Long version: My neighbour's cat visits me on a daily basis when his owners are out at work. He's not exactly a kitten, but he's a young, highly energetic cat. VERY playful, especially in the morning. I think it's too cold to leave him outside, and I'm okay with him spending the day in the kitchen, but I don't want him walking all over the worktops when I'm not looking. So I made him a little bed with a blanket, and I bought him one of these things to entertain him:- He loves it lol. Thing is, I'm worried that he'll eventually bite its ear off or something and choke on it. And I don't want the spend the whole day watching him play with it. I have stuff to do, and if I wanted a pet of my own, I'd adopt one. What do?
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Nov 27, 2015 14:18:23 GMT
Well I don't have a cat of my own but we have 2 of them where I work because we need them to keep mice away (we have lots of expensive wires around). AFAIK cats don't rip toys apart and chew them like puppies do. If this was a puppy, I'd say for sure he'd rip the toy apart. But cats? I don't think cats do that. If you're really concerned you could always get him cat nip or something more cat-friendly that can't be ripped apart/swallowed. What about your neighbor? Maybe they have toys for him already?
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Cookie Monster
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Post by Cookie Monster on Nov 27, 2015 14:24:15 GMT
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sam
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Post by sam on Nov 27, 2015 14:26:14 GMT
It depends on how old the cat is but some are more adventurous than others and will tear things up. Our young kitten doesn't but he doesnt really take too big of an interest in his toys but he does have 1 or two that are plush. See how he plays with it and make a judgment from that
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TheRaven
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Post by TheRaven on Nov 27, 2015 14:44:25 GMT
Like Blizz said, it depends on the cat. Our cat was playing with her toys when she was a young kitten but she has never torn anything. But my grandparents used to have cats of their own, and they did tear curtains once...
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Nov 27, 2015 19:45:28 GMT
I don't think Harvey's concern is so much that the cat will rip the toy but that he might try to eat it and choke on it. Cats generally claw at everything so the toy ripping is probably inevitable. But I don't think cats eat toys, although one of the cats where I work loves paper and he eats cardboard. I would hope that cats are smart enough to avoid eating anything that they'd choke on or can't digest.
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Mohican.
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Post by Mohican. on Nov 28, 2015 9:30:21 GMT
Cat's are usually too smart to chew things apart. Sure enough, it may happen at some point, but it's nowhere near to compare to what a dog does once it's loose. I've had cats since I was born. Of course every cat is different, but I am talking for 14 cats and never once did one of them got themself in danger while playing. The cat I have now was the first to even chew something he wasn't supposed to be chewing. I entered the kitchen and saw my little buddy choke. I was like "Nah, please don't start throwing up now cause I like the fact that you're the first not throwing up every day because of something". Well turned out he swallowed a hair tie and that wanted to get out again. He was so disgusted by it, he never did it again. So when they are young they need to learn, obviously, but I don't think you should worry too much. Cats are good at keeping themself busy but unless there's an open window they can get stucked in, I think everything's fine.
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TheRaven
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Post by TheRaven on Nov 28, 2015 15:03:35 GMT
Cat's are usually too smart to chew things apart. Sure enough, it may happen at some point, but it's nowhere near to compare to what a dog does once it's loose. I've had cats since I was born. Of course every cat is different, but I am talking for 14 cats and never once did one of them got themself in danger while playing. The cat I have now was the first to even chew something he wasn't supposed to be chewing. I entered the kitchen and saw my little buddy choke. I was like "Nah, please don't start throwing up now cause I like the fact that you're the first not throwing up every day because of something". Well turned out he swallowed a hair tie and that wanted to get out again. He was so disgusted by it, he never did it again. So when they are young they need to learn, obviously, but I don't think you should worry too much. Cats are good at keeping themself busy but unless there's an open window they can get stucked in, I think everything's fine. Good thing you don't know my neighbors' cat. She once nearly hang herself while playing. So, our lesson: put wires somewhere where it's not easy to hang a cat head in...
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Mohican.
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Post by Mohican. on Nov 28, 2015 16:07:38 GMT
Cat's are usually too smart to chew things apart. Sure enough, it may happen at some point, but it's nowhere near to compare to what a dog does once it's loose. I've had cats since I was born. Of course every cat is different, but I am talking for 14 cats and never once did one of them got themself in danger while playing. The cat I have now was the first to even chew something he wasn't supposed to be chewing. I entered the kitchen and saw my little buddy choke. I was like "Nah, please don't start throwing up now cause I like the fact that you're the first not throwing up every day because of something". Well turned out he swallowed a hair tie and that wanted to get out again. He was so disgusted by it, he never did it again. So when they are young they need to learn, obviously, but I don't think you should worry too much. Cats are good at keeping themself busy but unless there's an open window they can get stucked in, I think everything's fine. Good thing you don't know my neighbors' cat. She once nearly hang herself while playing. So, our lesson: put wires somewhere where it's not easy to hang a cat head in... Wow, that indeed sounds dangerous. What kind of wire was it? Well of course, I think outside may be a lot of dangerous things for cats, especially wires and such. The only thing we always have to worry about are cars, cause sometimes they drive way too fast through our street. But unluckily that's nothing you can control.
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Post by Becky on Nov 28, 2015 17:26:04 GMT
I have 2 cats and one chews toys a lot but afaik has never attempted to eat/swallow anything that he's managed to chew off of the toy. But playful, young cats may be more inclined to. My auntie and uncle have 3 kittens and they've never choked on their plush toys. If you're still worried I'd suggest just keeping an eye on him and seeing how he acts with it.
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TheRaven
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Post by TheRaven on Nov 28, 2015 19:31:48 GMT
Good thing you don't know my neighbors' cat. She once nearly hang herself while playing. So, our lesson: put wires somewhere where it's not easy to hang a cat head in... Wow, that indeed sounds dangerous. What kind of wire was it? Well of course, I think outside may be a lot of dangerous things for cats, especially wires and such. The only thing we always have to worry about are cars, cause sometimes they drive way too fast through our street. But unluckily that's nothing you can control. I don't remember what kind of wire it was, it's been like 8 years...
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Post by booknerd on Nov 28, 2015 19:52:46 GMT
I wouldn't worry too much about it... I've got two kittens and typically they don't try to eat anything except for cardboard and my hair bands -_- still trying to teach them that's bad lol. I have noticed though toys that eventually rip apart might be cause of worry for the possibity of ingestion. Check the toys periodically to see that they're still in tact and clean, steer clear of toys with feathers or string if your cat won't be supervised with it and try to find out what's inside of the plush toys in the event of a tear. check out these two pieces on toys to avoid - www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/toys-that-are-safe-for-your-kittenm.petco.com/Content/ArticleList/Article/0/-1/191/Dangerous-Toys-for-Cats.aspxMy boys love chasing around balls, playing with cat nip infused plush toys and they go nuts over the laser pointer. Typically the younger they are, the more curious and adventurous they are. Cats are very good at keeping themselves entertained, they spend the majority of their day sleeping as well.
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Post by Amanda on Nov 28, 2015 23:42:09 GMT
For safety reasons I would probably not, but I'm sure the cat wont swollow it. But if you're a bit worried, skip it. However I don't think the cat will swollow it, I think as said before cats are smart enough to realize its a toy and that theres no fun in swallowing it haha.
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Post by Uncle Bob on Nov 29, 2015 2:08:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2015 12:51:09 GMT
Thanks for your advice, guys. Update: I went with the 'It'll be okay' attitude. Everything seems fine. He's pulled one of its legs off, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and eat it. And the toy is designed in such a way that its stuffing won't come out if its dismembered, so the cat can't accidentally swallow the stuffing. Smart toymakers.
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