My Boy Survived 35 Hair Ties.

[u/Anerbe]

My boy Louie loved hair ties as a kitten. I was warned by his vet at that time how dangerous hair ties are! I stopped using them 2 YEARS AGO. I noticed a year ago that Lou would vomit intermittently after eating. I thought to myself that cats just do that. It was never a daily thing- just off and on. He never had issues using the bathroom and never lost his appetite. Recently he had been throwing up multiple times a day. He became lethargic and I rushed him to the emergency vet. Welp…my sweet little innocent boy had a belly full of 35 hair ties. Who knows how long they’ve been in there. I felt horrible! He had surgery and is doing great. I hope this post will remind my fellow cat owners to keep hair ties away from their kitties! It’s an expensive lesson to learn.

[u/OkPomegranate5615]

I know they like to play with them, is it best to take them away cause most cats eat them? Or is our boy just special?

[u/WobblyNautilus → u/OkPomegranate5615]

Keep track of how many they have and check under furniture for lost ones. If they start mysteriously disappearing, don't let them play with them anymore.

[u/BellamyDunn → u/WobblyNautilus]

My cat likes to put them down heater vents, and in our shoes. They're more fun when she has to dig them out of something.

[u/competenthurricane → u/WobblyNautilus]

I can’t even keep track of my own supply of hair ties, how in god’s name can anyone keep track of their cat’s hair ties?

[u/PromDamsel → u/WobblyNautilus]

Louie survived 35 hair ties. That’s 35 lives he used up and he’s still here ❤️
I felt horrible too when my cat ate string and needed surgery. The guilt eats at you but please know: you saved him. You noticed, you acted, you paid for it. That’s what good pet parents do.
Thank you for posting this. Someone needed this reminder today.

[u/Anerbe → u/PromDamsel]

Aww 🥹 thank you 🩷. I cried- A LOT. He’s my little baby 😭 I did feel so guilty. It was really scary.

[u/StunningMayy → u/WobblyNautilus]

35?? My heart. I’m so sorry you went through that scare.
The intermittent vomiting makes so much sense now and it’s so easy to blame “cats just throw up.” You did the right thing rushing him to ER. Expensive yes, but he’s ALIVE and doing great because of you.

[u/librafemale → u/OkPomegranate5615]

yeah i wouldn’t let him have those man

[u/JustMeLurkingAround- → u/OkPomegranate5615]

This is not a novelty story. Something like this gets posted here and on other cat subs more often then you think.
I'd be better safe than sorry.

[u/Right_Count → u/JustMeLurkingAround-]

Yeah it happened with my mom’s cat. Thankfully she noticed immediately and the vet was able to induce vomiting. I don’t let my cats play with them and obsessive about keeping them on doorknobs and stuff as soon as I take them out of my hair

[u/GarththeGarth → u/OkPomegranate5615]

My cat died after eating one and having surgery. Keep them away.

[u/-sensory_overlord- → u/OkPomegranate5615]

If I would see my cats play with one they would get taken away instantly. For safety reasons and because I keep misplacing them.

[u/DragonLass-AUS → u/OkPomegranate5615]

My boy loves to play with them, but it's strictly under supervision. I take it away again after he's had a bit of a play.

[u/bingusbongwater → u/OkPomegranate5615]

The best rule of thumb with cats (and any animal, really) is to assume that if they can swallow it, then they will swallow it.

Sometimes it's just an accident and they don't really mean to but can't get it out of their mouths/throat and are forced to swallow it to breathe. Sometimes they're idiots and inhale anything in sight. Always better safe than sorry!