Does your cat love model new toys from the pet retailer—or would they quite simply play with the packaging all of it is available in? Most cats like to play with home goods simply as a lot as any store-bought cat toy.
One such feline favourite is hair ties. From batting them throughout the ground to carrying them round of their mouth, hair ties (and rubber bands) present infinite leisure for some cats. However what’s it about them that piques cats’ curiosity?
Key Takeaways
Many cats like to play with hair ties as a result of they make ideally suited “prey,” stimulating their pure searching instincts.
Some cats will attempt to chew or swallow hair ties and this will make them a harmful selection of toy.
To stop your cat from enjoying with hair ties, preserve them out of attain and provide your cat safer various toys as a substitute.
5 Causes Cats Like Hair Ties
There are many the reason why cats like hair ties. Listed below are the 5 most typical.
1. Cats Are Curious
Cats are naturally curious creatures and discover their atmosphere by patting, knocking, and swatting at completely different objects that they arrive throughout. Their delicate paws, which include numerous nerve endings, assist them to resolve what an object is and whether or not or not it’s protected.
When a cat bats at a hair tie, it usually flies throughout the floor at a quick velocity, inflicting the cat to instinctively chase it. This brings us naturally to purpose quantity two.
2. Pure Searching Instincts
Home cats have a powerful searching intuition leftover from after they wanted to hunt to outlive. Though our pet cats don’t have to hunt to eat, their intuition to chase and hunt stays robust, even with indoor cats who will nonetheless chase, pounce on, and “kill” toys.
A cat’s intuition to exhibit predatory habits is so robust that even inanimate objects are generally handled as prey. Enjoying is a pure outlet for that searching intuition and hair ties are a typical selection of “prey” as a result of they’re light-weight and transfer readily when batted.
Hair ties can turn out to be caught on issues (together with a cat’s claws) and, in doing so, mimic the motion of a prey animal comparable to rodents. This will increase the cat’s prey drive even additional.
3. Cats Just like the Texture
Hair ties are fascinating for cats as a result of they make the proper “prey” for them to bat round and to apply their searching abilities. Shutterstock.com
Relying on the hair tie, your cat could be interested in the feel of it. A few of them are fluffy, which might mimic a prey animal. A few of them make crinkly sounds that may entice your cat’s curiosity. And plenty of of them are mushy, that are tactile to your cat’s mushy paws. The feel of a hair tie also can have an effect on the best way it strikes round when your cat performs with it.
4. Favorable Smells
Cats might just like the comforting scent of their proprietor on the hair ties. Cats have a particularly well-developed sense of scent, with much more olfactory receptors than people have. The truth is, a cat’s nostril is nearly 40 occasions extra delicate than ours, so even brand-new hair ties provide intriguing smells to your cat. I’ve a cat who enjoys rubbing on and scent-marking rubber objects round the home, comparable to dumbbells and tires. Many hair ties may have that rubber elastic scent that some cats like.
5. They Can Be Hoarded
Likelihood is you might have greater than only one hair tie round the home, particularly in case your cat retains making off with them! Cats are opportunistic hunters, which implies they’ll hunt when the possibility arises, even when they’re not hungry at that second.
They’ll then retailer and save their catch for later. In case your cat is treating hair ties as prey, then they could be hoarding them for later. Attempt checking inside your cat’s mattress, below the sofa, or your mattress for a secret stash of hair ties.
The Dangers of Cats Enjoying With Hair Ties
For a lot of cats, enjoying with hair ties is innocent and only a little bit of enjoyable. Nevertheless, it may be extremely harmful in case your cat ingests considered one of these overseas objects. Not solely do they pose a choking hazard, but when your cat swallows a number of hair ties, it may trigger an obstruction in your cat’s gastrointestinal tract, together with the esophagus, abdomen, or intestines.
This may be life-threatening and your cat will want surgical procedure to take away the obstruction. Indicators that your cat has an obstruction may embody a diminished urge for food, vomiting, lethargy, and stomach ache. Name a veterinarian instantly in case your cat reveals any of those signs.
Supervise your cat so that they don’t develop a style for them and chew or swallow them. In case you are in any doubt, it’s best to not let your cat play with hair ties in any respect, to stop any critical well being points.
How Can I Cease My Cat From Enjoying With Hair Ties?
Take away The Temptation
The primary and most evident resolution to stop your cat from enjoying with hair ties is to take away them from their attain. Retailer them someplace they’ll’t entry, comparable to a drawer or field, and watch out to not go away stray hair ties mendacity round. Make all members of the family conscious to do the identical factor and educate kids the significance of not letting your cat play with hair ties.
Present Safer Alternate options
In case you are frightened about your cat choking on or consuming hair ties, there are many protected toys in the marketplace to switch them with.
There are many safer options to hair ties that you possibly can think about. Fleece balls, catnip toys, and even a scrunched-up piece of paper can all present the identical enjoyable as a hair tie. Encourage your cat to play with these cat toys by rolling them throughout the ground, inserting them inside a field, or throwing them on your cat to ‘fetch’.
Indoor cats usually tend to attempt to alleviate boredom by enjoying with issues they shouldn’t, comparable to hair ties, so it’s particularly necessary to supply psychological stimulation and spend time every day interacting and enjoying along with your cat.
Seek the advice of Your Veterinarian
Some cats will chew on inappropriate objects as a solution to alleviate stress. In case your cat is chewing excessively on hair ties, converse to your veterinarian for assist. Cat habits could be difficult, and so they would possibly counsel referring you to a cat behaviorist who can present extra tailor-made recommendation.
Cats are naturally curious animals with a powerful searching intuition, so it’s no marvel so many cats discover hair ties interesting. However these hair ties pose a choking hazard and will trigger a gastrointestinal blockage if swallowed. It’s finest to all the time supervise your cat when enjoying with them.
Continuously Requested Questions
Why does my cat play with my hair tie?
Cats are curious and hair ties are, merely put, enjoyable to play with. Hair ties are light-weight and straightforward to bat, making them ideally suited “prey” which stimulates a cat’s robust searching intuition.
Ought to I let my cat play with hair ties?
More often than not, hair ties are only a little bit of enjoyable for cats to play with. Nevertheless, they do pose a choking hazard if swallowed and will trigger a gastrointestinal obstruction which could be life-threatening, so all the time supervise your cat enjoying with hair ties. When you assume your cat would possibly eat hair ties, then it’s best to stop him from enjoying with them in any respect and supply different protected toys for him to play with.
Is it regular for cats to eat hair ties?
Most cats simply play with hair ties however some cats will chew on them and even eat them. This could have critical penalties on your cat so you must all the time supervise your cat when enjoying with hair ties. In case your cat tries to eat them, then all the time make certain hair ties are saved out of attain.
