These Toys Are Dangerous For Your Cat

Dangerous toys for the cat can be found in almost every cat household. The owners often do not suspect anything. You should avoid these toys.

Cats love to play – even into old age. The uninhibited play has a biological meaning because the little hunters on gentle paws use it to practice skills that they need for surviving in the open air.

Our house cats don’t need it. And yet they love to play. In addition, the game keeps the cat fit and promotes its intelligence. That is why there is also a wide range of intelligence toys and other toys for cats to keep them busy.

However, not all toys that are offered for cats are so useful. And even worse: Many are anything but safe: Find out here which cat toys can be dangerous for your darling and what the reasons are.

The laser pointer

Cats have extremely light-sensitive eyes. They need this ability for their famous night vision. But when playing with laser pointers, which are often offered as cat toys, these sensory organs are highly endangered.

Laser pointers bundle the light, so they emit a concentrated beam of light. If it hits the cat’s eye directly, it can cause irreparable damage. As much as the little hunters like to follow the bouncing point of light, this toy, like the flashlight, should not be used for entertainment.

If you still want to use such a device as a cat toy (we strongly advise against it!), make sure you pay attention to the laser class. The strength is divided into four classes, with level 4 designating the strongest light and level 1 the weakest. Even with a weak level, make sure not to shine the light in the cat’s eyes while playing!

The gaming mouse

They are available in plush or smooth, as natural as possible, or in bright colors, to wind up and with flashing lights: all variants of toy mice are commercially available. Cats can – especially when they are not outdoors – let their hunting instinct run free with these imitated prey mice.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with these play mice as cat toys. But be careful with plastic toys!

Cheap products that are particularly poorly processed can disintegrate into their individual parts during wild play. Then there is a risk that the cat will swallow small, harmful plastic parts. These can lead to internal injuries.

Microscopically small plastic particles that come off when chewing on the material could also accumulate in the animal’s bloodstream. Here it is essential to pay attention to quality and high-quality materials.

There are tips and tricks for making your own cat toys, such as felted play mice, online. Great mouse alternatives can also be made from wool socks filled with rustling and crackling contents.

With creative play ideas, you can get involved in playing with your house cat and thus strengthen the bond between humans and animals. With the necessary knowledge about how to play properly, people and animals can have a lot of fun.

Wool and nylon threads

A classic image that we know from children’s books is that of a cat happily jumping after the ball of yarn.

Anyone who likes to knit and embroider also knows how enthusiastically our furry friends jump on a ball of yarn. Neatly sorted batches of yarn become a happy jumble of knots and tangled strands in minutes. The cat enjoys it, and yet it should not only be prevented from playing with wool and co. because of the disorder and chaos. Because dangers can also loom here.

Depending on the material, the thread poses a risk. Some cats chew on it, small parts are swallowed. In the worst case, the indigestible yarn in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to intestinal blockage, which can be fatal.

A nice alternative to rolling balls of wool can be paper balls wrapped with colorful scraps of fabric. Sticky toilet paper rolls filled with rustling material are also well suited as cat toys or hunting objects for playing together.

Gift ribbon

It’s colorful, it glitters and rustles: Of course, cats love Christmas gift ribbons and colorful cords around birthday packages. But here, too, it is better to be safe than sorry.

In addition to the same disadvantages that yarn and thread also bring with them, there is another problem here: Gift ribbon, unless it is made of textiles (e.g. cotton or bamboo), often contains toxic substances in the color. When the cat chews on it, particles come off and go into its digestive tract.

These tapes should therefore always be kept out of the reach of cats.

Plastic bags and bags

The plastic bag also appears to be the perfect cat toy for the house tiger. You can hide in it, the bag rustles and moves and is also easy to carry around.

But there is a threefold danger here:

• suffocation
• poisoning
• strangulation

There is a risk of suffocation because there is no air exchange inside the bags. The cat simply can’t breathe anymore and in the resulting panic, it may not be able to find its way out of the bag.

In addition, plastic can get into the cat’s digestion by playing and biting into it. Last but not least, the cat can strangle itself on the carrying handles, i.e. strangle itself. Bags and pouches are therefore by no means good cat toys.

If you live in a household with cats and want to be on the safe side, you should always cut the handles off plastic bags and also not leave them near cats.

Good alternatives are paper bags or boxes without colorful prints. You are also welcome to fill in treats here, which the cat will then “discover” as a reward for its wild hunt.

Plant

Catnip and cat grass are popular indoor greens for our elegant four-legged friends. Cats don’t shy away from other indoor plants either. Depending on the variety, however, this curiosity can lead to great damage, because not all potted plants are non-toxic.

Curious house cats nibble on the plant or even eat whole leaves. This must be prevented at all costs.

If a cat has “tried” a poisonous plant, it should go to the vet immediately. Depending on the plant species, the animal can be in danger of death and must be treated immediately. If you are unsure, it is better to go to the vet once too often or, if in doubt, call them and get advice.

The safest way, however, is to check each plant for toxicity before you buy it. For the safety of your pet, remove existing poisonous plants as quickly as possible. Read here which flowers are poisonous to cats.

These plants can be particularly dangerous for cats:

• cyclamen
• Amaryllis
• avocado plant
• Bow Hemp/Sansevieria
• cacti
• daffodils
• rubber tree
• Christmas star

Instead of poisonous indoor plants, cat owners should rely on compatible and safe greenery for their own four walls.

However, you will probably have to replace some plants such as cat grass, valerian or catnip more often: cats literally love these plants to eat.

And you can also set up these indoor plants without hesitation if your cat likes to try how the potted plant tastes because these plants are harmless to cats:

• spider plant
• date palm
• catnip
• cat grass
• valerian
• coconut tree
• African violets
• room bamboo

We wish you and your cat a good time and always happy, safe play!