Narrow escape..

Gollum has a cat tree inside our apartment, and I have tied a little plastic ball with a bell inside to dangle off the side of one of the levels... on a piece of string. Earlier today I heard him screaming and went running to find that his tail (being Sphynx he has a hairless tail) had been wrapped around and around by the piece of string. He was totally panicking and was in so much pain. I freed him and gave him so many cuddles and loving, and I felt sick to think what might have happened had I not been at home! His tails is grazed and I'm sure he has some pain, but what really worries me is what he would have done had he been on his own.

Have any of you had similar experiences with toys that are dangling from a piece of string?

When I first got my two kids, I was really over the top about trying to make sure there was no string or anything that they could get caught in while I was away. Well one day, when I got back home (gone for 9 hrs) I opened the bedroom door and found that my female flipped over the laundry basket and was stuck under there. Who knows for how long. I was so stressed! I know how you feel. I'm sorry that happened to your baby. I hope he's ok now.

If you have miniblinds, the cords should be knotted so there's no loop for cats (or children) to get their heads stuck in and hang themselves... you need to cat-proof your place just like you would for children, only it can be difficult to know where to start, and have to consider potential trouble at all heights.

Since I joined TCS there have been scary stories like yours. One particular one is the kitty who almost hanged herself. The string toy was hanging from the doorknob. Those things can be dangerous to cats if left unsupervised.

A similar thing happened to Magpie (bridge babe) when he was a kitten. I had a cat tree that had a ball hanging from one of the platforms by a piece of string. Magpie was playing with it when he got it caught around his paw and was unable to untangle it. He was hanging with it wrapped around his paw and screaming his head off. Fortunately I was in room at the time so was able to dash over and untangle him, but I dread to think of the consequences if I hadn't been there.