yarn issue

My oldest cat (10 years), Tygar, lately has been carrying around 2 of my fuzzy balls of yarn, at all hours, meowing like she's concerned about them. If you go to her, she will drop the yarn and look at you, but act like nothing is going on. If I put the yarn into its basket she will get the same two balls out again and again. I was wondering if it was possible that she thought the yarn was kittens and there was a problem with them. She lost one of her babies when she was much younger.

Or possibly she thinks they're a 'kill' and wants to show them off? My kitty does that with the little 'mice' sometimes.

Sport does that with his stuffed octopus ollie. It's like "look what I got daddy"

That is a possibility I guess. She's never killed a thing in her life though. I'm also no where near her when she does this, so I don't think she's trying to show me it really.

My kitty Slasher is obsessed with my kitchen scouring pad. If I forget to hide it, he'll steal it.

My aunt's Siamese cat adopted a pair of socks a couple of years ago. She lost a kitten a couple of years ago, and is in a house with a constantly breeding Queen, so that might be a possibility, but she exhibits all the same behavior that you've described.

Piggy constantly meows if she can't find the socks, carries them around, and will fetch them if you ask her where her baby is.

Beyond any behavioral concern, I'd be worried about her health. If she gets the yarn balls unraveled at all, she can swallow a section (yes, cats can break yarn) and it can fill up her stomach or accordion her small intestine, requiring surgery or possibly killing her. I suggest going to a cat-proof plastic container for your yarn.

That sock obsession sounds really cute. Sad though.

My cat does not play with or try to eat the yarn, she just carries it around as some dogs do with stuffed animals. Thank you for your concern though. I will see about putting the yarn away where she can't reach it. Maybe in the bedroom closet.

Originally Posted by Enuja

Beyond any behavioral concern, I'd be worried about her health. If she gets the yarn balls unraveled at all, she can swallow a section (yes, cats can break yarn) and it can fill up her stomach or accordion her small intestine, requiring surgery or possibly killing her. I suggest going to a cat-proof plastic container for your yarn.

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I was thinking the same thing. I was in the vets one day and this lady had her cat that had swallowed thread and they had spent thousands of dollars on surgery's after it got tangled up in the cats digestive system. I would definitely be more worried about that happening.

I'm a seamstress and I get thread all over. I guess I need to be more careful now that we have a little one.