Torn Yeow Banana

[Jabzilla]

Hey folks,
One of my cats loves his Yeow banana but just tore a hole in it. I know for normal stuffed toys they have to be thrown away once they've been torn. But since the yeow banana is filled with catnip rather than stuffing, does it also need to be thrown away or is it still safe for him to play with under supervision?

 

[DeesCats]

Can you sew up the hole by hand or attach a patch to it? I haven't had to repair any of mine yet but that would be the plan when they do.

 

[Jabzilla]

Would sewing it up be safe? I know thread is dangerous for cats. I have some iron on patches that I use for my pants. Would that work?

 

[IndyJones]

I would say its ok for now but supervise play. Order a new one on amazon and throw it out when you get the box.
The fraying threads would be the big concern here.

I would also cut the tag off. Never leave the tags on cat, dog, or babys toys. They can choke on it.

 

[Jabzilla]

Thank you, I didn't know you were supposed to remove the cloth tags. Now that I think about it, the banana might be the only toy they have which has a tag. I'll cut it off and will remove the tag from future soft toys. As for the banana, the Yeow website says the toys can be sewn shut if torn, but I'm afraid of the thread potentially causing a problem. I'll pick up a new banana from the pet store and then look around to see if I can find videos on how one can safely sew up cat toys. And in the meantime, the torn toy can stay hidden in the box. If I can't find any info on how to use a hidden stitch or something to repair the busted one, then I'll throw it away. It sucks though since I'm torn between my fear of thread induced issues and my dislike of throwing away otherwise perfectly good items.

 

[IndyJones]

If you have a sewing machiene some have a built in knot tieing function that works well to hide the knots but not all machienes have it. I wouldn't trust hand sewing since a machiene uses a locking stitch which is much harder to pull out.

 

[DeesCats]

I also remove tags from cat toys regardless if they are cloth, paper or whatever.

Since the tear is on the seam, I would still be comfortable hand sewing it, just make sure your stitches are tight and extend an inch or so on either end of the tear. I would double knot at the beginning of the repair as well as at the end.

I've never had luck with iron on patches staying in place and always sew around the edges. I am not a neat or good sew-er and tend to use black or white heavy duty upholstery thread on everything.

 

[IndyJones]

I wouldn't trust my own hand sewing either. Its more like basting or a childs sewing, limp and it just pulls right out. I have a computerized sewing machiene though as well as an old elna supermatic i restored. Both do a far better job than i do.

 

[Alldara]

I've never personally had an issue with sewing toys shut again but I've also not had cats who were the type to try and eat things they shouldn't. Best to judge based on your cat. Use cotton thread if you sew shut. Manufacturers sew the toys so most toys will have threads anyway.