Why do cats eat needles?

Among the foreign objects removed from the stomachs of our purring patients, sewing needles are the undisputed leader.

Why would a cat want to eat a needle? It's not tasty and not very interesting. But for some reason, the top 1 indication for emergency gastroscopy in cats is a needle in the stomach.

To understand this paradox, you should consider two factors:

1. Most often, neat housewives leave needles with a thread threaded through the eye. A swinging thread is a much more attractive toy for a cat.

2.Features of the anatomy of the tongue. The tongue of cats is entirely covered with tubercles shaped like small hooks, shorter on the sides of the tongue and longer in the middle, and all oriented toward the mouth.

Such a structure of the tongue surface helps to carry out high-quality grooming by licking the coat, but practically deprives the cat of the opportunity to spit out a thread caught on the tongue. And a cat that is playing with a thread has no choice but to swallow the thread, taking the needle with it.

What is important for owners to know?

• * Don't leave needles in the access area of pets, even if your cat hasn't been interested in them before. But do not panic if this happens.
  * If the cat starts swallowing a needle in front of you, do not try to pull it out by the remaining thread tip. After all, the needle goes with the eye forward and by pulling on the thread, you risk turning it across the esophagus, piercing its walls.
  * If you think a needle has been eaten, contact the clinic as soon as possible. This will allow you to remove the needle before it moves into the intestines and avoid the risks associated with the needle and thread moving through the gastrointestinal tract.

If you are not sure that the needle may have been eaten, it is better to have an X-ray diagnosis. Since metal objects have a high x-ray density, this is a simple and quick way to rule out or confirm the presence of a needle.