Why do cats eat needles?

Among the foreign objects extracted from the stomachs of our purring patients, the undisputed leadership belongs to sewing needles.

Why would a cat want to eat a needle? It's not tasty or very interesting. But for some reason, the top 1 on the list of indications for an emergency gastroscopy is for a cat to have a needle in its stomach.

To understand this paradox, two factors must be considered:

1 Most often, careful owners leave needles with a thread threaded through the ear. The oscillating thread is a much more attractive toy for the cat.

2.peculiarities of tongue anatomy. 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, all oriented towards the mouth.

This structure of the tongue surface helps to perform quality grooming by licking the fur, but practically deprives the cat of the possibility to spit out the thread caught on the tongue. And, playing with the thread, the cat has nothing left but to swallow the thread, taking the needle with it.

What's important for owners to know?

• * Do not leave needles within reach of pets, even if the cat has never been interested in them before. But do not panic if this happens.
  * If the cat swallows the needle before your eyes, do not try to pull it out by the remaining tip of the thread. After all, the needle goes with the ear forward, and by pulling the thread, you risk turning it across the esophagus, piercing its walls.
  * Assuming the needle has been eaten, contact the clinic as soon as possible. This will allow you to remove the needle before it moves into the intestine and avoid the risks associated with the needle and thread traveling through the gastrointestinal tract.

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