Question:
Any of you ladies with long hair, or parents' of daughters' with long hair have a hard time keeping up with hair bands and scrunchies? I buy a new pack at least once every two weeks.
My kitties love to play with them...one kitty enjoys putting a scrunchie in her water dish, and then "fishing" it out. By the time I find the lost scrunchie/hair band, it is usally too late to save it.
But, it offers a lot of fun to the kitties and is a relatively inexpensive "toy". I have heard/read somewhere that kitties particularly love hair bands, etc...because it carries the scent of the owner (oil from the hair, shampoo scent, etc...)
Regardless...if anyone can tell me how they were able to keep their hair accessories out of the furry little paws of their kitty-kids, I would love to know...my youngest kitty has even learned to open the drawer in my dressing room and steal them.
Have a great weekend all!
Answer:
Brynn,
I used to let Socks play with my hair bands until they started disappearing and I started freaking out about her eating them. I asked my vet about it and he said it is dangerous for kitties to play with the bands 'cause they do like to swallow them and they might block their insides.
So get a box for all the hair accessories and don't let your kitties near hair bands… I spent a few day playing with Sock's poo till I was sure she didn't have any bands left in her…
Answer:
Cute story! Now I have a new idea for a kitty toy! I wish I could help... but the only experience I have had that comes close is that my Pixie (a special Bridge kitty) loved foam curlers, and proudly carried them around like mice--except when she was chasing it across a room or wrestling with it! We always called them her pink mice.
Jeanie
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/
A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem. ~Jean Burden
Answer:
Ha ha -- I laughed when I read about opening the drawer. Cats can be very clever when it's something they really want. I think maybe a box inside the drawer might work, so long as the box is too big -or- the drawer is too small to prevent the cat from jumping up and getting inside the drawer to open the box. I think it unlikely a cat could open them both at the same time.

Answer:
Thanks for the advice, socksipuss
As soon as I noticed they were playing with scrunchies, I immediately switched to only buying large and bulky ones, to avoid any possibility of their being ingested. When they first started doing this, I only had a couple of the smaller hair bands, and made sure they were accounted for. I tossed out everything tempting that could have been swallowed, so I didn't have to worry about it.
I try to keep them (the scrunchies, not the kitties) put away where the "kids" can't get to them, but my sneaky little beasts always manage to find them. It is cute, especially when my Jazzy-Cat carries one around in her mouth, drops it in her water bowl and then fishes for it until she gets it out (she often resorts to actually "bobbing" for it!)
I appreciate the concern, and this was the first thing I thought about when I noticed they were playing with them. As the mom of two nearly grown (14 and 18 year old) daughters, I always consider choking and intestinal blockage and plan ahead to prevent it.
Thanks again! Prevention is always good advice for anyone who has babies of any species!
Have a great weekend!
Answer:
Mine are terrible, they lose my hair bands all the time, but I usually find them in the litter box / water bowl / under the sofa / in the bath tub and any other number of places they decide are fun. I have thick hair so I think mine would be too big for them to swallow easily in any case.
I buy a pack at least every 2 weeks too.
Now my BF on the other hand (he has long hair) is terrible, he will usually tie his hair back at work - but do you think he ever comes home with the hair elastic?

Answer:
You should know that once Socks was done with hair bands she started munching on my HAIR. This is better for her 'cause it is (mostly) attached so she can't swallow it. Me - I'm not really crazy about the idea, the sounds and the yucky goo But then - I wanted a cat and I want her to be happy...
Answer:
LOL Socksi...
I do have one kitty who munches hair (Jazz). Unfortunately, she is not content to JUST chew on it (and leave it wet and fishy-smelly and nasty)...she tries to swallow it!
I have waist-length hair (I wish my hubby would not be heartbroken if I cut it off...it is hot and, IMO not flattering - I would have it shoulder length in a heartbeat).
I was taking a nap one day, when I was awakened to the "slurp-pull-slurp-pull" of her "eating" my hair. I carefully pulled it out of her mouth, and she had "swallowed" at least 6-8" of it!
I try to keep her from doing this, not only because it is not pleasant for me (having to wash and dry and style hair this long is a very time-consuming process) I worry that she could actually swallow some and get a hairball from doom!
Thanks for sharing this...I can relate!
Answer:
Brynn wrote: I try to keep her from doing this, not only because it is not pleasant for me (having to wash and dry and style hair this long is a very time-consuming process) I worry that she could actually swallow some and get a hairball from doom!
Even worse is when they swallow it and it comes out the other end... I saw Jasmine walking by once with a piece of poop trailing on the floor behind her by one of my hairs!!! I almost threw up. That was by far the nastiest thing I have had to deal with during the time I have been employed by my cats.
Luckily for me they have never gone after my hair ties... dirty tampons from the garbage, on the other hand... we moved recently and I discovered a stash in the cabinets of tampons, bottle caps, torn up dirty tissues, mangled mice toys, a bangle bracelet ...
Answer:
I have a bad habit of leaving my hair bands around and Velvet will play with them and bat them under furniture. She doesn't chew on them, which I am thankful for. I think they would be too big for her to swallow anyway. I am trying to get better about putting them away when I let my hair down.
Lori and Velvet
Answer:
horseplaypen wrote:
Luckily for me they have never gone after my hair ties... dirty tampons from the garbage, on the other hand... we moved recently and I discovered a stash in the cabinets of tampons, bottle caps, torn up dirty tissues, mangled mice toys, a bangle bracelet ...
eeeww!!! i only use pads, but i guess i should get a covered garbage can for the bathroom when i get a cat so that doesnt happen lol
DON'T TOUCH ME, I'M STERILE! -Pat from Spongebob
Answer:
That could be embarassing! My boys only like to play with clean wrapped ones which they remove from the box themsleves
They will bat pretty much anything across the floor though... but they do tend to stay out of the garbage.

Answer:
my two cats like the poofier ones that are normally sold for the younger girls since it's likely to get it tangled in the hair. They stoop through my sisters pencil cases, jewelry boxes, drawers for them. They don't fancy my regular hair ties
Angie
Answer:
icklemiss21 wrote: My boys only like to play with clean wrapped ones which they remove from the box themsleves
My cats do the same thing! Soot, who is the resident troublemaker will grab ahold of one and take off running with it and he growls at anybody who tries to take it away from him. You'd think it was a piece of steak or something!
Amanda - Owned by 4 cats, 2 dogs, and 6 fish

Answer:
Another to the tally of scrunchy-playing kitties! I have many of the big fat ones that the furrkids love. They love the pink foam curlers too, my friend brought some over for me.