Cats and Bags:Keep your Cat OUT of the Bag (If It Has Handles)

Cats love bags. Paper bags, plastic bags, cloth grocery shopping bags, gift bags, tote bags...ALL types of bags.

If you are like me, you derive great enjoyment out of watching your cat play with, and in, any of the above mentioned bags.

WARNING: If your bag has handles...PLEASE, PLEASE, CUT THEM OFF! If you choose to not cut them off, then DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CAT TO PLAY WITH ANY BAG WITH HANDLES without close supervision!!!

NOTE:The bag above DOES have handles
Cody was NOT left unattended with the bag

Years ago on my blogging travels I  commented on a post suggesting that the bag handles be cut off because they cause a POTENTIAL CHOKING HAZARD FOR CATS AND KITTENS.

• Shopping bag handles, like the bags you get from Nordstrom, Macy’s or The Gap, and the grocery stores—can get wrapped around the neck of a cat or kitten and can be fatal. It may start as fun, but they can panic and become stressed, caught in the handle and then choke on the handles. (from communityconcernforcats.org)

At the time, the person pooh-poohed my comment, then weeks later they returned and thanked me profusely, AND they APOLOGIZED. Not long after I left my comment, their cat had been playing with a bag unsupervised, and when the owner entered the room, the cat was struggling to be free of the handles that had wrapped themselves around the neck of the cat. Thankfully, due to the owner entering the room at the right time, the cat was unharmed.

We all love looking at photos of cats playing with bags, who can resist how adorable they look? Just please keep in mind that these harmless looking bags can possibly cause your cat to lose its life. 

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF OTHER COMMON DANGERS TO YOUR CAT THAT CAN BE FOUND AROUND YOUR HOME, CLICK HERE