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A grandpa with glasses and a gray beard knits a cream scarf while a fluffy white cat sits wrapped in loose strands of yarn. 12 / 22

Earl Kept Knitting Like Nothing Was Wrong. Then You Notice the Cat.

AI imagewhite catknittingyarn

Earl's knitting project is coming along nicely, a chunky cream piece taking shape on his wooden needles. The yarn supply, however, has had a rough afternoon. Pearl is sitting right in front of him, wrapped from ears to paws in loops and tangles of loose yarn, looking up with wide golden eyes and an expression of complete innocence. Earl, glasses low on his nose and plaid shirt rumpled, keeps his eyes on his stitches and carries on as if this happens every day, which it probably does. Behind them, a basket of folded clothes, a potted plant, and a stack of books fill the cozy room.

The image of a cat playing with yarn is classic, but it comes with a real safety concern. Cats' tongues have tiny backward-facing barbs, which makes it hard for them to spit out string once they start chewing it. Swallowed yarn, thread, ribbon, or tinsel can tangle in the intestines and become a medical emergency. Signs like vomiting, loss of appetite, or a strand visible at the mouth or rear mean it is time to call your vet right away, and you should never pull on a string you see. For safe fun, offer wand toys you control and put them away after play, and store yarn in a lidded basket.

For the moment, Pearl seems content in her woolly wrapping, and Earl is too patient to make a fuss. Someone will have to untangle all of this later, but that is a job for after the next row.

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