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Elderly couple knits on a sofa while a fluffy white cat in the foreground is wrapped in strands of blue and cream yarn. 18 / 27

Grandma and Grandpa Were Knitting Side by Side. Somebody Else Got Into the Yarn.

AI imagenorwegian forest catknittingyarn

Knitting night was going so well. Ruth, in her green cardigan, and Frank, in a brown sweater, sit side by side with their needles clicking, each working on a project in soft blue wool. Somewhere along the way, though, the yarn supply was compromised. In the foreground, Snowdrop sits in a nest of loose strands, blue and cream yarn looped around her paws, draped over her fluffy chest and trailing across the coffee table. She holds one tangled paw up and gazes at the camera with wide, innocent green eyes, as though she has no idea how any of this happened.

Yarn and cats are a classic pairing in pictures, but in real life loose string is one of the bigger household hazards for cats. If swallowed, yarn, thread, ribbon or string can cause a serious intestinal blockage that may need emergency surgery. The tiny backward-facing barbs on a cat's tongue make it hard for them to spit string out once they start chewing. Store yarn in a closed bag or basket with a lid, and never leave knitting unattended within reach. If you see string hanging from a cat's mouth or rear end, don't pull it; call your vet right away. Wand toys used under supervision are a safer way to satisfy the urge to chase.

Snowdrop will need some gentle untangling, and Ruth may have to rewind a ball or two. Still, it's hard to stay annoyed at a face that innocent.

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