Is T-Shirt Yarn Safe for Kittens?

[Tiny Ball of Fuzz]

Hello all!
I have been crocheting for quite a few years now, and while I am not an expert in any way, I enjoy doing it, and I was wondering whether I could make something for my kittens. I know that regular yarn is not safe for cats for many reasons, but I'm not as sure about something called sheet yarn, or t-shirt yarn, which is essentially narrow strips of fabric. If I were to make my own t-shirt yarn, and then crochet it into a cat bed, would it be safe to give to kittens? Or would you consider it unsafe, in case the fabric frayed, or (unlikely) unraveled?
This is the type of thing that I mean:

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, as far as I understand it, the main reasoning is they might ingest loose yarn. I think your type of material would be fine, and you can always mend a frayed end.

By the way you might enjoy this thread;
Calling all knitters and other woolly things.

 

[Alldara]

It's definitely about ingestion. I use wool to make items for my cats. They have a woollen dryer ball to play with and I recently made this kicker. (Water bottle for scale)

I keep my yarn in a sealed bin. Cats are otherwise supervised.

I feel most safe using the conky yarn around them as it's not easily invested. You know your cat and their bitey-ness best so do what feels safest to you.

Regular inspection (one every few weeks) for your cat's toys and bed are always important. For example, I bought a commercial bed. Eventually they ripped it and I had to throw it away because stuffing is dangerous when injested. But it wasn't formerly unsafe for them to lay on and enjoy until it was broken.

 

[Tiny Ball of Fuzz]

Thank you both for your input!

 

[Alldara]

Thank you both for your input!

Looking forward to seeing your handiwork if you care to share photos!

 

[iPappy]

Kittens might be hit or miss (they like to chew!), but adult cats that are past that might really enjoy these beds. They are beautiful and look so cozy!

 

[Haivynrome]

I've heard mixed opinions on using t-shirt yarn for pets. Some say it's fine if the fabric is secure, but others worry about potential fraying. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in? Regardless, it's awesome that you're getting creative for your furballs.

 

[Caspers Human]

Casper's Girl-Human crochets, too.

As long as yarn (of any type) is crocheted into something it's all right. Loose yarn is the problem.

Cats like to play with yarn and, of course, that means they'll probably be chewing on it. That's where the trouble starts.
The papillae on the cat's tongue point backward. When a cat gets a piece of yarn in its mouth, the papillae tend to push the yarn farther down the cat's throat and they won't be able to spit it out. This could very easily lead to choking!

When we first got Casper, his Girl-Human was crocheting and Casper got hold of a piece of yarn while she wasn't looking. I heard him starting to make yakking noises and I looked over to see a piece of yarn hanging out of his mouth. I ran over to pull the yarn out of his mouth and I was amazed to see a two foot long piece come out of his throat!

Casper still likes to play with yarn (it's one of his favorite things to play with) but, when he does, we always make sure that we are directly supervising him the whole time and we also make sure to hold onto one end of the yarn at all times.

Anyhow, as long as the yarn is crocheted, the cat can't swallow it. If you give your cat crocheted things to play with just check to be sure that the item isn't coming unraveled.

Both of our cats, Casper and Elliot, love to sit with their Girl-Human and watch her crochet. She makes blankets for them to lay in and keep warm. She makes them crocheted cat toys, too. We occasionally check all the crocheted items that the cats play with in case they fray or start to come unraveled. If they do, we take them away.

We also check all of our cat toys to make sure they aren't coming apart, as well.

I don't think crocheted items are more dangerous than any other kind of cat toy as long as you do your due diligence.

 

[Alldara]

Casper's Girl-Human crochets, too.

As long as yarn (of any type) is crocheted into something it's all right. Loose yarn is the problem.

Cats like to play with yarn and, of course, that means they'll probably be chewing on it. That's where the trouble starts.
The papillae on the cat's tongue point backward. When a cat gets a piece of yarn in its mouth, the papillae tend to push the yarn farther down the cat's throat and they won't be able to spit it out. This could very easily lead to choking!

When we first got Casper, his Girl-Human was crocheting and Casper got hold of a piece of yarn while she wasn't looking. I heard him starting to make yakking noises and I looked over to see a piece of yarn hanging out of his mouth. I ran over to pull the yarn out of his mouth and I was amazed to see a two foot long piece come out of his throat!

Casper still likes to play with yarn (it's one of his favorite things to play with) but, when he does, we always make sure that we are directly supervising him the whole time and we also make sure to hold onto one end of the yarn at all times.

Anyhow, as long as the yarn is crocheted, the cat can't swallow it. If you give your cat crocheted things to play with just check to be sure that the item isn't coming unraveled.

Both of our cats, Casper and Elliot, love to sit with their Girl-Human and watch her crochet. She makes blankets for them to lay in and keep warm. She makes them crocheted cat toys, too. We occasionally check all the crocheted items that the cats play with in case they fray or start to come unraveled. If they do, we take them away.

We also check all of our cat toys to make sure they aren't coming apart, as well.

I don't think crocheted items are more dangerous than any other kind of cat toy as long as you do your due diligence.

Things like this can always be stored at certain times of day too!

 

[danteshuman]

No loose yarn, dental floss, curly ribbon, q-tip, ziplock bag or string like thing is safe around my idiot cat! Really as an adult he bit a q tip in half and ate if! He is the cat that needs a trash can with a lid.

 

[Haivynrome]

I've heard mixed opinions on using t-shirt yarn for pets. Some say it's fine if the fabric is secure, but others worry about potential fraying. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in? Regardless, it's awesome that you're getting creative for your furballs.

Personally, I haven't tried it, but I did stumble upon this thing called Catiotonic Polyester Yarn. Not sure if it's the same, but it might be worth checking out for your project. Also, kudos for making your own yarn – that's pretty cool!