Rabbit paws. Safe to chew?...

lerrpurr

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So as I purchased a piece of a rabbit tail and its paw designed as a cat toy (pic attached), I discovered my cat was beyond happy with it. Did you notice how they prefer toys with real fur over plastic trinkets? If my cat's happy, then I'm happy to buy these for her, but my concern is, they have bones inside. I mean, it's literally a piece of a paw which ofc comes with a bone... And my cat doesn't just chase it, she eats the whole thing.
I know you can't give chicken bones to pets because they end up scratching stomach from the inside or get stuck, etc. So now I'm wondering if it's dangerous to give those rabbit toys. They ARE sold at my petshop,but still, shops will sell anything for money, so I can't really trust them. The brand is TitBit, if it matters.

Have you ever tried buying these, guys, do you think they're safe?
 

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Azazel

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Dang, they are selling real rabbit paws with bones inside as toys? Interesting.

I have noticed that my cats prefer toys made with rabbit fur. Actually, they scoff at the synthetic ones. The 2nd picture you posted looks like a toy that my cats love. It doesn’t have any bones inside, it’s just made with rabbit fur and my cats like licking it and carrying it around with them. I think it’s safe.

Raw bones aren’t unsafe for them to chew if they are the right size. For example, raw chicken necks and wing tips make great and nutritious treats. I’m not sure how big rabbit paw bones are. Cooked bones are never safe though because they can splinter.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Not an expert but I personally would make that you a supervision only type of toy.. Just like specter's fuzzy balls, you never know how far their roleplay (fictional hunting, aka, playing) will go and it's better safe than expensively sorry. I only really leave out hard plastic ones and things they can't rip fur out of or swallow to be on the safe side. I avoid spec eating and swallowing any type of fur or hair if I can help it because she gets constipated pretty easily.
 

Azazel

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Not an expert but I personally would make that you a supervision only type of toy.. Just like specter's fuzzy balls, you never know how far their roleplay (fictional hunting, aka, playing) will go and it's better safe than expensively sorry. I only really leave out hard plastic ones and things they can't rip fur out of or swallow to be on the safe side. I avoid spec eating and swallowing any type of fur or hair if I can help it because she gets constipated pretty easily.
Rabbit fur shouldn't cause constipation - especially the small amount that they might accidentally digest from a toy. It would actually do the opposite. Cats eat fur in the wild to aid in digestion. There was a study done on cheetahs once (can't find it now) that showed that fur and tendons serve as sources of dietary fiber for obligate carnivores.

Synthetic fur toys on the other hand I'm not sure about. I don't know if the material they make them out of would be digestible.
 

CHIKITTIES

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Hare Today sells these as snack but mainly for dogs? We bought once, kitties used as toy. Ear, Pila ate a little bit but out of curiosity not really into it.

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SpecterOhPossum

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Rabbit fur shouldn't cause constipation - especially the small amount that they might accidentally digest from a toy. It would actually do the opposite. Cats eat fur in the wild to aid in digestion. There was a study done on cheetahs once (can't find it now) that showed that fur and tendons serve as sources of dietary fiber for obligate carnivores.

Synthetic fur toys on the other hand I'm not sure about. I don't know if the material they make them out of would be digestible.
Interesting, mine doesn't have any rabbit fur toys but that was just my assumption when it happens, though I think realistically what does it is when she just has hairball issues. Not sure.. I'm always just afraid she will eat it. Never tried it before, but she's one to not have faith in
 

Azazel

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Interesting, mine doesn't have any rabbit fur toys but that was just my assumption when it happens, though I think realistically what does it is when she just has hairball issues. Not sure.. I'm always just afraid she will eat it. Never tried it before, but she's one to not have faith in
I think that hairball issues are in indication of some other underlying root problem. They are definitely not normal for cats. Cats are supposed to eat their own fur. My cats all stopped having hairballs after switching them to homemade raw food. Even the one who had them on mixed a commercial/homemade diet stopped having them when I cut out the commercial food.

One possibility is that cats shed too much on an inappropriate diet, thereby resulting in too much fur ingested. My cats definitely shed way less on homemade raw.
 

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Synthetic fur toys on the other hand I'm not sure about. I don't know if the material they make them out of would be digestible.
Best I can tell, synthetic fuzzy stuff is not digestible. Doesn't lose much color on the trip from one to the other either. :lol:
At my house, real fur or synthetic fur or any other kind of fur will get eaten. Preventing it up front is the only way to avoid it.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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I think that hairball issues are in indication of some other underlying root problem. They are definitely not normal for cats. Cats are supposed to eat their own fur. My cats all stopped having hairballs after switching them to homemade raw food. Even the one who had them on mixed a commercial/homemade diet stopped having them when I cut out the commercial food.

One possibility is that cats shed too much on an inappropriate diet, thereby resulting in too much fur ingested. My cats definitely shed way less on homemade raw.
I mean, I'd love to see some scientific citations on the fact that a cats own hair can't cause constipation unless another issue is present and that this doesn't just come down to individuals, or that raw will obliterate the problem 100%. The most common cause of constipation is low or inadequate moisture.
"Stress, changes in routine, and conditions that slow muscle contractions of the colon or delay your urge to go may also lead to constipation."
I generally doubt that anything around living things is so black and white. I could say the same thing about going vegan, but there's no clear cut proof so it's pretty loose.
Saying hairballs isn't normal sounds bizarre, I've seen ferals do it. I've seen bigger cat types do it, I've even seen dogs do it. That logic is as valid as saying eating grass is bad or unnatural for them. Animals don't puke like us drama queen humans who cry and belch and all of that nonsense, they do it to get stuff out , feel relief and keep it moving.
 

Azazel

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Saying hairballs isn't normal sounds bizarre, I've seen ferals do it. I've seen bigger cat types do it, I've even seen dogs do it. That logic is as valid as saying eating grass is bad or unnatural for them. Animals don't puke like us drama queen humans who cry and belch and all of that nonsense, they do it to get stuff out , feel relief and keep it moving.
Having hairballs and puking on a regular basis is not normal. Regurgitation puts a lot of wear and tear on an animal's digestive tract; it is not the ideal way to dispose of unwanted objects from the body. Fur should be digested in the poop. As I mentioned above, some studies have shown that fur acts as a natural fibre source for felines: Animal fibre: the forgotten nutrient in strict carnivores? First insights in the cheetah. - PubMed - NCBI

I don't think raw food will solve all problems. But no medical professional (except for some veterinarians) will deny the fact that diet is essential to good health and that fresh food is far preferred over processed food.

Anywho, we are kind of hijacking the thread. My point is that rabbit fur is not harmful for cats to digest. They would eat it in the wild.
 

kittenmittens84

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If the bones inside make you nervous, you should get your hands on some of the go cat bat around balls
They’re also nice soft rabbit fur, but they don’t have bones or anything. Just a nice fluffy ball with some sort of cardboard or something in the center. My cat goes freaking CRAZY over them, and when he gets tired of chasing one he’ll sit down and groom it for a while too.
 

Azazel

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If the bones inside make you nervous, you should get your hands on some of the go cat bat around balls
They’re also nice soft rabbit fur, but they don’t have bones or anything. Just a nice fluffy ball with some sort of cardboard or something in the center. My cat goes freaking CRAZY over them, and when he gets tired of chasing one he’ll sit down and groom it for a while too.
I don’t think this is made of real rabbit fur.
 

kittenmittens84

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I don’t think this is made of real rabbit fur.
They definitely are, the amazon listing is from some weird third party so it sucks but you can see on go cat’s wholesale site that they’re listed as “rabbit fur toys” GO-CAT Feather Toys

They also occasionally have little white spots where the fur wouldn’t take dye which synthetic fur doesn’t really do. Can you tell I’ve gone through a lot of these :lol:
 

Azazel

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They definitely are, the amazon listing is from some weird third party so it sucks but you can see on go cat’s wholesale site that they’re listed as “rabbit fur toys” GO-CAT Feather Toys

They also occasionally have little white spots where the fur wouldn’t take dye which synthetic fur doesn’t really do. Can you tell I’ve gone through a lot of these :lol:
Ah, okay. The link won’t open for me but I’ll take your word for it.
 
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lerrpurr

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I was going to add that mine did also have claws on it omg. So they didn't put much effort in it, just chunked off a paw and here you are. I'll try contacting the brand and ask them about it because it stil seems rather unsafe. If it were just fur, I wouldn't worry, too🤔
 

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lerrpurr

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And it says on the package that it's a "2-in-1 toy + treat" which makes it even weirder
 

Azazel

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And it says on the package that it's a "2-in-1 toy + treat" which makes it even weirder
It’s not weird or unsafe for cats to eat raw bone but does this thing have to be refridgerated? You’d think it would go bad. It doesn’t look dehydrated. I don’t know if I trust the source of it.
 
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lerrpurr

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Oh i'ts actually just the opposite, it's very dry. It isn't stored in the frudge.

But chicken bones are dangerous to eat.. I'm wonering if rabbit's are any different? Also, I've got a funny reply from the brand so far, saying that they "weren't aware" that cats eat these things and that they were never supposed to be a treat. I replied them withthe quote from the package that states it's a treat and even says something about how bones are good for teath hygiene, they've been silent yet.
 
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