Laughter Over Vet's Method to Induce Vomiting After Cat Ate Sewing Thread

Most cats love playing with strings and even though it's usually just some harmless play, some cats end up ingesting the strings or parts of them, which can cause serious complications.

A tuxedo cat recently went viral on TikTok after its owner had to take it to the vet because the feline ate his sewing thread "like spaghetti," and the method used by the veterinarian to induce vomiting has left the internet in stitches.

In the video shared in early April by the cat's owner, under the username jpeavey330, the cat can be seen sitting on a desk chair, all wrapped up in a towel, as the vet kept spinning it around.

The cat's owner, Justin Peavey, told Newsweek: "The cat's name is Sylvia, and she's 4 years old. Her other dad, Matthew Charles Knight, and I are both 25 and live in Boston. We first discovered something was wrong when my partner's sewing machine had been unthreaded. Sylvia started acting erratically and, on further inspection, we realized she had swallowed some string. We didn't know how much, so we took her to the vet.

"She was given a reversible sedative before they put her in the chair. We were told the chair method only worked about 50% of the time, and that they'd have to spin her for 2 minutes and wait 15 minutes for her to get sick. She vomited within 20 seconds of being in the chair. This video was taken from her second offense."

The hilarious clip comes with a caption that reads: "POV: the vet has to induce vomiting because you ate sewing thread off the spool like spaghetti...This is not her first offense either."

The cat's owner further down in the comments clarified: "This method did work by the way and she is perfectly healthy."

According to pet wellness experts at Rover, the basic reason why cats like to play with strings is that it's fun for them, but there can also be other reasons behind this behavior. It may be because of their hunting instincts, or even because it stimulates their senses.

"String moves in interesting visual ways; it generally has a smell that is different from other things in a cat's world (especially if it's a natural fiber); it has a taste and texture, and feels good to grab onto. Kind of like a mouse tail!" Rover's website states.

The clip quickly went viral on TikTok, attracting animal lovers from across the social media platform, receiving over 2 million views and 323,100 likes so far.

this is not her first offense either #catsoftiktok

One user, Gabriel Elick, commented: "I'm spinning like a ballerina," while user Bridgit wrote: "The wheels on the bus go round and rounddddd."

TikTok user BrenW added: "My vet called the chair spin manuever 'The Vomerator.'"

Leviathan wrote: "My dog has car sickness and he ate a sewing needle. On the way to the vet, he threw it up." And RainSurnameCats wrote: "I have had cats who treated my desk chair like a really fun ride."

Another user, Kit, commented: "My cat almost died from that and we had to pay 3k for a surgery," while Clazmtaz wrote: "No way is the vet using this as an actual technique."

Update 5/22/23 6:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the cat's owner, Justin Peavey, and new pictures.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.