AirPod Pet Issues (Cats and Dogs, Swallow and Eat)


It is common for people to misplace their AirPods or leave them unattended in the house. If you have small children or pets, you need to pay attention to them to ensure they do not eat non-food objects. Cats are amazing pets, and as a cat owner, if your AirPods are missing and you cannot find them, you might wonder if your cat ate them.

So, can cats eat AirPods? Cats are unlikely to eat AirPods because they do not swallow something they cannot chew. If your cat tries to eat your AirPods, it will try to chew but will spit it out after some time. However, if you suspect your cat, you should immediately take it to a vet because the AirPods might get stuck in its digestive system. The vet could help remove the AirPods and find why your cat ate your AirPods. 

If you have just lost your AirPods, it may be because you can’t remember the last location you placed them. However, if you have pets in your house, one of them might eat your AirPods.

AirPods are made from plastics, metals, and other materials that are not meant for consumption by living things. Sometimes, house pets such as cats and dogs will chew on non-food objects, which can be an annoying and destructive habit. If your AirPods go missing in your house, you might be worried that your cat could have eaten them.

Cats cannot eat AirPods because they are too hard to chew and too big to swallow. Cats cannot eat items. They can safely chew and swallow. If your cat tries to chew your AirPods, it will stop and spit it out. However, on rare occasions, a cat might swallow one of your AirPods if you are not around to stop it.

If you suspect that your cat has eaten your AirPods, you should take it to a vet immediately for an examination. If the cat has indeed eaten, the vet will safely remove the AirPods and tell you how to prevent your cat from eating AirPods and other non-food objects.

Some cats have a habit of eating or chewing non-food items, but it is usually rare. If your cat has the habit of taking your AirPods and trying to eat them, you have to find a way of stopping the behavior before it gets hurt.

An AirPod can cause harm to your cat either by choking it or causing a blockage in the digestive system. The first thing you should do is take your cat to a vet immediately if you suspect it of eating your AirPods or you see it swallowing the AirPods. After removing the AirPods, your vet will explain why your cat wants to eat your AirPods and how to prevent it from happening in the future.

After coming back from the vet, the first thing you should do is ensure the AirPods are out of reach of the cat. If you are not using the AirPods, place them back in their case and put them in a drawer or your bag.

Cats can open the charging case; therefore, placing the AirPods in the case and leaving them in the open might not prevent your cat from eating the AirPods. If your cat likes to chew on non-food items, you should try and give a chew toy. The chew toys can distract your cat from eating your AirPods and other non-food items.

Sometimes, when your AirPods go missing in your house, your cat might have hidden them instead of chewing. Cats like to hide small items, and it is possible your cat took the AirPods and hid them somewhere inside or outside your house.

If the X-Ray at the vet shows the cat did not eat your AirPods, you need to look around your house and see if your cat is hoarding your AirPods. If your cat has a spot it likes to hide in your house; that is the first place you should look. If you find them hidden somewhere, take them away and block that area and ensure you keep the AirPods away from your cat’s reach.

Why Does My Cat Want To Eat My Earbuds?

Cats are amazing pets; however, they can have annoying habits such as eating or chewing non-food items in your house. If you have earbuds on your desk or table, you might see your cat taking an interest in them and trying to eat them. Here are some reasons why your cat wants to eat the earbuds.

The reasons your cat wants to eat your earbuds are boredom, hunger, anxiety, and a rare health issue. Some of these reasons, such as health issues and anxiety, are serious and need the help of professional vets to stop the habit. Some of the other reasons are not that serious such as boredom and hunger, and you can easily fix the problem at home. Let us take a look at each of the reasons why your cat wants to eat your earbuds.

Anxiety in pets is usually caused by a change in environment, a new person living in your home, leaving your pet alone for a long time, and the addition of another pet in the house. If your cat has anxiety, it might start chewing on non-food items in your house, such as your earbuds.

This behavior will continue until the cause of anxiety alleviates. Sometimes anxiety can continue even if you stop the cause of the anxiety. You should take your cat to the vet and get advice on controlling and ending your cat’s anxiety issues.

Some rare health conditions can cause your cat to behave badly, like chewing non-food items. This usually happens in older cats, where they start chewing on cables. If your cat starts to chew cables, it might also try to eat your earbuds.

If you leave your cat at home alone, you might come back and find many bite marks on exposed cables and other items around your house. This problem cannot go away, and you need to take your cat to the vet for diagnosis and treatment.

If the health condition does not have any treatment, you need to manage it by ensuring you keep your earbuds away from your cat and keep an eye on your cat as much as you can.

Your cat could be eyeing your earbuds because of boredom. If your cat does not have much to do in your house, it will try to find ways to entertain itself. One of the ways bored cats entertain themselves is by chewing on non-food items.

You should buy chew toys for your cat or try to play with it regularly to keep its mind stimulated. This is not a serious problem; therefore, you do not need to visit a vet to get your cat stimulated. However, if your cat seems disinterested in playing with its toys, interacting with you, or prefers to sleep all day, you should visit a vet. 

If your cat is hungry and there is no food around, it might think your earbuds are food and try to eat them. Even though cats are picky eaters, sometimes hunger can lead them to eat non-food items like earbuds.

Some people usually leave their cats alone with enough food to last until they return. If the food is finished before you come back and your cat cannot find any food, it might try to eat your earbuds. If you leave your house for long hours, you should ensure you have left enough food and water or get a pet sitter to watch your cat until you come back.

Can Dogs Swallow AirPods?

AirPods have a case where you can keep them when not in use, but sometimes you might leave them lying around. For those who do not have small children or pets, it is okay to leave them unattended. However, if you have a dog and your AirPods go missing, you might wonder if dogs can swallow AirPods.

Dogs can swallow AirPods, and in most cases, the dog will be fine and will not need a visit to the vet. The AirPods will pass through the dog’s body and come out the other end without any complication. However, this might not be the case for small dogs or puppies.

The AirPods can choke a small dog or puppy if it tries to swallow them, and the result could be fatal if there is no one to help. AirPods can also obstruct the digestive intestine affecting its health and eating habits. Even though some dogs can safely swallow and pass an AirPod without any issues, you should always visit a vet and seek advice on what you should do.

Most dogs have large mouths and throats, hence swallowing an AirPod is not a big issue. If you have a large dog and it swallows an AirPods, you should not worry too much about your dog choking after swallowing an AirPod.

However, you should be concerned if the dog tries to swallow the AirPods’ case too. AirPods are made from plastic and are not digestible, hence will pass through the digestive tract without any issue.

However, you should immediately take your dog to the vet if it swallows AirPods. Your dog might appear okay, but the AirPods could be blocking its digestive system, and it might be too late when it starts to show any discomfort.

If you have a small dog or a puppy, you should keep the AirPods away from their reach. Small dogs and puppies have tiny mouths and throats, which could be a choking hazard. If your puppy tries to swallow an AirPod and it gets stuck on the throat, it could die if you do not perform first aid quickly and take it to the vet.

Sometimes your small dog or puppy might safely swallow an AirPod but passing through its digesting system could be hard, leading to an obstruction in the small or large intestines. You will need the help of a vet to remove the AirPods and clear the obstruction.

Some dogs will swallow an AirPod whole while others will bite into it. If your dog has swallowed the AirPods whole, the AirPod poses no danger to the dog’s health. However, if the dog bites into the AirPods before swallowing it, the batteries in the AirPods might cause harm if punctured.

Batteries usually have acidic substances that can cause damage to the tongue, gums, esophagus, and other parts. When explaining the situation to the vet, ensure that you inform them your dog chewed the AirPods before swallowing so that the vet can treat your dog for injuries caused by the AirPods’ components.  

Once your dog recovers, you need to find ways to prevent it from swallowing the AirPods again. The first thing you need to do is take the AirPods and place them somewhere out of reach. Place the AirPods in a drawer and lock it or a high spot in your house. You should ensure that your dog does not see where you place the AirPods.

Dogs have an excellent memory and will try to locate the AirPods when you are not around or not paying attention. If you have multiple rooms, keep the AirPods in the room the dog is not allowed to go in.

You should also ensure that your dog has something to do to keep its mind stimulated. If your dog does not have any chew toys, it will start to bite items around the house when it has nothing to do.

Find a good chew toy that can take the attention of your dog away from your AirPods. When you get your dog some chew toys, introduce the dog to the chew toys away from the AirPods. If you do so while the AirPods are nearby, your dog might think the AirPods are part of its toys.

Summary

Cats and dogs are the most common house pets in the world, and if you have one, you know you must take care of it. You need to ensure it has enough food, water, and a nice place to live. Cats are picky eaters; hence it is very unlikely for your cat to swallow any non-food item.

However, if you see your cat eating your AirPods, you should immediately take it to a vet for diagnosis and treatment. The reasons why your cat might want to eat your AirPods or earbuds include rare health issues, anxiety, boredom, and hunger. You can take care of boredom and hunger at home, but you will require the services of a vet to treat a rare health issue or anxiety.

Unlike cats, dogs will eat anything, hence you should not leave your AirPods lying around if you have a dog. Some dogs can easily swallow AirPods and pass them without any issues; however, if your dog swallows an AirPod, take it to a vet and start taking preventive measures to ensure it does not swallow them again.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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