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Truffle checking out the straw in Mom Paula's cup |
Can you imagine trying to drink a milk shake without a straw? Mom Paula likes to use a straw to drink from a glass because it helps her avoid chapped lips. Where did the drinking straw come from?
From what we have read, the first straws were made by the Sumerians and it was said they were used to drink beer because at that time beer contained a lot of solid by products from the fermentation process. Thousands of years later, rye grass straws were popular in the 1800s because they were cheap and soft, but they tended to turn mush once put in liquid (similar to those pasta straws you can get when eating at some Italian restaurants). Marvin C. Stone, who received a patent for the modern drinking straw on January 3, 1888, is said to have hated the taste of his mint julep because the taste of rye mixed with his drink tasted like grass.
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Truffle wants Mom Paula's straw |
The first straw he designed was made of simple paper wound around a pencil in order to make a thin tube. Once the paper was wound around the pencil, he slid the pencil out from one end and applied glue between the strips. Stone owned a paper cigarette holder company which may have helped him design the drinking straw. Stone would later refine his straw by building a machine (1906) that would coat the outside of the straw with wax to hold it together. The drinking straw stayed with this design for a couple of decades.
Joseph Friedman developed the designed the "bendy" straw after watching his daughter struggling to drink a milkshake. His design was patented in 1936.
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Truffle and Mom Paula's drinking straw |
When Truffle was a kitten and began teething, Mom Paula would give Truffle a straw. Mom Paula watched her very carefully to make sure Truffle didn't bite through the straw and cause sharp edges or small pieces for her to swallow. Plastic straws are usually thick enough that kittens don't usually bite through them and are flexible enough to provide some pressure against the gums to help with the discomfort of teething. Once again, we stress that your humans MUST closely monitor kittens and cats when they are given straws.
In the meantime, we hope your human enjoys whatever beverage they prefer by drinking it through a drinking straw today.
P.S. We've included a lot of these fun days in our 2018 Blogging Cats Weekly Planner. You can purchase it by clicking on the picture on our sidebar.
We have never tried chewing a straw.
ReplyDeleteTruffle makes it look tasty, heehee.
The info on the straw was really cool too.
Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ
My cat Jake, loves playing with straws. I need to watch him so he doesn't spill my drink.
ReplyDeletePrancie loves straws, she has a collection of them.
ReplyDeleteStraws are fun to play with.
ReplyDeleteMy human never uses a straw. Incidentally, her lips are always chapped!
ReplyDeleteMy momma drank her cuba libre through a straw tonite!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Paisley & Webster have never taken much interest in straws, but it sure looks like Truffle enjoys them. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's an entire day devoted to drinking straws?!
ReplyDeletenever know about a straw preventing chapped lips, thanks girls & mama Paula. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI won't drink from a glass neither. I prefer straws also. Truffle looks adorable with that straw. It sure brought a smile to my face. Molly can't be bothered with toys like a straw but Daedae is a game on kinda dude. Straws and qtips are his absolute favorites. MOL!
ReplyDeleteBendy straws were my kids' favorites! Now we are starting to use paper straws because of all the problems that plastic straws are causing for marine life.
ReplyDeleteWe saw this day on the calendar but didn't have any cool photos to share like yours. What a fun post
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I had no idea that people have been using drinking straws for so long! I like the bendy straws, but I’m pretty picky about stuff like that. I never thought about using them for teething — how clever!
ReplyDeleteHuh.. I just learned a whole bunch of new straw trivia. Interesting read. I bet Truffle was SO cute to watch playing with her straws as a kitten!
ReplyDeleteHmm...I use straws however never knew how they came to be. My cats never tried eating straws however they would usually try to use them as a device to relive their itching. They'd rub their face on the top of the straw to "scratch" their face. LOL Ah...the crazy things fur kids do. Good memories.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of using a straw for teething purposes but not a bad idea! This human here is okay with or without a straw.
ReplyDeleteYour cats really help you out with telling your story...it's like they can read the scripts. Drinking straws are nice and light and flexible so I can see why the kittens love to play with them.
ReplyDeleteGreat information that I never knew about straws. Love the photos of Truffle and a straw!
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting post that I will have to read to my children. They will find it fascinating. I wonder when they started making straws plastic...I can’t fathom how yummy the wax and paper tasted. Bleh! Love the pictures of Truffle!
ReplyDeleteI hate to be Debbie Downer but I take it you don't know about the movement to eliminate plastic straws? At first I thought that's what this was going to be about and that the day is a joke. But the pictures are adorable at least! I can't imagine having to drink a milk shake without a straw but they are a real nuisance to the environment. https://thelastplasticstraw.org/ Sandra and Dolly
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