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Cat gut is the name for a type of biological suture that comes from processed collagen. The collagen most often comes from the tendons or intestines of cows, but has been sterilized and chemically processed to be safe for human use. It doesn’t actually come from cats, but it could be from a cow, goat or sheep. The string actually is made in a similar manner that some strings on musical instruments are. It’s a great suture material for deep stitches that have to dissolve and cannot be later removed. It got its name either from a word that means “string” as in the string on a violin or a guitar, or from a shortened form of “cattle gut.”