My cat made me learn how to fix a drawstring

My kitten has a penchant for strings. Specifically, drawstrings—you know the kind. The ones that keep sweatpants up and hoods on tight when it’s so cold you feel like your ears are going to turn blue and freeze off.

I love my cat and there’s no way I would ever get rid of him, no matter how many shoes he eats, rugs he ruins or how many articles of clothing for which he creates a need for drawstring replacement. But I will admit, it was getting pretty annoying. After he attacked one too many pairs of Juicy Couture sweatpants, I decided enough was enough.

It was time to learn how to fix a drawstring.

I had taken sweatpants and hoodies to both the dry cleaners and a clothing repair shop and somehow they made restringing every sweatpant and hoodie drawstring look like a magic act. While I was happy to have my things fixed, it was also kind of embarrassing. The people who worked there would look at me like I was a dumb blonde.

So I went online and found a slew of videos working with wire hangers and safety pins, showing the user how easy it would be to fix a drawstring. Yet no matter how many videos I watched, it didn’t work. I’d prick my finger and get frustrated.

But then I discovered one of the great inventions of all time: Re-String It! Just like that, I’d overcome my fear of fixing sweatpants and restringing a hoodie drawstring. This easy-to-use gadget makes it so simple and quick—I actually would have saved so much money if I’d found it before!

I now keep these great inventions in my house and in my car, for those inopportune times when I lose an important drawstring in the depths of my clothing. No more embarrassing trips to the dry cleaners, no more sacrificial hoodies and sweatpants, and most importantly, my cat can play even when I’m away!