Catgut suture
![Surgical suture on needle holders. Packaging shown above. Note these are not catgut sutures, but polypropylene.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Atraumatisches_Nahtmaterial_172818.JPG")
Catgut suture is a type of surgical suture that is naturally degraded by the body's own proteolytic enzymes. Absorption is complete by 90 days, and full tensile strength remains for at least 7 days. This eventual disintegration makes it good for use in rapidly healing tissues and in internal structures that cannot be re-accessed for suture removal.