A thread catcher for surgical sewing material consisting of a handle, a hollow shaft positioned on the distal side of the handle, and a catching device that is mounted so that it can be slid lengthwise within the hollow shaft by means of a drive element and whose distal end, which can slide out of the distal end of the hollow shaft, is configured as a catcher loop. To create a thread catcher for surgical sewing material that is simple to operate and ensures rapid and secure grasping of the surgical sewing material, it is proposed with the invention that the catcher loop should consist of at least three segments that are distally connected with one another.
