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Cat keeps eating plastic?
We have a 1 1/2 year old cat who has developed an affinity for eating plastic bags and other plastic based things, or rather eating anything, food or not. The wrappers from the outside of maxipads? LOVES them. She eats them like candy. I was scooping out her box today and dug out a nice pink cat **** shaped wad of maxipad wrapper. Then unearthed a yellow wad. Apparently this has been happening a lot. At this point, I'm just thankful they both passed and I found them.
We trained her how to play fetch with hair ties, and I've also suspected that she eats those too, but I've never confirmed it. I do dig quite a bit of them out from under the furniture, washing machine and fridge, but since I've never kept count of how many she has stolen from the bathroom (or the arm of the couch when I take my hair down and am distracted.) She does have a pretty enlarged stomach but I figured she had just been getting fat from binge eating. Sometimes, she eats her cat food until she gets sick.
She loves to eat paper, chew on cords, it's impossible to get her out of the tub after you take a shower because she's trying to eat whatever hair has collected on the drain stopper before you can clean it.
I'm at my wits end! I don't know what to do with her! I bought a trash can with a lid for the bathroom to keep her out, we've stowed our plastic bags somewhere else, and she's not allowed in the bathroom unless she's supervised. But whenever I get her to stop eating one thing, she starts eating something else. Any ideas? Seems a bit like Pica to me, but then what? What do I do to deter her?
3 Answers
- 8 years agoFavorite Answer
Cats often "taste" items to help better identify them and plastics do seem to be a popular target item. It's speculated that with their superior sense of smell, cats can detect the subtle scent of animal fats, fish oils etc. used during the manufacture of some plastics. If the bags have been used for carrying food, they may be interested in the residual scent of those foods.
However some cats will actually eat plastics, cloth, wool and other inedible items and that behaviour is known as Pica. One theory is that Pica is a disorder of natural hunting behaviour. Normally a cat would stalk, pounce and tear their prey before eating it. Since cat food doesn't provide any opportunities for tearing or shredding prior to eating, they look for that activity elsewhere by seeking out ordinary household items. (It's no coincidence that Pica is more commonly seen amongst indoor-only cats who never have an opportunity to hunt for real.) The behaviour can quickly become a compulsive habit because of the satisfaction they get from doing it. It's a dangerous habit because it can cause serious internal blockages, so you're wise to keep target items out of her reach.
Animal behaviourist Professor Peter Neville has a specialist interest in Pica and his advice is to provide cats with something more natural (thawed frozen mice or day old chicks) to shred and eat. This method has a very high success rate in curing Pica, but isn't an option palatable to all owners. The main aim of treatment is to re-direct their hunting behaviour towards edible items. Puzzle feeders, placing the cat's food dish in a different location daily and increasing the amount of time spent playing interactive games with them can provide them with the mental stimulation they need. These articles have more information and advice you may find helpful.
Source(s): When I lived in an apartment one of my indoor-only cats developed Pica. He used to love playing with foam toe separators but one day I saw him regurgitate a whole one and I realised he'd begun eating them. Since he was always trying to sneak outside we decided to move to a home with a garden so that he could have a little time outside each day. He was definitely happier for having a little freedom and he stopped eating strange items. I realise that not all neighbourhoods are safe for cats to go outside unsupervised, but it worked in curing his Pica. - 8 years ago
You should have the vet check her to make sure she doesn't get a blockage in her digestive track. Mine don't eat plastic but they like to lick the plastic bags from the store. Who knows why. They just have weird ideas sometimes. Also if she is doing that you need to be real careful with Christmas coming. My daughter's cat ate the tinsel off the tree and it killed him. It might be pretty on the tree but not worth your baby's life.
- dolphinLv 58 years ago
Cats are strange animals.
Having written that, I would suggest you take her to a vet. If she swallows anything that gets stuck, she will either die or cost alot in vet bills. The vet may have some ideas. Do it soon....
