Pica: when cats eat strange things
Pica is the term used when cats eat non-food items. Most commonly associated with “wool-sucking,” a behavior where cats suck or chew on woolen, cotton or synthetic cloth, this compulsive disorder can progress to true pica where cats chew on and sometimes ingest anything from wood to litter to plastic grocery bags.
The cause of pica is unclear. Wool sucking is believed to be displaced nursing behavior and is sometimes observed in cats who were weaned too suddenly or too young when they were kittens. Most cats outgrow this behavior as they age, but in some, it becomes a lifelong habit.
Why pica can be dangerous
As long as a cat only sucks or chews on the offending substrate, pica in itself is not a threat to your cat’s health, but even as simply an obsessive compulsive disorder, it affects the quality of life of your cat. As humans who are plagued with OCD’s can attest, nobody chooses to indulge in that type of behavior. However, when cats actually ingest the things they suck or chew on, it can lead to life-threatening intestinal obstructions that may require emergency surgery.
Causes of pica
Nobody knows for sure what causes pica. It has been associated with a number of medical conditions, ranging from nutritional deficiencies to endocrine disorders to brain tumors. The disorder seems to be more prevalent in oriental breeds. Genetics and temperament may also play a role. Stress has been identified as a possible risk factor, and for a cat, stress can mean anything from changes in the household to boredom.
Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will want to do a thorough medical exam, including bloodwork, to rule out any medical causes.
Treatment
If there is an underlying medical condition, addressing the problem may provide a cure. If pica is caused by behavioral factors, the following behavior modifications may help:
- Remove temptation: placing the items your cat likes to chew on out of reach is often the easiest solution. If your cat likes to chew on clothing, keep it in a hamper and make sure closet doors are firmly closed. If you cat chews on plants, remove them. Keep plastic bags out of reach.
- Make targeted items unattractive: use double-sided tape or spray on products that taste bitter but are safe for cats, such as Bitter Yuck.
- Provide acceptable alternatives for chewing: provide catnip filled chew toys, cat grass or other kitty greens.
- Structured playtime: spend 10-15 minutes, twice a day, playing with your cat. Use interactive wand toys such as the Da Bird, and really tire your cat out.
- Environmental enrichment: provide cat trees and window perches so your cat can watch the world outside. Scratching posts and kitty tunnels provide distraction and mental and physical challenge.
When all of these fail, consult with a veterinary behaviorist. In some extreme cases, cats may benefit from psychoactive drugs.
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
Thanks for a great article. The boys both want to chew on everything. They usually pick stationary things…. Like the wing on the cement statue or the doorstopper thingy….
Pawhugs, Max
The cement statue? Ouch!
I’ve always noticed that most of my older cats eventually “eat dirt” and “lick rocks” as one of the results of anemia from renal failure–the houseplants have to either be moved or I cover the soil with large rocks, hence licking rocks. It can be really difficult when they start eating litter, which here is just basic non-scoop clay; this necessitates a clay substitute in all boxes for the duration of the condition.
I’ve had cats who licked plastic items like the shower curtain and plastic bags, and who licked finished surfaces like wood, but we’re still trying to figure out why two of the Fantastic Four chew on plastic. Mr. Sunshine was at the veterinarian twice as a kitten for chewing and swallowing plastic but no treatment was needed because he passed it. I have to keep all plastic bags and packaging out of his reach. In the past year Jelly Bean has begun as well. They are five this year, we haven’t yet found a reason for it yet but they keep me on my toes.
the only thing that Cody chews on is plastic bags (but he doesn’t actually chew them up and eat them). My vet explained that by saying there is corn syrup (I believe it is that) in the bags that makes them attractive to cats.
Cody will occasionally do the “wool sucking” when making biscuits…that is the only time he does it.
Bernadette and Caren, there a theory that some plastic manufacturers use fish oil and/or animal digest in making their products. I can’t find anything to substantiate it, but if it’s true, it would make sense that so many cats seem to be drawn to plastic.
Allegra loves to chew on anything plastic, and also rubber, especially rubber flip flops. I have quite a few pairs with interesting kitty stencil patterns on them…
That’s interesting! I knew corn was in the mix and sometimes they like that, but didn’t know about fish oil. And it’s not all plastic, but often the clamshell packaging that they chew on.
I remember Allegra’s flip-flop project!
My cat George likes to chew on plastic.We try to keep plastic bags away from him.He also will chew on other plastic and we have chased him down to take it from him!! I never thought that it might be pica.Ive heard of that in humans but not cats!
I have a Ragdoll cat who seeks out pieces of like, packaging tape, plastic wrappers on straws, whatever soft, flexible plastic he can find, and swallows it. We have found puke piles with a wod of tape in it, like it had gotten shapped like his throat and then come out. It’s really disturbing and hard to counteract, as I get lots of packages for my work with tape holding them closed. So weird.
I also have another cat who does the sucking thing, he sucks on blankets. He also tries to nurse on my hands and wrists, so I think he was for sure taken from his mom too soon!
Bonnie, that’s really worrisome that your Ragdoll is so fixated on tape. I can see how you have to be extra careful!
My cat eats tape too! He LOVES clear packing tape. He also really enjoys #4 plastic (the stretchy kind that things in the mail tend to be wrapped in). He’ll also eat Mylar (so much for those stupid shiny, crinkly cat toys) and ribbon. My husband and I are extremely careful about allowing any of these items into the house. Boxes are opened immediately and put outside in the recycling bin. Ribbon and tape are kept in drawers and cabinets he cannot access. He’s a healthy, relatively young guy on a good diet; I doubt he’s nutritionally deficient. I think he’s just strange!
I have 2 ragdolls /Mainecoons and I think it might be a trait for them plus my older Ragdoll (Rosie) was weened to early because her mother died at an early age. She and her daughter and my sister’s Mainecoon does the same (sucks on plastic bags) and my other one will eat whatever she can find and plays with tape and eat it too… Has thrown up so many times….
I hope we all can help our kitties!
Maybe Ragdolls and Maine Coons need to be added to the list of breeds that are predisposed to pica!
My cat Smurf has been “wool sucking” since I found him. I once tried to take away the blanket he sucks on as this article suggests. He then began sucking on his housemates (the other two cats) who found this okay for the first couple licks but then were quite annoyed. Really who wants a big wet spot on their forehead? I eventually had to give back to blanket to ease the tension in the household. I’m unsure what else to do. My vet does not seem concerned.
As long as he only sucks on the blanket and doesn’t actually ingest it, it’s probably okay, Erica. You could try substituting kitty chew toys and see if that works.
Ingrid, great concise article. I first learned about pica and Siamese connection 16 years ago because of Merlin’s fixation on wool socks or gloves which he thankfully outgrew.
Good to know that some cats outgrow pica, Layla.
Over the years I have had cats that ate or gnawed on the strangest things. Slick licked ashtrays!!! (He lived to be 20!) He also LOVED lady fingers, I had to hide them in the cupboard or he would steal them. Bomber loves lettuce…there could be a package of meat on the counter and lettuce and he would go for the greens. Leon loved marble pound cake. Cub chews plastic, have to keep anything plastic away from him. Mister loves eggplant, apple turnovers, cookies…
Fortunately I never had medical issues, although Lila ate avocado…which I found out was poisonous to cats. I did not feed it to her, she would sneak onto the counter and eat it. She died from unknown causes but I suspect it was from the avocado…
I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a cat licking ashtrays, Danielle! I’m so sorry about your Lila.
Thank you Ingrid. I was devastated! I never thought a cat would eat avocado, so I would cut it in half and leave it on the counter, then I saw that somebody had been noshing on it, but at that point I had 14 cats, so until Lila was caught in the act, I never knew. She was acting strange at feeding time one night, not her usual on the counter self and was very lethargic. I rushed her to the emergency clinic and by the time I got home, there was a call that she was not doing well and by the time I called back, she was gone. RIP Wee WiWa!
I think I have heard of other cats licking ashtrays, but I witnessed Slick doing it and it did it more than once. He was quite the character!
Good article!
I knew about Pica in humans, and have joked for ages that my Bella [technically just a moggie, but possibly part Maine Coon] had pica. I hadn’t known it was actually diagnosed in cats.
Bella compuslively eats every piece of lint she sees, chews on vinyl-like plastic [anything rubbery and bendy] and has, in the past, eaten clothing… She also does the wool sucking. She used to do that to my pillow, but I bought her a special blanket to use, and that keeps her from destroying other things. She never eats her blankie. Just sucks on it while kneading.
I’m not too worried about the wool sucking, but the eating of lint and plastic can’t be good for her.
I tried the kitty kong chew toy with her, but she had no interest… any recommendations for things for her to chew?
When I first got Lucy, she started pulling up the carpet. I had to duct tape the carpet seams in my entire apartment. She did stop when I got little Rikki.
That’s interesting that Lucy stopped pulling up the carpet when you got Rikki, Diana. I’m guessing she did it because she was bored.
Right, that’s why I got her. Lucy just did not seem happy. She still exhibits some nutty behavior but I feel her buddy makes her more content and happy.
my bengal kitten will chomp on her litter…started with crystal litter then we switched to the new bb walnut pellets (cant get her to stop and we arent always around so at least it is natural). its a little scary and why we have yet to switch to a clumping litter. she chews my dvd boxes, my phone charger, and my previous bed frame which was metal/steelish.
You’ve got a serious chewer on your hands, Cairey! Have you tried some of the dental chew toys for cats with your kitten?
Yep! Even tried freezing them which someone suggested previously. She’s just special so we make sure to monitor her when we are around to stop her from getting at it but I am afraid to do too much because I don’t want her to turn around and then not use her litter box, you know? It’s gotten better lately and I am hoping she is growing out of it but she’s still a baby so hopefully with time it completely stops.
My cat chews all plugs that are plugged into the wall and also plastic bags. When I adopted him from the vet, he was only 6 weeks old but his mother had been taken away at birth due to a tragic accident (don’t know what happened exactly) but he had been fed by beaker. I put hot sauce all over the plugs but that did not work and then I tried bengay which did not work either.
The bottom line is that I have had to resort to putting him in my bedroom all day with all plugs taken out of the wall and then he sleeps in a large kennel at night. I finally had to do this when the cable man refused to replace my cords (don’t blame him) but then I am trying desparately to save this cat.
Sounds like your little guy is a hardcore case, Sharon. You’ve probably already tried cable tubes? I’m guessing that he’d still be chewing on them, but at least he couldn’t actually chew through the cable and risk electrocuting himself.
Two years ago when I brought home a 1 year old orange tabby cat from the local animal shelter I found he ate material of all sorts – wool, cotton, cashmere, polyester, rayon, string, etc. This included him eating cashmere sweaters, towels, blankets, blouses of all kind of materials, yoga pants, socks.
Anyway, I switched his food to a low carbohydrate moist canned cat food and some low carb kibble and he stopped eating material/cloth items.
That’s interesting that the pica stopped when you switched your cat to a better diet, Ruth. That would certainly support the theory that nutritional deficiencies may be behind this condition.