Help! My cat is eating everything.

I have a 4 month old cat who likes to eat absolutely everything! She eats shoelaces, her cat toys, plastic, wood, hair elastics, shrink wrap, cardboard, the buttons off the remote control- basically anything she can put into her mouth is fair game.

She's already been at the vets twice from eating something she shouldn't have, and I'm worried one of these times it's going to kill her. I try my best to keep everything away from her, but she still manages to find things and with two kids it's difficult to keep everything out of reach all the time. Last night I caught her trying to eat the hair elastic off my wrist while I was sleeping. 

She almost died two days ago from eating wood, a hair elastic, and a bunch or rapinni, and I'm really worried this will happen again (she's doing great now by the way- managed to pass it all eventually).

She has plenty of inedible cat toys, gets played with daily, and has three meals a day. Is there anything I can do to stop her from eating everything in site?

what did the vet say? your cat may need medication.

Cats that suck, lick, chew, or even ingest non-nutritive substances—including natural materials such as wool or cotton, synthetic fabrics, plastic, rubber, paper, cardboard, and string—may have a compulsive disorder if the problem becomes sufficiently frequent or intense; however, disease processes, in particular those that might affect the GI tract, should first be excluded. Oriental breeds develop pica, particularly sucking of woolen objects, more frequently than other cats. Hallucinatory and locomotory compulsive disorders are less common than in dogs; however, painful conditions and any disease process affecting the neurologic system first need to be excluded.

Cats often improve with modifications to the environment that provide more control and predictability and increased enrichment, combined with medications that augment the amount of brain serotonin such as fluoxetine and clomipramine.

The vet didn't mention anything about a possible condition, just said that kittens sometimes like to chew on things and recommended that I get accident insurance for her. I'll take her back to the vet it if it's something that requires looking into. Hopefully they'll find a reason for her doing this.

Thank you!

1.  child proof your home as if you had a super curious two year old in residence.  Tape down chords, child lock closets and cupboards, put plants up on inaccessible shelves, lay down "booby trap" tape (packing tape in 2" squares, sticky side up).  Keep counters and tabletops as clear of clutter as possible... etc.,.

2.  redirect chewing habits to chewable toys... much like a puppy, kittens often go through a chewing stage.  I found small bully sticks to be a reasonable option.

3.  ask your vet if there is any test that might indicate a condition called Pica... though it may actually be too early in kitty's development to really tell.

Mildew said:

 
The vet didn't mention anything about a possible condition, just said that kittens sometimes like to chew on things and recommended that I get accident insurance for her. I'll take her back to the vet it if it's something that requires looking into. Hopefully they'll find a reason for her doing this.

Thank you!

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since your kitten is only 4 months, the vet probably thinks/hopes your kitten will outgrow it.

How old was your cat when you got her? Kittens who are taken from their mom too early can sometimes chew and suck on everything they can get their mouth on. Most kittens will outgrow this.

Is this your only cat? Do you give the kitten plenty of attention and playtime? Some kittens and cats chew on inapproprite things because they are bored and/or are lonely. When my Aby was a kitten he chewed on electrical cords all the time. I gave him cnstant attention and playtime to help with his extreme energy level but it still wasn't enough. When my Aby was 6 months old, I adopted a similar age kitten. The electrical cord chewing immediately stopped and my Aby didn't scream for constant attention because he had another kitten to play with.

Furmonster Mom said:

 
1.  child proof your home as if you had a super curious two year old in residence.  Tape down chords, child lock closets and cupboards, put plants up on inaccessible shelves, lay down "booby trap" tape (packing tape in 2" squares, sticky side up).  Keep counters and tabletops as clear of clutter as possible... etc.,.

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Think of a kitten as an extremely curious 2 year old Human child. Make your home as cat-safe as possible. Have the kids help, if they are old enough to. Keep food items out of reach. Some foods are harmful to cats, such as chocolate and grapes and garlic. Here's a list of others: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets

Thank you all for the advice . I'm doing a blitz clean today to make sure there's nothing under the couches or behind the lizard enclosures. All the cupboards are already child proofed as my youngest is only a year and a half.

I bought her some rawhide sticks the other day hoping she would chew on those, but instead I find her trying to get into the fridge .

I took her in at around 8 weeks old, and she was found outside by a friend of mine. No idea how she got there.

Those cat treats sound like a good thing to try .

As for the toys she would probably eat them. She gets mostly rubber or plastic toys as she'll eat the fabric or furry ones.

Also, quick question .

Is 7 lbs an ok weight for a 4 month old? She always seems like she's hungry even though she gets three meals a day (trying to steal our food). I wouldn't say she's skinny, but she is slender and lanky.

Ah, so she'll probably end up being a big girl then . The vet did seem a bit surprised to find she was only 4 months old.

I'd say she's between a 4-5 on that chart.