cat eats bits of plastic and plastic bags

mr mew loves plastic the thinner the better, i was wondering why he would try to eat it all the time its not the noise since he eats small scraps off the floor? we nust usually keep all plastic put away but he still eats it occasionally and pukes everywhere or has issues pooping D:

My male Maine Coon has a tendency to eat anything made of plastic. Even his mouse toy got totally destroyed. He loves plastic bags but the kind he eats tends to be more like milk bottle ring type plastics. I don't know why he does it though, it's tiring having to be vigilant about what's around!

scylla

It sounds like your kitty may have pica. Pica is a compusive disorder that compels people and other animals such as cats and dogs- to eat things which are not edible. Plastic bags are one of the most common non-edible things that cats with pica tend to eat.

that sounds like him @.@; he goes for small bits of plastic and candy wrappers of all kinds, too be honest i was hoping people were going to say feed cat grass more often

but yeah that makes sense ah does anyone know of anything that helps in their experience? aside of course from just cleaning up anything he could eat or get into

scylla

Here are some suggestions for what you can do:

There was an episode of My Cat From Hell where they helped a cat with pica. It's linked to anxiety so you can try things like Feliway diffusers and extra play time to help the cat be calmer (do you have any cat tv in the house to distract the cat, like a bird feeder outside of a window?), but unfortunately keeping plastic away from where the cat can get it is always going to be the main solution. 

I have one cat that will eat anything non eddible. I "cat proof" my house. Trash is behind closed doors. Bread is in a cabinet. She will go after tin foil, bread ties, paper clips, basicly anything. She has done it since she was a kitten. She has been vet checked and nothing physically wrong with her. She is 3 now so my "cat proofing" is just habit. I just have to make sure that any visitors do not set anything down that may be of interest for her. She will find the smallest piece of anything that is dropped. I agree with the Pica as long as vet has ruled everything else out.

KrazyKatJenn said:

There was an episode of My Cat From Hell where they helped a cat with pica. It's linked to anxiety so you can try things like Feliway diffusers and extra play time to help the cat be calmer (do you have any cat tv in the house to distract the cat, like a bird feeder outside of a window?), but unfortunately keeping plastic away from where the cat can get it is always going to be the main solution. 

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i do have three fishtanks he can watch through the house, and our backyard has a small forest behind it so he does get bird viewing hours as well as other animals like deer, fox and the occasional grizzly that lives in there.

i have taken himnto the vet and he's healthy aside from a heart murmur and minor cellebelar hypoplaysia the vet didnt see anything else wrong but next time hes in i'll mention it, hes also got a bunch of toys i play with him with hes pretty lazy and gives up on playing after a while and will just flop over onto the toy hes not overweight though so im not too concerned although i might look into these feliway diffusers

Raina21 said:

scylla

Here are some suggestions for what you can do:

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• raina21
• Jul 2, 2016

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• raina21
• Jul 2, 2016

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he thankfully doesn't chew cords because he cant swallow them and they're too thick to destroy soi wont need to put the bitter apple stuff for ferrets on all my cords, its an idea for plastic bags but its also very easy for me to keep them put away and as for play i do play with him and ive tried to give him toys to play with on his own but absolutly refuses to play with his jingleballs on his own i have yo play with him with those too :0 ive been looking for the treat balls though he might be happier to play with those and it does narrow my search since he doesnt like catnip much so all those toys are out of the question

but thank you for the suggestions i am going to get a treat ball so he can entertain himself sometimes maybe and im going to find feliway diffusers and try to encourage him to play more often with his current toys

i might try walks on a leash ive tried before but he gets terrified and wants in even though hes the one who walked out so its slow going haha
i love the enclosure idea but we rent and i dont think the landlady would appreciate the new tiny building(we have pretty much everything we would need though aside from the 2x4s)

just about all the windows have some ledges near them but ill see if i can find a better ledge that might encourage him to hang out near a new window of put a bird feeder near one if all else fails

and yeah vacuuming or sweeping everyday is pretty much my solution were pretty good about keeping plastics away but guests and roomates are not haha

My guy loves plastic bags... he comes running when I go grocery shopping or when I am ready to dump the trash.. 

The kitchen trash bags with the string ties are his favorite. I have learned to keep them all out of site. 

He will also eat the plastic which the 6packs of water come in. I keep those behind closed doors. 

I have discovered that the fussier with food he is, the more he is apt to find something forbidden to eat. He will eat the forbidden things rather than the food that is in his dish. 

It is something you just have to learn to live with-- like childproofing a house....

Artiemom said:

My guy loves plastic bags... he comes running when I go grocery shopping or when I am ready to dump the trash.. 
The kitchen trash bags with the string ties are his favorite. I have learned to keep them all out of site. 

He will also eat the plastic which the 6packs of water come in. I keep those behind closed doors. 

I have discovered that the fussier with food he is, the more he is apt to find something forbidden to eat. He will eat the forbidden things rather than the food that is in his dish. 

It is something you just have to learn to live with-- like childproofing a house....

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mew does the same thing he doesnt want his food he wants the humans food or something else(another cats food) and when we dont comply he searches for plastic or something small to eat

As I write this, Artie is waiting for new food. He has some waiting for him, but he wants it fresh...crazy cats...

But I have to give in because his food intake is so poor. He cannot afford to lose anymore weight. 

mews bad like that too ive been trying to give him lots of variety in his food or mixing them so it feels new otherwise he gets bored and refuses to eat sometimes i get his cat greens treats and bury them in his food so he has to eat his way to them and that makes him realize hes hungry and he eats normally again for a while

i took mew out on the leash he had fun till he realized he was soaked from the rain and he couldnt pounch the raindrops to death hopefully hes too busy grooming to scrounge for plastic and is a little tired