cats who eat wool?

Hi guys..

I have read that cats eat wool...Well, my two living room carpets are made of fluffy wool.... a throw-up feast!! aranoid3

Any suggestions? Do ALL cats eat wool? Is there anything I can do to discourage this? (I thought maybe spraying on the bitter tasting stuff)

By the way...Her Highness Danielle comes home on Thursday!!

Vjoy, I know alot of cats "suck" wool,- one of my boys has always done this but it is only ever wooley clothing he does it too - I've never seen him try it on anything else (frequently balls of wool and cotton and threads around my place...) I heard that they do this as they would do to their mothers,-apparently they do it to feel fussed and comforted (?) I don't know if that is true but it sure does seem it going on my boy. Generally they grow out of it if they do it as kittens, though some obviously don't, the danger is if the cat swallows it - it can get caught up in the gut and become so tight it begins to cut things, as long as you keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't have easy access to any, things should be ok. My boy ALWAYS sucks/chews everything I wear and its never done any harm - of course he can't actually swallow any of my clothing though!! I think carpets are pretty safe, - its mainly just loose wool and string etc you need to watch for - just don't let them get any if you can possibly help it!

Hope that made sense to you!

Thanks Bod...

Unfortunately, my wool rugs are very ..... linty. It would be easy for the cat to eat it... And I can't be around every minute. I figured, if I find it a problem I would spray my rugs with a bitter tasting stuff.....

Thanks again....

Chewing or Sucking on Fabrics (Pica)

Although not a common behavior some cats will chew or suck on different types of fabrics and materials. This behavior is referred to as 'pica'. It is not well known why cats do this, but some theories are that the cat is suckling similar to what it did as a kitten (when feeding from
the mother cat's nipple). It is thought that this suckling might have a calming, relaxing or pacifying effect.

Cats who don't grow out of suckling as a kitten may continue it into adulthood. At which point they may not only suck on, but also will chew
and may even eat different fabrics. Common fabrics are wool, cotton and other synthetic materials (even plastic garbage bags). This behavior
seems to be common to Siamese and Burmese cats and cats who are weaned very early (before 4 weeks of age). Some cats who do exhibit this behavior may swallow fabric and this can cause a host of digestive problems in the cat.

The best way to limit or stop this behavior seems to be keeping the cat calm and happy. You may want to start off hiding the favorite fabric. For
instance if your cat chews wool, keep your sweaters and other wool products in closets that can't be opened by your cat etc. Next make
sure your cat is calm and has no reason to be upset. Many cats will start this behavior when they are stressed or ill, so make sure there is
no reason why your cat would need to do this behavior to relax (some behaviorists put cats with this behavior on anti-depressants to keep
them calm and happy). Do NOT punish or yell at the cat for this behavior; this will only increase the cat's stress and compound the problem. You can also purchase some toys for your cat that he can
chew, that way if he needs to chew he has something acceptable and distinct from what he use to like to chew. And lastly make sure your cat
isn't simply hungry. Many times cats do this to try to feel like they have a full belly because they are simply hungry.

Thanks Hell603

I have had Danielle now for one week. So far, my fears about her chewing on the rugs are for naught. I have not caught her eating any fabric, wool, or anything. The only thing she eats is her food.

I want to find a treat she likes, to help with training, but everyone I have tried she has NO interest in!!

What a picky little eater woo woo cuddle coo...