2 Yr. Old Spayed Female Eating Cigarette Ashes?

[juxalyn]

Hello!

I have 4 cats, 3 boys and 1 female. The female cat is about 2 years old and she's ADDICTED to licking/eating/smelling/playing with cigarette ashes. She's the only one of the cats who do this!

I smoke as well as my boyfriend and she is constantly hovering around the ashtray waiting on us to put our cigarette down or forget to empty the ashtray so she can lick/smell the ashes.

She pulls out butts and plays with them and if the ashtray is empty of butts she'll eat/lick/sniff the ashes.

It's disgusting and I'm wondering if she's doing this for a reason? Is she missing some type of nutrient she's not getting through her food OR is it just a nasty habit she's picked up/she's addicted to nicotine?

Please no rude comments because I realize this is gross, it's gross to me! That's why I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with her and why she won't stop!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Juxalyn

 

[tulosai]

I would talk to a vet.  In the meantime, I'd stop smoking inside or designate a smoking room that you guys go into to smoke and that she doesn't have access to (either ever, or else while you are smoking and until you empty the ashtray).  It is indeed gross, but more importantly it can't be healthy for her.

 

[my-boy-jasper]

Eating things that aren't food is called pica. I don't know that there is any definitive answer as to why your kitty likes cigarette butts and ash. It's probably not impossible that she gets nicotine from the butts but that doesn't really explain eating the ash. I would speak to your vet about it if your worried about there being an underlying issue. Here is a webpage that describes pica in cats. It says the causes can be dietary deficiencies, boredom or stress, underlying medical problems, and genetics http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/pica/

I would suggest you take great care to keep the ashtray out of her reach as that stuff is pretty toxic to any animal, especially the butts I would think. I know of one animal that has gotten pretty sick from eating cigarette butts. There must be plenty of ways you can stop her from getting into the ash tray in the first place. 

 

[Slowdust]

Eating things that aren't food is called pica. I don't know that there is any definitive answer as to why your kitty likes cigarette butts and ash. It's probably not impossible that she gets nicotine from the butts but that doesn't really explain eating the ash. I would speak to your vet about it if your worried about there being an underlying issue. Here is a webpage that describes pica in cats. It says the causes can be dietary deficiencies, boredom or stress, underlying medical problems, and genetics Wool sucking behavior, cats sucking fabric, cloth and socks

I would suggest you take great care to keep the ashtray out of her reach as that stuff is pretty toxic to any animal, especially the butts I would think. I know of one animal that has gotten pretty sick from eating cigarette butts. There must be plenty of ways you can stop her from getting into the ash tray in the first place.

My cat looks like yours and he had a collar on him that had his name on it when we got him. His name is Jasper. And it so just happens to be that the town we live in and brought him to is also named Jasper. And my daughter call him, The Boy! lol. Wow at the coincidences here.

And my cat has also been licking the ashtray here and there. Not much but I find it weird when I see him ever so often get a couple licks out of my ashtray. Was wondering why he would want to do that also.

 

[Alldara]

My cat looks like yours and he had a collar on him that had his name on it when we got him. His name is Jasper. And it so just happens to be that the town we live in and brought him to is also named Jasper. And my daughter call him, The Boy! lol. Wow at the coincidences here.

And my cat has also been licking the ashtray here and there. Not much but I find it weird when I see him ever so often get a couple licks out of my ashtray. Was wondering why he would want to do that also.

It is extremely dangerous to the cat. Even a human eating one would be more dangerous than smoking.
I urge you to to start smoking outside. Your cat can also get cancer from second hand smoke.

 

[Hellenww]

A friend had both a cat and a dog that had cancer. The vet said it was from second hand smoke. After that her husband smoked outside. If your not able to do that get a coverd ashtray. Amazon has a variety of different styles.

 

[di and bob]

Yeah I agree with the above, get an enclosed ashtray, one that can be closed. your cat does have pica, she may be indeed missing a nutrient or something, so maybe start some cat treat vitamins. Or she could be addicted to the nicotine now. I smoked for years so know how hard it is to stop. in fact I took a mild antidepressant and it really helped. (I didn't kill anyone anyway!) It was Wellbutrin. But I bet tehre are even better ones out there now. I enjoyed smoking, but I am glad I quit, I would not want to pay what cigarettes cost now! Eating this won't hurt the cat unless it is a regular habit, cats digestive systems are a lot different than ours. But I would keep them from it if possible.