Cat eats everything

[apnelson]

I've known for a long time that Rodney eats shoe strings and have more or less adapted to it now. However, last night, I found something else that I'm a bit worried about. He ate part of one of my blankets.

Does anyone have any advice on how to keep him from doing this? It can't be good for him.

 

[rad65]

When cats eat foreign objects it usually points to a nutrient deficiency. You should consider taking him to the vet to have a blood panel run and see if he is anemic or has some specific deficiency.

 

[apnelson]

Originally Posted by rad65

When cats eat foreign objects it usually points to a nutrient deficiency. You should consider taking him to the vet to have a blood panel run and see if he is anemic or has some specific deficiency.

I actually just took him to the vet last week and they didn't say anything like that. Of course, I didn't know about the blanket then, so I didn't ask them anything specific. I feed him Science Diet, if that makes a difference.

 

[Asteria]

Science Diet is not a very good food. It has a lot of byproducts and grains if I remember right; not something that you really want your cat to eat. I don't know if it's bad enough to cause a deficiency, though.
I agree that the cat might not be getting what it needs nutritionally when it eats foreign objects like that. If he were just chewing things, I would probably just chalk it up to a "quirk," but the fact that he's actually eating them to me is a cause for concern.

 

[apnelson]

Well, I suppose trying a different food is worth a shot. What would you recommend?

 

[elayman]

Originally Posted by APNelson

I've known for a long time that Rodney eats shoe strings and have more or less adapted to it now. However, last night, I found something else that I'm a bit worried about. He ate part of one of my blankets.

Does anyone have any advice on how to keep him from doing this? It can't be good for him.

You are sure it was the cat, right ?

But he isn't showing severe, or any, signs of gastrointestinal upset (painful abdomen, massive vomiting/dehyration, diarrhea, straining at the box, etc.)? Shoe laces or strings off a toy are actually equally worrisome as they can bunch up and bind internally causing the intestines to block or become severe stressed.

The best course of action is to call the vet as soon as you notice (even strongly suspect) your cat ate anything odd, particularly a string or similarly shaped linear object. Symptoms may not show up immediately so don't wait until you see evidence of illness. It will just get more expensive, potentially deadly if the intestine becomes severed, to remove the longer you wait.

 

[apnelson]

Originally Posted by elayman

You are sure it was the cat, right ?

But he isn't showing severe, or any, signs of gastrointestinal upset (painful abdomen, massive vomiting/dehyration, diarrhea, straining at the box, etc.)? Shoe laces or strings off a toy are actually equally worrisome as they can bunch up and bind internally causing the intestines to block or become severe stressed.

The best course of action is to call the vet as soon as you notice (even strongly suspect) your cat ate anything odd, particularly a string or similarly shaped linear object. Symptoms may not show up immediately so don't wait until you see evidence of illness. It will just get more expensive, potentially deadly if the intestine becomes severed, to remove the longer you wait.

What I meant about adapting to the shoestrings thing was that I keep my shoes with strings in my closet when I'm not wearing them. I didn't get the door all the way shut a couple weeks ago, but it's been 6-9 months since I first noticed that he was eating shoestrings, and I haven't noticed any ill effects (and neither did the vet). I also adapted by improvising a different fishing pole toy using a fan pull chain so he couldn't eat it.

 

[ducman69]

Its called pica, and you can google it.

There are a plethora of causes. Some say it can be genetic, others a side effect of illness like FIV+, could be nutrition related, could be stress, could just be a weird cat thats just plain bored and finds chewing and eating random stuff good fun.

It is a health risk, but I'd read a little about it to see what you think might apply.

BTW, Wesley used to try to eat any type of string he could find (biting on and scratching on pillows and the like to try and pull its thread off to eat), and he was on the absolute best and most expensive wet kitten food with premium free-fed dry available... removed everything, but he ultimately just grew out of it IMO.

 

[Asteria]

I forgot to say- be careful of intestinal blockages that can come from eating fabrics and shoelaces like your kitty does. It looks like you are, so that's good.
Watch like a hawk for changes in his eating or drinking habits, as well as straining in the litter box.
I'm very glad nothing bad has happened, but keep an eye out regardless.

As far as food, check out the nutrition section of the forum. There's lots of good info there. It's important to learn how to read the label and what ingredients to avoid.
I personally prefer grain free food.
Here's a list of some grain free dry foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=123807
I advise you to stay from grocery food brands. Friskies, Science Diet, Iams, Meow Mix, Purina- none of those are great. Everyone has a slightly different opinion on what a good food is. I am super picky and don't want my cats to eat grains at all. Others are fine with a small amount of grain and there's nothing wrong with that as long as there is more meat than grain and the rest of the ingredients are good. Some people are okay with corn being in food, I'm not. That's why I advise you to read about food in that section so you can learn through reading all of those posts and also start forming your own opinions.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by APNelson

Well, I suppose trying a different food is worth a shot. What would you recommend?

It's good that you're so willing to try other foods, APNelson; Science Diet really does have a very poor list of ingredients.

Switching to a canned, grain-free diet is likely to have the strongest positive effect on your kitty's health. Brands such as Wellness, Natural Balance, Evo, Nature's Variety, and Felidae all have grain-free flavors.

You can get more feline nutrition information through the Feline Nutrition Education Society's website (feline-nutrition.org).

If it wasn't for the possibility this heralds a problem, it'd be funny that your kitty eats such weird stuff. And that's a nice blanket, too!

Regards!

AC