Stress or anxiety can cause cats to show changes in their behaviour and chewing plastic can be a sign that your cat is feeling anxious. It’s important to keep an eye on your feline if you see this to make sure they don’t bite off chunks of plastic as this can be dangerous for them.

And hey – if you’ve ever chewed on the butt of a pencil or pen and kinda wanted to continue to chomp, even though you knew it was probably not the best idea for the long term health of your teeth – my guess is you already sort of get on a personal level why plastic is enjoyable for cats to chew on. Even when we’re dealing with human pica – and we can just ask the person why they’re doing it – sometimes, it’s not easy to work out the causes, but in animals, it’s even more difficult because they can’t explain their actions.

Community Support

Find ways to stimulate all their senses. Don’t just give them a toy to chew on or chase, provide them with activities that engage them in terms of smell, taste, texture, sound and more, and you will find that they are much happier animals. Explorable environment Ensure you are feeding quality food. Ensure your cat is on a good quality American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) approved food for their life stage (adult, kitten, or senior). This will ensure that your cat is getting all the protein and nutrients required for their health. So in this situation – let’s say your cat is chewing on plastic bags or other plastic objects, and this is both undesirable to you because you worry one day your cat will tear through and choke – or you just don’t like the damage your cat’s causing another plastic item he or she likes to chew. Likewise, your cat may chew on bags and other, harder plastic objects, such as straws and milk jug rings, to alleviate anxiety caused by environmental or medical stressors. These can be anything from moving to a new home, a new pet or a new baby in the house,or even illness and ageing.

This won’t work alone, but used with some of the other suggestions we’ve given you, this could be an effective deterrent. Behavior specialist Obviously, he was simply speaking on the topic of plastic bags, so let’s expand that to plastic toys and other plastic things – no risk if simply chewed, a risk is there if swallowed. So to be safest, even if it’s a plastic toy, if you find the object can easily break or tear into bits that can then be accidentally swallowed, keep them out of reach of your kitty. While it can be amusing to see him playing with elastic bands, plastic sweet wrappers, or tinsel, don’t encourage it since your cat may accidentally swallow them. You should get your cat to play with appropriate cat-safe toys instead. Monitor these toys for any signs of wear and tear and replace them if they become broken. Unlike behaviors such as eating grass, which can be largely harmless much of the time, eating plastic should always be discouraged. If you see your pet consuming plastic, you need to know why because if you know the reason, it will be easier to prevent this behavior in the future.

It can be a worry to have a cat who likes to eat plastic and other inedible items, but there are ways to help. 1. Provide a Healthy Diet There are several medical conditions that can also mean a cat is unable to receive all the nutrients it requires from its food.

Whether your cat has a minor scratch or a more serious injury, our bandages and dressings are specifically formulated to meet their needs. Trust Hyperdrug for reliable and high-quality wound care products for your beloved feline companion. I feel like his guess about the texture is probably pretty accurate. Regardless, he mentions that he gets this question a lot as a vet (his words: “Believe it or not, people ask me these sorts of questions almost every day in my practice”) and while he admits science hasn’t provided an answer for this question yet, it does seem likely to me that if this many pet parents are asking about whether their cats chewing plastic without swallowing it is normal, it must be a general feline behaviour as not all that many cats have pica. If even humans enjoy chewing on plastic, it doesn’t seem a far step to me that cats would enjoy chewing on it as well – even if they don’t have pica. Do you find most cats like to eat plastic as well as chew on it, or really just chew and nothing more? If you have a cat – does he or she chew plastic? And if so, what types of objects made of plastic does he or she typically like to gnaw on?

About Dr. Lizzie Youens BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS

Plastic doesn’t have a nice flavor, so it’s hard to imagine why cats like to eat it so much. It seems like they like the sound plastic makes when it’s being played with or chewed on. Cats seem to find entertainment in objects that aren’t toys, despite how much money you spend getting them the coolest toys.

However, if your cat is like most, she will probably continue to chew on the occasional plastic bag without coming to any harm. When you think of delicious smells and tastes, plastic grocery bags probably don’t spring immediately to mind. However, the smell and taste may be partly what attracts cats to some plastics.However, just giving a cat one or two boring toys to chew on is not going to do it – you need to find toys that will challenge your cat and that your cat enjoys playing with. It may be possible to give your cat some medication to induce vomiting if the item is still in the stomach and is deemed safe. Large or sharp items may cause damage to the esophagus (food pipe) if vomited up, and cats may inhale their vomit if they’re struggling, so it’s important never to attempt to make your cat vomit at home. Really think about it, and even cat behaviours so normal for a cat we often think of felines just upon the mention of that behaviour – acts like purring and kneading– are still downright befuddling. It seems there’s almost no end to the list of oddball things cats do, and that typically keeps our curiosity piqued; it can even be fun trying to work out the reasons why cats act so strangely.