Cats that eat cat litter may have mineral or vitamin deficiencies. Some objects are intrinsically dangerous to chew on – electrical cords carry the risk of electrocution.Ĭlay-based cat litter contains bentonite which can cause intestinal blockages. Swallowed thread may have a needle attached. Swallowed lengths of string, tinsel or cassette tape can cause intestinal damage as it gets caught in the loops of intestine. Ingested non-food items can cause life-threatening intestinal blockage. Chewed or ingested non-food objects may be poisonous. Most owners notice pica because it's destructive to household items. While not yet proven, it is certainly worth trying. In recent years, it has been suggested that leaving Siamese/Oriental kittens with their mothers until 16 weeks old reduces the predisposition to pica. A summary of results is given at the end of this article. This study showed Siamese and Burmese were more likely to exhibit pica than other breeds/randombreds. In the “He’s Eating Me Out of House and Home” survey (published June 1991, Cat World magazine), Neville noted that wool-eating has been recorded in Siamese cats since the 1950s. In some cases, the habit was so established that owners had no choice but to provide an old garment for the cat to chew. The wool-eating typically began between the ages of 2 and 8 months (a time period encompassing weaning and puberty) and there was no gender bias. 93% started with wool and moved on to other fabrics. Pica also ran in families with over half the owners reporting that their cats' siblings also ate wool or fabric. In one British study of 152 fabric-eating cats, 55% were Siamese, 28 % were Burmese, 6% were "other Oriental" and 11% were other breeds or randombred cats. There are reports of Burmese cats being attracted to electrical cables (possibly attracted to plastics). The owner attributed this to "teeth cleaning" but it was probably misdirected prey-plucking/tearing behaviour as it only occurred at mealtimes.Īnecdotally and in studies, Siamese cats seem most prone to pica, especially with woollen items. In the case of one Siamese cat, it took a sock to its eating area and plucked at it periodically during the meal (canned food). One of my cats, Sappho, exhibited this behaviour towards crochet blankets. The clothing/blanket isn't swallowed anything the cats tears off is discarded. This is the same behaviour found when a cat plucks or tears fur, feather or flesh from larger prey items (e.g. The cat holds down the (often woollen) blanket or garment with its paws and uses its teeth to pluck or tear at it.
Plucking the target resembles pica but is a misdirected prey-related activity. Some owners provide an old sweater for the cat to suckle on while protecting other garments by storing them away from the cat or dabbing hot chilli sauce onto them. More rarely it becomes a compulsive behaviour or progresses to pica. Usually it decreases naturally as the kitten grows up, but it may persist or resurface in early-weaned or hand-reared cats, particularly at times of stress. In general, the younger a kitten is when it is weaned, the stronger the urge to nurse and the more persistent the comfort-nursing. Behavioural treatment may be needed to build up the cat's confidence so it no longer resorts to "comfort nursing". Other commonly suckled objects include the cat's own tail, other cats or pet dogs. Though sometimes mistaken for wool-eating, the item (sweater, blanket etc) is only sucked, not chewed, bitten or swallowed. It's similar to a child's thumb-sucking in providing comfort. Wool-sucking (or fabric-sucking) is a misdirected form of nursing. Sometimes it is a displacement activity where an abnormal activity is substituted for normal behaviour because the cat can't express the more normal behaviour i.e. The challenge is to make the behaviour unrewarding and redirect the behaviour into something rewarding for the cat and acceptable to the owner.
CAT PICA DIFFUSERS FULL
The reward might be a nice taste, a full stomach or simply getting attention from the owner. Like many obsessive or abnormal behaviours, the cat persists in doing it because the it is comforting or rewarding. Eating a little grass or herbs is normal cat behaviour indoor cats may eat houseplants if there is no grass accessible. Other objects have included cassette tape and the rubber "teat" section of a child's dummy (pacifier).
Commonly consumed target items include wool, string, elastic bands, electrical cords, tissues, tinsel and houseplants. It should not be confused with the suckling/nursing behaviour that some cats retain into adulthood. The behaviour ranges from sucking, chewing and biting through to swallowing bites of items.
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