You have noticed that cats chew plastic bags, straws, cables, and similar other items, and you’re now thinking, Why cats eat plastic? WHY CATS EAT AND CHEW ON PLASTIC?
Why Cats Eat And Chew On Plastic?
Most cats eat or chew plastics because of pica. A clear definition of pica would be the tendency of cats to chew and eat non-food items, like plastic. However, you have noticed that cats try to bite different items very frequently around your house.
There are many reasons why your cat may be suffering from this situation.
In this article, I will try my best to explain to you each and every reason behind this.
You should pay attention to your cat around plastic items and to know how to stop your cat from chewing and eating plastic items.
Question: What happens if my cat eats plastic?
Answer: If your cat eats or ingests plastic, then it can cause vomiting or choking your cat or it can also be dangerous and deadly for your cat.
Reasons why cats chew and eat plastics?
Not every cat chews and eats plastic, but some cats chew and eat plastics which are dangerous for their health.
Cats just find everything interesting, especially if they see something for the first time. That’s why cats chew new items or you have noticed that when your cat gets any new item around
Then they try to chew it.
The following are some reasons that cats chew and eat plastic:
- Stress or Anxiety
When your cat is under stress or feels anxious, it may find relief by chewing and eating different items in your house.
Do you or any of your friends have the habit of biting nails when stressed or nervous?
- Lack of nutrients
It’s important for your cats to give them proper nutrition in their food. If your cat is not getting proper nutrition in its food, they will try to chew other stuff to eat it.
Moreover, pay attention and check what you’re feeding to your cat. Give them the best food which has proper nutrition which your cat needs. If you are giving them food that you are buying from a store, read the ingredients and nutrition in it.
- Diseases:
There are various health conditions that can affect and cause your cat biting and eating plastics.
The most popular diseases are hyperthyroidism, dental issues, diabetes, and anemia.
Not in all cases, but in some cases, brain tumors can also be the reason that your cat is chewing and eating plastic. So that’s why you need to take immediate action and take your cat to your vet. The vet will examine it and it will tell you why your cat is doing this.
There’s another reason why your cat may want to chew or eat plastic items such as:
Plastic bags, plastic plates, or plastic forks, etc.
Cats chew and eat these things because your cat smells the food that had been there on that plastic. That’s why your cat wants to chew and eat that part of plastic, hoping to get a piece of that food in the plastic.
So, make sure to keep these types of plastic items out of reach of your cat. Because these types of plastics which have food smells will attract your cat’s attention because of the food which is in them. Moreover, if you notice that your cat has some health issues, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible.
Even if you know that biting plastic is just a game for your cat, you should keep an eye on them because you need to prevent your cat from swallowing the plastic.
How can I prevent my cat from eating plastic items?
The first piece of advice is to hide all plastic items you know that your cat could bite and keep them in a cat-proof place.
There are some other things that are in the following so that you can prevent your cat from eating plastic.
Such as:
- Play with your cat:
Playing with your cat makes me reduce the stress level of your cat. Give toys to your cat to play with.
- Train your cat: If nothing of the above suggestions works, you can try training your cat yourself or you can hire a professional trainer for your cat.
In training, train your cat to not bite plastic items.
- Vet Help:
When you notice that your cat is chewing and eating plastic items, you should take immediate action and take your cat to the vet. The vet will professionally examine your cat and determine the problem with your cat that’s causing that behavior. (plastic chewing and eating behavior)
Why does my cat eat plastic items?
There are a lot of reasons (as I mentioned some of the reasons above in this article) but mostly cats have pica, that’s why cats eat plastic items.
Question: Is it OK for my cat to chew and eat plastic bags?
Answer: No, its not OK if your cat is chewing and eating plastic bags. It could be dangerous for your cat and if your cat eats a plastic bag it can also choke your cat.
Do cats do fake chewing?
Yes, cats do fake chewing. It may be a sign of nausea or having any dental issue. So visit your vet for a full check-up if your cat is doing fake chewing.
How to fix pica in my cat?
The easiest solution is to remove or hide all the targeted items from your cat. Just simply hide the clothes, plants, plastic items or other items your cat loves to chew on. If you can’t hide or remove the items which cats chew on, then simply take your cat to a vet for a check-up.
Question: Why do all cats like to eat plastic items?
Answer: Cats like to eat plastic items because of a condition that is called PICA. Another reason that cats like plastic items is that some plastic items have scents of food, which attracts cats, that there is food on the plastic item and that cat bites it.
