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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005my cat eats plastic?
It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the floor. Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and he zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear rustling and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent, or stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will pry it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up, sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives? This seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject... >It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge >is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought >maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject... I have not seen this with my cats, but I would think it would be pretty dangerous for him to swallow plastic. I would try to keep the bags locked away from him. Justin > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge > is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought > maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject... I don't know if Hodge actually tries to eat and swallow, but he does like to chew on them and just about anything else that protudes. Given his dominant dog behaviours, I sometimes wonder if he isn't part dog. Anyway, I agree with Justin -- probably not very good for him, and there's the potential for choking as well as for intestinal blockage. I keep things like that away from Hodge. What he doesn't know about won't hurt him. And then he can focus on his toys, which are a bit safer. :)  Signaturehttp://www.slywy.com/ > > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge > > is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > keep things like that away from Hodge. What he doesn't know about won't > hurt him. And then he can focus on his toys, which are a bit safer. :) I try to keep all plastic bags away from him; sometimes he just finds a little piece on the floor from something that was opened, or if he gets into the bathroom sometimes he finds wrappers and things. I bring it up today b/c our bathroom door didnt shut tight and he was able to jimmy the door open to get in and chew at the toilet paper wrappers. It always wakes me up when I hear the chewing. Thats funny you mention your cat is like a dog b/c Gabe is a bit like a dog too... he knows his name and comes when he is called (something Oreo will NOT do, its beneath her!) Neither of my cats like traditional toys though. I've gotten them lots of different things, from fabric mice to plastic balls with bells in them to catnip (Gabe just laid down on my arm, kind of hard to type now... lol) but neither of them like toys. Gabe likes to swat around balled up paper or tries to lay claim on a stack of paper on the ground, but other than chasing each other around, thats about it. Definitely not typical, but I love them just the same : ) > I've gotten them lots of different things, > from fabric mice to plastic balls with bells in them to catnip (Gabe just > laid down on my arm, kind of hard to type now... lol) but neither of them > like toys. Hodge really likes his fleece snowman and pineapple. Also likes those chase the laser light and the the Go-Cat (I think that's what it's called) feathers on a string on a rod). Your cats may need more interactive toys. Hodge is getting a Panic Mouse Tuesday. We'll see how that goes! Signaturehttp://www.slywy.com/ >> I've gotten them lots of different things, >> from fabric mice to plastic balls with bells in them to catnip (Gabe just [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Hodge is getting a Panic Mouse Tuesday. We'll see how that goes! Do report! Mine got bored with the panic mouse when I got it two years ago. I had it in a closet and recently brought it out. We were missing the little arm so I bought new ones at the store, intending to give it to someone with a younger cat. Well, it's been a big hit. At night, it is like "TV" for Pearl. She will play with it, but she is also content to just sit and watch. When in a goofy mood both Sugar and pearl play with it a lot. I find the low to medium speeds are best. The new arm also had a nice colorful ball instead of the black one (which I just found the other day) so maybe that is more attractive too. Here is a series of Sugar playing with it. "http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kchuplis/album?.dir=6452&.src=ph&store=&prodi d=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kchuplis/my_photos" or http://tinyurl.com/df3tk That whole series was in about a 20 minute span. My 7 mo. old cat's favorite toy is the hard plastic lid off a bottle of a spray butter. It's small enough he can carry it around, and it serves as both a soccer ball and an item with which we play fetch. Michelle > My 7 mo. old cat's favorite toy is the hard plastic lid off a bottle of > a spray butter. It's small enough he can carry it around, and it > serves as both a soccer ball and an item with which we play fetch. > > Michelle My have stumbled on to something this evening... kept thinking about the ideas everyone said while I was just getting ready for bed. I happened to look at on the counter and saw the thick plastic shower curtain hooks we had gotten for our half bath. There were about 6 left over and I thought... hey, what not? They're hard plastic so Gabe cant eat them and he does like to bat things around sometimes. Plus, poor Oreo lost her favorite toy (my elastic hair bands) because Gabe kept eating them too, so it was kind of the same thing. I just played with the two of them for about 5 minutes and they seem to like the solution. Gabe at least, Oreo did her best to look aloof. Hi, Our Kitty who is four years now loves to lick plastic. Especially the plastic shopping bags. The moment I get in the door from the store, and put the bags on the kitchen table she is there licking away. Fortunately she doesn't try to eat them though. She does have a habit of licking most things including chairs, laundry basket, bottom of the stove, and sometimes I've even caught her licking the outer rim of the kitty tray.... so there, are you all put off your dinner now... regards, Kulander. >> My 7 mo. old cat's favorite toy is the hard plastic lid off a bottle of >> a spray butter. It's small enough he can carry it around, and it [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > seem to like the solution. Gabe at least, Oreo did her best to look > aloof. > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much > knowledge [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought > maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject... This is very common with cats. I once read that some plastic bags even some type of fish emulsion used as part of the manufacturing process. Regardless of what it is, many cats are instantly attracted to plastic and celophane (including my Holly -- if I left an opened package of steak on the counter, she would ignore the steak but lick the plastic!). This can actually be very dangerous. As you have noted, cats will sometimes swallow (and not just lick) plastic. I have learned to keep *all* forms of plastic out of Holly's reach. She once ate the soft plastic coil that is used around the top of some over-the-counter medicine bottles. Some plastics can become entangled in the cat's intestines, and some trash bags now have insecticide or deodorant on the inside of the bags. Dispose of all plastic *immediately* and don't take chances with your cat's health. I put all pieces of plastic in the chair beside me when I open items, and then I immediately take them to the trash. MaryL > > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much > > knowledge [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > MaryL It reminds me of the warnings to cut 6 pack soda containers b/c the baby dolphins can get caught in them! That is interesting about the fish emulsion, that could explain some of the reason he goes for it. We're to the point that the only time he can get at it is if he gets the bathroom door open. He's a brute, so if the door is not latched properly, he can usually get it open after a while. It's amazing how smart they are opening doors!!! > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge > is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this > happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of When your at the store and they say, "paper or plastic"... Just say.... All together... Paypurrrrrrr! > > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much > knowledge [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Paypurrrrrrr! I bring my own cloth bags. :) Signaturehttp://www.slywy.com/ > > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much > knowledge [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Paypurrrrrrr! Barry, you are a genius. :) > It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge > is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this > happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic I haven't read all the responses, but this can be a sign of vitamin or mineral deficiency. You might try giving him a half of a chewable cat vitamin once or twice a week to see if it curbs the behavior. -L. |
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