Why does my youngest male chew plastic?
Why does my youngest male chew plastic?
Hi there, this is Linda, a vet with 10 years of experience.
Young cats and kittens do often chew plastic as part of their play. They typically grow out of this and we can manage this behaviour by preventing access to plastic and re-directing their attention to toys they can play with e.g. lasers, feathers to chase, climbing tree, food puzzles etc.
We want to minimise boredom and tire him out mentally and physically as much as we can.
In older cats or in those who repeatedly chew plastic (and other indigestible items) even when not bored, we'd worry about 'pica'. This is a medical condition that can have a number of triggers including IBD or a nutritional deficiency.
A vet visit is advised so we can examine the cat and perhaps run some tests to rule out a medical issue (e.g. a blood test and imaging).
@Lynda Rigsby One of my females and one of my males chew anything and everything. Some cats just like to chew on things. It's when they swallow them that you really need to worry. One of my male cats had swallowed some thread and I didn't know it. He kept running through the house and looking behind him and I could tell he was distressed. I picked him up and realized that it was coming out his rectum. I was real careful and slowly pulled it out so as not to upset him anymore then he already was. After that he was so distraught he laid in my lap for about two hours. He never played with thread after that.
