What to Do When Your Cat Eats Non-Food Items (Pica)

1 Overview

Why is pica so tricky?

Different cats prefer different objects. Some are drawn to plastic, some to fibrous things. Rubber bands? String? Threaded needles? Yarn? Blankets? Wires?!

There is no single agreed cause of abnormal eating.

Causes of Pica

On fibrous items: sweaters, yarn, thread, wool blankets, etc.

Maybe the texture is close to ‘nursing’.

Maybe a lack of fiber in the body drives it to seek a similar feel.

Maybe hunting instinct – wild cats pluck feathers when eating birds.

(The above views are from ‘Feline Family Medicine’ by Lin Zhengyi.)

Other Causes Summed Up

1. Poor nutrition

When a cat eats lots of plants or plant material, like plant-fiber litter, the body may lack something.

In common cases, more often it lacks trace elements.

2. Environment

A cat’s living environment is often the main cause of many abnormal behaviors. Owners should observe more and take it seriously.

A too-bored cat seeks environmental stimulation through odd behaviors.

3. Disease

The body works as a system; when one point fails badly, it triggers a chain reaction.

Brain tumors, FIV, feline leukemia, neurological disease, etc. can make the brain send wrong commands, causing odd behavior.

4. Occasional behavior

A one-time curious mistake; just handle it in time.

What should we do?

Follow one principle – solve it from prevention.

1. Observe the cat’s habits (pica preference).

2. Pre-treat the preferred items: e.g., cover wires with plastic tubing and spray a bad smell on it (a smell and feel your cat hates); put string items out of reach.

3. Feed trace elements: though ‘micro’, they have strong biological effects!!

– In Closing –

Sometimes a scold makes the cat flee in fright. But when you are not home, who scolds it?

On one hand do prevention; on the other build the cat’s mental and physical health. More exercise, balanced nutrition, and less environmental stimulation.