If you have had the opportunity to observe pets closely, you may find that they try to eat very different things from their food from time to time. Although pets..
If you have had the opportunity to observe pets closely, you may find that they try to eat very different things from their food from time to time. Although pets are fed adequately, they may lick or try to eat green leafy plants, toys, plastic bags or other things in the house.
This behavior is quite common in cats. But because it is not a natural behavior and can be harmful to cats, it is actually one of the undesirable behaviors. There may be more than one reason why cats lick plastic. In order for the problem to be eliminated, it is necessary to first discover why the cat chews plastic.
The Common Cause of Plastic Chewing in Cats: Pica
The condition of consuming substances that are not considered nutrients for more than a month is called pica, which is a type of eating disorder. The behavior of eating inappropriate objects can be seen in cats, dogs and many other living creatures. In fact, pica disorder is also rarely seen in humans. In humans, this discomfort is usually manifested in the form of eating soil or metal objects.
While pica is a difficult behavior to explain even in humans, when it comes to cats, it can become very difficult to get out of the business. In order to understand these behaviors of cats that chew or try to eat soil, plastic or plant leaves, it is first necessary to diagnose why they do this. The most common causes include malnutrition, illness, stress, loneliness, Decrepit mood. However, the reasons for pika are not limited to these.
Why Plastic?
Plastic chewing is one of the most common behaviors in cats. This behavior can occur as a result of a health problem, nutritional or psychological problem.
Malnutrition
If a cat is experiencing a nutritional deficiency problem due to insufficient or improper nutrition, it tries to obtain the nutrients necessary to support the body from different sources. Because plastic objects may contain animal byproducts such as gelatin or minerals such as stearate acid salts, cats may instinctively start chewing plastic in order to obtain extra nutrients or minerals.
Health Problems
Some health problems in cats may cause all the necessary nutrients not to be taken from the food. Health problems such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, hypothyroidism, diabetes, or intestinal parasites can alter food absorption, leading to insufficient nutrition. For this reason, a sick cat may turn to plastics to get the missing nutrients from other sources again.
The Taste or Smell of Plastic Items
Especially the food that is carried in plastic bags from the grocery store may taste or smell. If the food contained in the bag is something that your cat might like, such as chicken, fish, or red meat, then it can be difficult to keep your cat away from the bag. When you leave, you may see your cat licking or chewing on the plastic bag. However, this is a fairly innocent reason and does not mean that there are any problems with your cat.
Stress and Boredom
Cats are intelligent creatures, and therefore, although they spend most of their lives sleeping, their interest in the environment should be kept alive while they are awake. For this reason, cats need to be mentally stimulated.
Boredom can lead to psychological problems in the cat. One of these problems is behavioral disorder. Cats may chew plastic or eat grass leaves out of boredom. Stressed and anxious cats can also exhibit similar behaviors. Moreover, this situation can be caused by someone who has just come home, an item that has changed its place in the house, or any other simple thing. In such cases, cats may chew plastic as a manifestation of psychological problems.
Sound and Feeling
Plastic objects make a squeaking-like sound when they are chewed. The cat may like this sound and the feeling it leaves in the mouth. If this situation leads to cats having fun, it is actually not a desirable behavior and should be prevented.
Racial Predisposition
Some breeds of cats are more prone to chewing plastic. The biggest reason for this is actually that these races are more prone to pika. Pica Deca is more common among Burmese and Siamese cats. If you have a cat of this breed, you should make sure that it does not try to eat foreign objects.
What Should You Do If Your Cat Chews Plastic?
Chewing or eating plastic is definitely a behavior that should be prevented. If you see your cat eating plastic, the first thing you need to do is make your cat understand that you will not tolerate this behavior. Also, when you encounter such a situation, you need to find the reason behind this behavior without wasting time. Because this is extremely important for the prevention of behavior.
If your cat is threading other materials besides plastic, the problem you probably need to worry about is lighter. The fact that your cat tries to bite different things and is not particularly interested in plastic means that he is bored. If your cat is trying to bite everything that is plastic, then you have a bigger problem.
Veterinary Examination
If you see your cat chewing on plastic and suspect that it is caused by a health problem, you should take your cat to a veterinarian for examination without wasting time. Because this behavior can develop depending on many ailments. Cats are adept at hiding that they are sick, and by the time you notice this situation, it may be too late.
Nutritional Change
Your cat’s malnutrition may cause him to chew or eat plastic. Cats are obligate carnivorous creatures. In other words, they need to eat meat in order to survive. For this reason, cat foods should be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Make sure that the cat food you use contains a high proportion of meat products such as chicken, turkey, fish or liver. Stay away from foods that contain elements such as cereals or by-products that are clearly present in their content. Even if you don’t change the brand of the food you use, when you switch to a different type and this food meets all your cat’s nutritional needs, you will see that he stops chewing plastic.
Coping With Stress
You should check if there is a situation in your house that may cause your cat to get stressed. Situations that trigger stress usually lead to hiding in cats, avoiding people, behaving aggressively and chewing on foreign objects. These behaviors are an indication that the cat is stressed. If you see some of these behaviors in your cat besides chewing plastic, it means that your cat does not feel comfortable at home. In this case, the best thing you can do is to identify the factor that causes stress in the cat and eliminate it. Boredom also causes similar problems in cats. By taking care of him during the day or buying him different toys, you can ensure that he is mentally stimulated in a health way.
