How do I get my eight month old kitten to stop trying to eat paper and other items that she shouldn't eat?

Question

Okay, I have a eight month old cat, who loves to chew on plastic, paper and other items, that a cat should not normally eat. I take away the paper and firmly tell her no, but that doesn't seem to help the problem, I keep a clean house as well, so I know that she is digging in the garbage for the said items. Also it is starting to effect the nine year old cat, who is male in the house, to start digging in the trash. So please help, if you have any suggestions, that won't cause either of my cats to become stressed and to allow me to nip this bad habit in the bud.

Answer 1

Hi there...Medically scientists have determined that cats who suck, lick, chew non-edible items suffer from a condition called PICA. This is common among kittens who were weaned early and seen in many Asian breed of cats as well. Here's an article about PICA by University of California Davis on what is PICA and how to treat it: http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/home/beh/feline_behavior/pica.html

Pica: The Un-finicky Feline
Chewing or eating cords, fabric, houseplants, etc.

What is Pica?
Pica is the act of eating non-food items. In less serious cases, cats may chew or suck on objects, but not actually swallow them. Common targets include yarn or string, fabric, wool, phone or electric cords, and plants. Any object may be a potential target, however.

Why is Pica Dangerous?
Other than its destructive potential, pica can be extremely hazardous to your cat's health if non-food items are consumed. Ingested fabric, string, or other materials can lodge in your cat's stomach or intestine. The blockage prevents the passage of food and may cut off the blood supply to these organs. Both are life-threatening conditions. Cat's that chew on power cords may be electrocuted. Additionally, many common houseplants are toxic to cats; chewing or eating these plants can cause a wide range of symptoms from drooling to death. If your cat has a history of ingesting non-food items and becomes lethargic, vomits, or displays other concerning behavior, take them to your veterinarian immediately.

Why Does My Cat Eat/Chew on Non-food Items?
No one knows exactly why some cats exhibit pica behavior. Because pica has been associated with a variety of diseases including feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, a veterinarian should examine any cat with pica. A genetic component is also suspected since wool or fabric sucking/chewing is more commonly found in Oriental breeds such as Siamese cats. Although it is normal for cats to eat small amounts of grass, consumption of large amounts of plant material may be an indication of a dietary deficiency or illness. Once medical causes are ruled out, behavioral reasons for pica can include boredom, attention-seeking, attractive odors, hunger, and learned behavior.

...please consider visiting the website for full details on how PICA is treated.

Answer 2

The name for this is "pica" - the voluntary ingestion of non-food items. Many cats like to lick plastic and one theory explaining this strange behavior is that the cat is attracted to the smell and taste of plastic which has petroleum and gelatin as ingredients. But this is just speculation - no one really knows why some cats develop pica (pronounced "pie-kuh"). The term pica is Italian for "magpie" a bird that eats anything. There have been several confirmed cases of anemic cats developing this penchant for eating non-edible things. You may want to get kitty checked out by the vet to rule out underlying medical problems. If there is no medical reason, then the problem is behavioral and presumably can be re-directed. Here you'll need to experiment. Hairball remedies that come in paste form is a good substitute for kitty's appetite for gelatin or petroleum jelly in plastic bags. Meantime, am afraid you'll just have to keep paper and plastic bags out of the cat's reach.

Answer 3

I just spent more than $4,000 to have a piece of plastic removed from my cat's intestines. And he spent two nights in the hospital, underwent an ultrasound, barium test, enema, and more. He was basically gutted by the surgeon, and had stitches for a week. He had to wear a collar around his neck so he couldn't get to the stitches.

Not fun. Scared yet? Do EVERYTHING you can to break this habit. Keep the garbage in a kitchen cabinet with kitty locks. Spray them in the face with water if they get into it--you have to catch them in the act. Buy some other scent they don't like and spray it all over the garbage. My cat hates mint; other cats supposedly don't like citrus. Make sure she has adequate nutrition in her diet. Maybe buy her some cat grass?

Answer 4

Kinnpenn is right. You just have to keep that stuff away from them. Buy a new trash can with a cover or keep the trash in a cabinet under the sink.

Feliway is NOT a repellant so don't waste your money on that. It is effective to relieve stress between or among cats and isn't appropriate for your situation.

Answer 5

In Zoe's ideas, your position is HER territory and she or he change into being protecting and shielding of it. The intruder even were given her instincts on extreme alert, so she grew to change into very frightened, what human beings call "wrestle or flight" emotions. She instinctively has decrease down on her nutrition so as that she will be a lean mean struggling with gadget if the different cat comes again! yet do not hassle, once she realizes that there is no danger, she'll pass again to her frequent uncomplicated.

Answer 6

omg i have a 7month and 4 month who do that ALL THE TIME
but i got them to stop!!!

basically everytime they chewed on paper and what not i sprayed them with water and smacked their side (not hard but enough so they understand its a bad nono) and the trash thing can be solved by spraying a citrus or rosemary scented spray on the outside of the trash. kitties hate that smell and thats also a good way of making them stop chewing power cords and scratching furniture. you can get the spray at all petsmart and petco and other major pet stores. so not only do the cats stop your trash smells good to you haha

also sometimes the sound of the paper ripping and and stuff is really fun for them. try getting toys that have a crunchy sound cuz it worked for me!!! they have toys made of safe plastic and plush toys with paper inside that makes the noise and is safe for your kitty!!!!!

i love the mouse shaped ones ^_^
good luck with everything!!!

Answer 7

Hi, The only thing I can think of to tell you is to cover the trash container up or move it to a location where the cats can't get in it.

Answer 8

Put hot salse on some of the items that she chews on and that you don't care about. You can also get a small spray bottle filled with water and squirt her every time you see her doing something wrong and do the firm "no" each time. Good luck. Both these have worked for me.

Answer 9

Kitten proof the trash is the first step.

If the kitten has one of the Oriental beeeds in her, it is part of their make-up to do this. Often it is related to stress. I have a (rescued) Burmese who does it. He bites pieces off cardboard boxes and spits the bits out. My spare room keeps gettig litters with bits of cardboard.
Let your kitten have her own piece of cardboard to rip up so you have a bit more control

Answer 10

Good luck. I have one who's almost 7 who enjoys paper, shoelaces, and other non-food items.