why does my cat chew on plastic grocery bags when she gets a chance??

Answer 1

Not a good plan. If she's swallowing any she can end up with a bowel obstruction.

Answer 2

Does she tend to do this just after she has eaten? My 12 year old male tabby does this after almost every meal. He is free fed dry food and he'll hunt for a plastic bag when he is done eating. He prefers grocery bags but will do garbage bags or whatever he can find. If I don't leave him access to a grocery bag he chews the plastic cover from under the box spring on our bed!!

The vet said this behavior may be him flossing his teeth, since bits of hard food may get stuck between them. Every so often if I grab the bag right after he is done I might see small trace amounts of food on it. He never actually pulls any plastic pieces off the bag so I am not concerned about him actually eating/swallowing the plastic. He just likes to punch his teeth through about a dozen times and then he's done.

I have two younger cats and they never chew on the plastic bags after eating. I have no clue how, where or why my older guy learned this but he has relatively healthy teeth for a 12 year old cat and it would be just cruel of me to try and change this behaviour now.

I think as long as your cat is not actually ripping pieces off and swallowing the plastic I wouldn't worry. Keep an eye on the litter box since plastic doesn't break down you might get a better idea if she's actually eating the plastic or not. Do your best to keep plastic away from her if she is. If she isn't actually eating the plastic, you will probably still want to keep the bags away from her as the noise it makes is very annoying (especially coming from under the bed at 3am!!).

Answer 3

My cat chews on a lot of things. Mail, the dog, paper, cardboard, me, magazines, plastic, etc. It's funny because he does this thing where he'll take something, like an envelope and chew all down the edge of it. Then he starts over. I was quite confused for a while. Then one day, I saw a bobcat on the Animal Planet and he was doing the same thing to a palm frond. They said cats do that to mark their territory. I don't know if it's right or not, but I'm just assuming my cat thinks he is a jungle cat and the whole house is his territory. It's been well-marked.


As a note, be careful your cat doesnt chew on anything she could choke on, that could hurt her mouth or that could hurt her if swallowed. As an example, I try to keep my kitty away from metal paper clips, soft plastic bits he might ingest and anything that might block his intestines.

Answer 4

My cats did the same thing. They would even get hold of the bread when it was left out and chew the bag up. I read on here that maybe she wanted some roughage and to buy some cat grass. I did and I have several pots of it all over my house. My cat does not chew the plastic any more. She may someday get bored with the grass, but right now my bathroom trash bag is in the trash can and in tact.

Answer 5

My Siamese is seriously into plastic - plastic bags, plastic film, plastic ANYTHING! One morning, to my horror, I found him with his head through the carry-hole of a Sainsburys bag!

It's the awful feel and appearance of the plastic item he's got hold of that really makes me squirm ... You always KNOW he's been 'at it' when you pick up your art portfolio, open it up, only to realise you have a 'fang-marked' indentation (just where you didn't want it!) plus, the whole material has turned into a half-dissolved, semi-solid resin ... with the tell-tale saliva still dripping!!! ... Yuck!

... Mind you, if he didn't do this sort of thing, how boring life would be!!!

Answer 6

Cats have a gift for amusing themselves.

I prefer to chew on paper grocery bags, myself.

I should try plastic

cats have more fun than I do

kinda cute question. Have a star

Answer 7

cats like to chew on and play with things for example my cat chews paper products( from paper to cardboard) ,jumps in boxes, attacks plastic bags, chews on plastic bags, and plays with and steals straws. cats just need to be entertained and they find things around the house to amuse themselves with. i guess you would say its kind of like a bored child, anything is entertaining.

Answer 8

My girl cat likes to chew on the edge of the shower curtain while I'm taking my shower. She's pretty silly.

Answer 9

Please don't give her the chance as she may end up suffocating if she gets inside. My cat does this too. It may be she likes the texture, the rustling sound or the aromas and tastes of the food that was in them. Chase her away or otherwise indicate your displeasure and she may eventually get the idea. Or she may be just like my cat and do whatever she pleases!

Answer 10

becareful tho. only cos its plastic.

my cat actually climbs in the plastic bags and sleeps, its quite funny because the first time she did it i didnt realise and i went to grab what ever was in the bag not realising it was her inside and she gave out this little sweet meow

Answer 11

Mmm, my cat has an odd obsession with plastic bags and rubber too.She loves to burst balloons and carry the popped rubber around with her.I think its the smell she likes.