English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

Our family has a cat who tears paper into tiny pieces with her teeth. Her behavior has recently gotten worse and last week she shredded my daughter's choir music and has slowly but surely been dismantling the cardboard cat scratchers we have around the house. We don't really know how to get this to stop and our main worry now is that she may be eating some of the paper (although she seems to be spitting most of it out). Does anyone know if paper shredding may be a dangerous habit that could cause her harm? Any ideas on how to get her to stop?

2007-11-22 21:33:29 · 11 answers · asked by Tea 6 in Pets Cats

11 answers

cats may shed paper because of anxiety. Did anything change around the house? Is there e alot of traffic in the home? Did you move furniture or have someone new added to the home? It may also just be a behavior quirk. Contrary to the old myths, she is not doing it because she lacks something in her diet or has worms,lol!

It can be dangerous for her if enough becomes lodged in her GI system, causing an obstruction or is the inks used on the paper are toxic and she eats enough (not as likely as the former). I know its hard, but try to keep all paper items out of her reach. Many times if you can do that you can break the bad habit and revert back to a normal lifestyle!

2007-11-22 22:06:33 · answer #1 · answered by dogwhisperer16 3 · 0 0

Hi
there is a cat behavior disorder caled Pica. It is when a cat chooses to chew or eat non food substances.
Eating paper probably won't harm her but it's not a god idea to keep doing it especailly as the paper may have inks on it that may upset stomachs etc.
The olny thing that can be done is to provide other distractions for the cat and keep them mentally occupied. Try to make their envronement more intereting and chalenging by providing varied toys nd climbing and scratching posts. Also they may require more interaction from their owners. Some cats need a lot of attention.
Best wishes

2007-11-23 00:07:02 · answer #2 · answered by Tracy T 3 · 0 0

If you think that she may actually be eating paper, then take her to the vet for a check up, as this can sometimes be a symptom of a dietary defficiency.

Pica, the name given to the craving to eat non-food items is most commonly seen in pregnant women, but cats can suffer from this too. Oriental breeds of cat, are more predisposed to developing this behaviour. Is your cat one of those breeds?

Eating strange things like paper, wool or cotton can also be a disorder of the cat's natural hunting behaviour which is to stalk, pounce, tear off feathers and skin, and eat. Not only does skin and feathers pass through the cat's stomach, but the cat has an instinct to do the tearing and plucking before swallowing. Some pet cats (particularly indoor only ones) get compulsive about this part of the predatory sequence - tearing off feathers and skin and swallowing it all. Since ordinary cat food gives no chance of tearing and ripping, the cat looks for this somewhere else. They will tear and rip and then eat - wool, cotton, paper, cardboard, wicker baskets, electric cables. Some cats go out and steal soft toys, bring them home and tearing them - imitating the whole hunting sequence with teddy-bear prey! The danger from eating wool etc., is that they will get an internal blockage.

The web article below has more information about this behaviour and suggestions on how to treat it.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html

It can also be a sign that she doesn't have enough to keep her occupied, so when you see her chewing something she shouldn't, try diverting her attention to toys. It is very important not to punish her when you catch her in the act, otherwise she may resort to doing it in secret when you are not around. Be sure to play plenty of games with her where she can practice her hunting skills. You can buy small toys that you hide dry food or treats inside, and having to spend time "foraging" for food might also keep her occupied.

Hope this helps.

2007-11-23 01:55:16 · answer #3 · answered by Michele the Louis Wain cat 7 · 2 1

If she swallows a large amount she might become sick.Or if she starts chewing it she might choke on it.

You can use a simple, non-harmful way to make her stop. get a spray bottle & fill it with water. Spray her when you catch her, it will startle her enough to make her stop. If you use it long enough you will probably only have to just show her the bottle to make her stop. Just make sure that you or anyone in your family sprays her when they catch her. It does work, trust me. I have a few new kittens they are about 5 months.
When I catch them trying to climb on my computer monitor, I spray them. I been doing it so long that when they see the bottle the automaticly stop what they are doing.

2007-11-22 22:06:43 · answer #4 · answered by Poe B 3 · 0 0

We can't hang calendars because my cat rips off pages with his teeth and eats some of it.

Getting her to stop may be hard but to be sure she doesn't eat important papers buy some edible, but terrible tasting, spray and spray most important papers with it (as long as it is colorless)

2007-11-22 21:43:24 · answer #5 · answered by dolphingirl_862003 2 · 0 0

my kitty used to do this to show her anger towards us...
sometimes she's just playing but mostly she will tear up paper and cardboard to show that she want something from us...
such as food, to play or just to ask us to gave back her toy..
because i like to tease her a lot..
she get more aggressive when when we try to put her in cage...
she'll bite and bend the metal cage...
and the cardboard box was the victim.... it doesnt look like a box after we put her in..
cage is just not for her so we let her out..
n she seldom tear up any paper after that...

try to get her a toy to play with rather than she choose what should be the toy..

2007-11-22 21:57:38 · answer #6 · answered by kachu_ina 2 · 0 0

Will it be a sign of fibre deficiency or just a behavoural problem ? Paper is made from wood , but ink maybe toxic.To stop this behaviour , teach her to catch mice and birds , she will get a balance diet.

2007-11-22 21:46:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

Sometimes cats do this to help them digest there other food they have already eaten or maybe she dosent like the food you are giving her? Check her diet! it could be the problem!

2007-11-22 21:44:27 · answer #8 · answered by MelWolf 2 · 0 1

they sell it at pets stores its this stuff that stinks and the pet wont eat or chew on anything anymore. it wont hurt her either

2007-11-22 23:20:41 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

mine does this to post,papers.but only spits out,so i would think your cat dont eat

2007-11-22 22:19:27 · answer #10 · answered by sky 7 · 0 1

fedest.com, questions and answers