Both Of My Cats Have Pica?

[BubsandAbs]

I'm worried about the health of both of my cats. They both seem to love eating non-foods, but they like to eat different types. Bubba likes to eat plastic, tinsel, tissue paper, and other paper products. One time he started chewing through a package of toilet paper, and another time I found him chomping on some napkins. Nothing bad has happened to him so far, and we try to keep these items out of his site.

But my other cat Abby seems to be the real problem. She loves eating hair. Cat hair, human hair, she loves eating it. She's not a long haired cat(and neither is Bubba), but if we're petting her and she starts to shed, she'll immediately start trying to eat any leftover hair. Not only that, but she tends to have a lot of anxiety. She is terrified of any strangers who comes over(will hide until they leave), and any weather changes freak her out. When she becomes anxious she will frantically groom herself, and then will go to our stairs and furniture and try to find any hair to eat. She does frequently vomit, and we always just assumed furballs. One day we bought a "anti-furball cat food" (mixed it in with the other food first) and thats when it really went downhill. She almost died. She immediately puked around 10 times the first day, and eventually stopped eating, drinking, and using the litter box. I had to convince the people in my house who could drive to take her to the vet. You know what they found? Huge globs of human hair. It was wrapped around her intestines and she needed surgery to get it out. Costed us thousands, but we lover her and it was worth it.

Is there any advice on how to help my cats with these issues? If it happens again, we won't have the money to fix it

 

[EmersonandEvie]

You will just have to be really cognizant about picking up/putting out of reach items that Bubba will eat. My own cats, though not as extreme, also eat non-food items. I can't have indoor plants because Emerson will chew the leaves. Everyone loves to eat hair ties. Dexter will chew on plastic bags. Cardboard boxes get shredded. It's a hassle, but it keeps them safe!

As far as Abby- poor baby! I'm not a vet, and you should definitely consult with one, but her overgrooming an hiding sound like extreme anxiety. There is medication for that as well, as well as over the counter products you could try that hopefully some other people will comment with (I've never used them myself). Vacuum as often as you can and put anything hairy (like a hairbrush) into a drawer where she can't access it.
As far as the cat fur- what are you feeding them? Sometimes, certain foods can make cats shed even more than usual, so she can eat more hair. You can try brushing her and Bubba daily to help with the amount of shed hair as well.

 

[daftcat75]

Bissell makes a handheld vacuum called the Pet Hair Eraser that is quite effective against hair and other dry pet messes (litter or dried food.)

Krista doesn't like brushing. I've tried traditional cat brushes, the Furminator, the Zoom Groom, the grooming glove, etc. One thing I tried with her that works very well is a nylon stocking (pantyhose.) I got a box of four pairs of knee highs and keep a knee high or two around wherever I like to sit. That way when she comes to me, I slip one over my hand and give her a few strokes. She thinks she's being petted and I come up with a stocking full of shedded hair. Now you're going to have to hand wash these and air dry them, or they just become hair treats for Abby.

Squigees for cleaning windows are very effective at pulling up hair from cat trees.

I recommend either making or buying egg yolk powder for Abby. If she is going to eat as much hair as she eats, the egg yolk will help in two ways. It has choline which will help with the contractions in the intestines that squeeze things on through. It has lecithin which will help dissolve fat that binds hair into balls.
How Best to Manage Hairballs

You may also want to add an extra meal for Abby. I think running food through her regularly (preferably wet food!) will help push the hair through her. A little plain pumpkin puree (or a cat food with added pumpkin) might help here too as it would act as both a fiber source (mechanical push) and an osmotic laxative (encourages moisture to be retained in the stools making them easier to pass, hair and all.)