I catch her chewing on plastic bags or pieces of wrappers. i dont think she's swallowing any of i sure if she's swallowing any of it but its become a nuisance. could this be sign of a problem?
Most PICA particularly with what she is eating is a behavioral thing. Kitties that eat things like litter or soil could be anemic but I think plastic is a behavior thing. I would be really careful about keeping things she likes to chew where she can't get at them. They can cause a blockage.
I've heard about quite a few cats licking or chewing plastic bags, and Mouse goes through phases of doing it too. Some talk of that relating to corn starch that is often used in their manufacture? Best being careful nothing is being eaten in case it causes blockages.
I discovered that my cat ate plastic when he ate a huge chunk of thick-ish plastic that comes on one of those 24-cases of wet cat food. I never knew before this that he would eat plastic. I had no idea that he had done this at first since I was not yet aware that he liked to eat plastic (strange), but he stopped eating and I took him to the vet to figure out why he was not eating. Later that same day, he pooped out a large piece of that very thick plastic. To this day I wonder how he got it down his throat without choking!! Horrors!!
Anyhow, to this day (about 12 years later), I continue to have a rule in my house that no type of plastic can be left out.
My cat, a Pixie Bob, eats plastic every chance he gets. He's also started chewing on fake plants as well now. My husband and I got him from a breeder when he was 3 months old and he is now 1.5 years. We keep all plastic bags hidden as well as other plastic material. However, he finds it, pukes it up, and we stare at it wondering what it's from. He is always indoors too, in an apartment. So therefore we can easily keep an eye on everything. My question is, how do I fix this?! He finds it maybe once every few months to the point of eating it and puking it up. We've picked up new toys that promote healthy chewing options, with catnip, but that doesn't do anything. Once he knows there's a plastic bag in a room that's closed (closet) he tries over and over to get at it. It seems like much more of a behavioral problem since it has started almost since we got him. Trust me, he is played with a lot for still being a kitten! I've read about fish oil being used in the production of plastic bags but can't find anything on actual fish oil supplements that are safe for male cats. Please, any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!
My male cat used to chew everything he could get into his mouth, including plastic. He seemed fine and we thought that was just him.
Fast-forward to February of this year when he started vomiting almost everything he ate. In trying to figure out what was wrong, we tried a variety of different medications, most of which made him sick to his stomach. One in particular made him very agitated and his chewing became even worse. As I have been adjusting his diet and seeing improvements in his health, he chews much, much less. I now believe he was chewing when he didn't/doesn't feel good.
I would say get your cat checked out. And watch her. Blood and urine tests and x-rays didn't uncover my cat's problem, though. It was only when I changed his diet and saw improvements that I realized my kitty may have been sick for a long time. But based on my experience, I don't think it's normal for cats to chew things.