Eating things she shouldn't

Rosepud

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My cat has started eating things she shouldn't, the first time was today she ate a part of a cardboard milk carton, and then part of a shoelace while I was out. She has been destructive and chewed up several things including cords, socks, cardboard boxes and one of those microwavable hot packs we got for her that has rice in it, and she did eat some of the rice out of it. Any idea of why she might be doing this and how we can prevent this type of behavior, or do we just have to monitor her well, and remove all possible items she might destroy. She generally chews on cardboard, she got the milk carton out of the recycle since she knows how to open the cabinet it's in, but today was the first time she ate something rather than just chewing on it followed by the shoe lace. She puked up the shoe lace and has seen the vet and is fine, just wondering what could be causing this.
 

mwallace056

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Is it possible she's bored? Tucker used to chew on cardboard when he was bored. So maybe try playing with her more or hanging up a bird feeder outside a window?
 

neely

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She puked up the shoe lace and has seen the vet and is fine, just wondering what could be causing this.
Did you ask the vet this question? If so, what did he/she say?

Many of our cats have eaten or nibbled on unusual things but our last cat had a penchant for weird and peculiar items. She was extremely mischievous, curious and smart. Is it possible your cat eats these things because she's bored?

Here is an Article about problem chewing in cats that may be helpful:
 
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Rosepud

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Is it possible she's bored? Tucker used to chew on cardboard when he was bored. So maybe try playing with her more or hanging up a bird feeder outside a window?
I've got 3 bird feeders, and she never does it when we're home we just come home to it, and we have automatic toys and we try to play with her a lot, and we're planning on getting another cat to hopefully keep her entertained but I'm not sure what else can be done.
 
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Rosepud

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Did you ask the vet this question? If so, what did he/she say?

Many of our cats have eaten or nibbled on unusual things but our last cat had a penchant for weird and peculiar items. She was extremely mischievous, curious and smart. Is it possible your cat eats these things because she's bored?

Here is an Article about problem chewing in cats that may be helpful:
I did ask the vet, and they didn't really know she's recently had blood work like less than 3 weeks ago so they know it's not a deficiency causing it at least, they said since it's the first time she's eaten something they don't really know.
 
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Rosepud

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I looked at the article, it could be that she's just bored she's going to be 3 and she's used to having other cats around and playing with them but we don't have anyone to play with her, and the toy she likes the cat dancer she'll also rip apart because it's cardboard, she really enjoys her treat ball though but she gets the treats out very quickly or gets bored with it as well.
 

neely

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Have you read the Article I posted yet? It really has some good advice. For example, it mentions that chewing can provide a form of stress relief for some cats especially if they're bored. Please check out the Article when you have a chance. BTW, how old is she?
 
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Rosepud

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Have you read the Article I posted yet? It really has some good advice. For example, it mentions that chewing can provide a form of stress relief for some cats especially if they're bored. Please check out the Article when you have a chance. BTW, how old is she?
I did read the article, she doesn't seem stressed other than chewing, my bet would be boredom because it's always when we're not here unless it's stress from being alone. She's going to be 3 in December so it's not teething, and the chewing is slowly getting worse, and we've only had her for about 5 months but I would think if it was stress it would be getting better rather than worse since she's settling into life with us. The only other thing I can think of is she used to eat primarily dry food, and almost always had food available, but we only feed wet food so she only gets meals 2 times a day and then treats and occasionally a broth about 4 times a day.
 

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It was a little difficult to tell from your post but did she actually eat the cardboard or was it only the shoelace that she she swallowed? The reason I ask is that stringy objects like shoelaces can get pulled into a cat’s mouth by their barbed tongues and since they are unable to spit them out they get swallowed. Cardboard and paper, on the other hand are usually chewed and spit out. It just seems to be something that cats find enjoyable. I have had many cardboard chewers but none ate the cardboard. So while it was messy, it wasn’t really harmful.
 
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Rosepud

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It was a little difficult to tell from your post but did she actually eat the cardboard or was it only the shoelace that she she swallowed? The reason I ask is that stringy objects like shoelaces can get pulled into a cat’s mouth by their barbed tongues and since they are unable to spit them out they get swallowed. Cardboard and paper, on the other hand are usually chewed and spit out. It just seems to be something that cats find enjoyable. I have had many cardboard chewers but none ate the cardboard. So while it was messy, it wasn’t really harmful.
Today she actually ate some it may have been accidental, but it was from a milk carton, there were pieces of it in her vomit with the shoelace.
 

susanm9006

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I would talk with your vet about it. She is a bit young to have dental issues but definitely not too young for a teeth cleaning and check. And if she were mine I would try adding some kibble and reducing her wet some . If she grew up on kibble she just may miss that chewing. The other thing you could try is giving her a cardboard box and watching to see if she is actually trying to eat it or just pulling off pieces.
 
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Rosepud

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I would talk with your vet about it. She is a bit young to have dental issues but definitely not too young for a teeth cleaning and check. And if she were mine I would try adding some kibble and reducing her wet some . If she grew up on kibble she just may miss that chewing. The other thing you could try is giving her a cardboard box and watching to see if she is actually trying to eat it or just pulling off pieces.
She just had her teeth checked and they're all perfect, that was done with the blood work and urinalysis less than a month ago, we've given her cardboard boxes to chew on and she enjoys it and hasn't eaten them, I think it may be that the milk carton still smelled vaguely of milk despite being rinsed. I lost my cat before to blockages and kidney problems so dry food is a no go for me, but she does get crunchy treats and things, but I think it might just be boredom. Again she doesn't do it when we're home so she could also be lonely.
 
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