How to differentiate between normal chewing/biting behavior and mild pica?

[gabicards]

Hi guys,

My cat likes to gnaw on things, such as plastic sticks that are part of his toys (his are full of teeth marks), carboard boxes (can also be found full of tiny little holes), and elastic strings that are attached to stuffed cat toys. I put his toys away after we play, but we've still had a couple of unfortunate accidents - he swallowed a feather once, and his vet got him to throw it up, and the other day he swallowed a part of a string that's attached to his toys (one end is tied to a plastic stick, the other to a stuffed rat, so he wouldn't have been able to actually swallow the string, but it seemed to have gone down his throat a little when I got him to stop chewing on it to put it away).

I've never felt like he was purposefully trying to eat any of these things, but now I'm wondering... would I be able to tell? I've assumed the gnawing behavior is normal, mainly because he has a couple of stuffed toys he likes to do it with while bunny kicking. When we play, he favors the things he can bite, like the plastic sticks. When he bites me, it's very very gently, and usually followed by some licking.

He has a clean bill of health from the vet, and I've read about cats having tongues that make them prone to accidental swallowing, which is why I've always been very careful about hair ties, for instance. Could these toy situations (the feather, the string) be attributed to that?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! How old is he?

 

[gabicards]

Hi! How old is he?

He is 1 year and 9 months old not teething, but this is something he's done since he was a kitten.

I should also add he gnawed on the window handle of my previous apartment, as well as on the plastic chairs. Both were full of tiny teeth marks. It's never anything soft unless it's a stuffed toy - as in, never a rug, or a blanket, or clothes. He also doesn't chew on charging cables, thankfully.

 

[Furballsmom]

Honestly, this sure sounds like pica.

Just to wonder out loud, what's his feeding schedule and amounts like?

His vet looked really closely at his teeth and mouth?

 

[Kris107]

I had a cat who when she was young chewed on everything. Cords, the couch, etc. I even got her some hard chew sticks. She was past teething. I ended up kind of thinking maybe it was kind of a stress/anxiety relief or something but maybe that was just her personality - not related to the chewing. She grew out of the chewing for the most part after a couple years of age. She would sometimes ingest toys. It was almost like she loved her toy so much it had to be a part of her. She only did it with her favorite toys that she absolutely loved. Or maybe it was her prey and it had to be eaten. So just watch your boy like a hawk. If you notice any missing pieces of toys, throw them away and find something else.

 

[gabicards]

Honestly, this sure sounds like pica.

Just to wonder out loud, what's his feeding schedule and amounts like?

His vet looked really closely at his teeth and mouth?

Aw, poor bb

He is fed 4x a day, home cooked meals. I don't notice that the gnawing on things happens when he's hungrier, to be honest... I have associated it with boredom in the past - like the chairs and window handle - but not hunger. For instance, the one time he swallowed a feather from his toy was about half an hour after he had had lunch.

I wouldn't associate the chewing of the plastic parts of his toys, specifically with boredom, though. It's like he just enjoys chewing on those things.

As for his teeth - the vet looked at them a few months ago, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[gabicards]

I had a cat who when she was young chewed on everything. Cords, the couch, etc. I even got her some hard chew sticks. She was past teething. I ended up kind of thinking maybe it was kind of a stress/anxiety relief or something but maybe that was just her personality - not related to the chewing. She grew out of the chewing for the most part after a couple years of age. She would sometimes ingest toys. It was almost like she loved her toy so much it had to be a part of her. She only did it with her favorite toys that she absolutely loved. Or maybe it was her prey and it had to be eaten. So just watch your boy like a hawk. If you notice any missing pieces of toys, throw them away and find something else.

I had a kitten that chewed on cords, it was a nightmare. I remember trying everything to get him to stop, but, if memory serves, he eventually just grew out of it, too. That kitten would bite me quite hard on occasion, too.

That's scary, what kinds of toys did she eat?

 

[Furballsmom]

home cooked meals

One more question and then I'll shush, but you have a recipe such as this from Alnutrin where you're sure you're getting all the required nutrients into him?
A Guide To A Balanced, Homemade Cat Food - Alnutrin Supplements

 

[gabicards]

One more question and then I'll shush, but you have a recipe such as this from Alnutrin where you're sure you're getting all the required nutrients into him?
A Guide To A Balanced, Homemade Cat Food - Alnutrin Supplements

No need to sush, I appreciate the discussion

I don't have a recipe from Alnutrin, mine is from cuisine-a-crocs.com and was prescribed by Topaz's vet. We will soon start transitioning him to another one by thelittlecarnivore.com, to switch the protein source. But yes, in theory, he should be getting all the necessary nutrients. For the new diet, the nutritionist wants to include iron supplementation, because she doesn't think that the meal completer used by cuisine-a-crocs has enough iron... but I'm a little concerned about the potential constipation this type of supplement can cause (speaking from actual experience, it's a nightmare).

 

[Furballsmom]

Is she talking about an actual supplement of some type, or just adding a little more blood, or wheat germ or such like that? How long was he on the old recipe, would he actually have become anemic?

Without a blood test by your vet, or even with one, I'm not 100% convinced it makes good nutritional sense to try to play make-up at this point, rather than just feeding the "normal" amount he'll be getting from the new recipe. Your vet might be able to provide more insight on that since from what I'm reading, this is a rather complicated issue.

You've probably seen this already, but this is from the little carnivore's site
Iron in a raw diet — The Little Carnivore

Iron deficiency anemia. From

In any case, you've pretty much eliminated any other options other than pica for your sweetie (I think, unless he actually is anemic, according to PetMD). (Anyway, going forward if this were me, I'd ask his vet to keep a sharp ongoing eye on those teeth and the rest of his mouth.)

Pica in Cats | PetMD

 

[gabicards]

Is she talking about an actual supplement of some type, or just adding a little more blood or wheat germ? Besides that, how long was he on the old recipe? I'm not sure it makes good nutritional sense to try to play make-up at this point, rather than just feeding the "normal" amount he'll be getting from the new recipe.

You've probably seen this already, but this is from the little carnivore's site
Iron in a raw diet — The Little Carnivore

Iron deficiency anemia.

She's talking about a chelated iron supplement from NOW Food. Using actual blood was an option she mentioned, but then she also said it wouldn't be ideal in this case because it means the diet would no longer have a single protein source (which we need). I asked about the potential constipation, she said it *could* happen, but that we should try.

I'm just terrified of trying to supplement something he might not even be deficient in at the moment and end up getting him obstipated or something. He poops every 3 days - no motility problem as far as the vets could tell from an ultrasound, surprisingly - and I've been told that's okay for cats on a homemade diet, but it seems pretty dry. Having had to take oral supplements of iron before, I just don't want him to go through the discomfort *I* did. I have several friends that supplemented iron and they all had the same problem, so it's not a rare side effect.

He's been on this recipe for about 2 months. We'll transition him out once the omega-3/6 supplement arrives, as we won't be using canola oil... the change is because of this: Fur under mouth looks slightly off

To be honest... I feel like I know in my heart most of Topaz's biting behavior is due to boredom. I'm just at a loss as to how else I can entertain him. I can't get another cat now, as it would be financially irresponsible of me, and I'm afraid of fostering because I know rescues could expose Topaz to parasites and bacteria that he, having never been outside, would not have been exposed to before.

Even if it is pica, I don't think it's life threatening as I'm always as careful as I can be. But I'll admit it makes me worry about the occasional need to leave him with a friend or something, if I need to travel (as I will in December). Not everyone is going to be as careful as I am. The friend that will keep him for 2 weeks at the end of the year has a cat that he knows and gets along with, though, so hopefully that will minimize the chances of him trying to gain attention or entertain himself in a dangerous way.

 

[gabicards]

In any case, you've pretty much eliminated any other options other than pica for your sweetie (I think, unless he actually is anemic, according to PetMD). (Anyway, going forward if this were me, I'd ask his vet to keep a sharp ongoing eye on those teeth and the rest of his mouth.)

Pica in Cats | PetMD

Will make sure the vet has another look when I take him in next month, thanks for the tip!

Now that I'm reading about pica, I've definitely made a mistake of not trying to stop this chewing behavior. I always just let him go for it when it's on his own toys... it hadn't occurred to me until this week that maybe this was an actual behavioral issue. I mean, he doesn't scratch anything other than his scratching posts, doesn't meow excessively, it's really just this. I'll try to redirect his attention from now on.

We just moved to a new apartment this week, after 6 months living with my friend and her dog, so he'll need to some time to get used to it as well. I intend to get him out on a leash once I feel he's more acclimated to the new environment... at least around the building. I'm scared of doing it outside bc I've seen too many morons letting their dogs walk around unleashed.

 

[Furballsmom]

he might not even be deficient in at the moment

I think you're right, --regarding the iron situation you'll definitely want to talk to your vet, and maybe do a blood draw so you can find out what is actually going on with him in that regard. From what I'm reading, this is a rather complicated issue, and I believe you're right to be so concerned. (If you can't get your vet to listen, you may need to change vets, and nutritionists since to me, she seems a little too ready to guess rather than test first).

By the way, there are a lot of other sources of iron, such as wheat germ, brewers yeast, even some greens etc. Take a look at that Iron Deficiency Anemia article I linked above when you have a chance.

I intend to get him out on a leash

The walks will definitely help to engage his mind

Would he use a cat wheel? Treats and wand type toys can get a cat started ... Also, would he benefit from clicker training?

Calming treats could help, maybe, and also Cat Music might be helpful as well.

 

[gabicards]

I think you're right, --regarding the iron situation you'll definitely want to talk to your vet, and maybe do a blood draw so you can find out what is actually going on with him in that regard. From what I'm reading, this is a rather complicated issue, and I believe you're right to be so concerned. (If you can't get your vet to listen, you may need to change vets, and nutritionists since to me, she seems a little too ready to guess rather than test first).

By the way, there are a lot of other sources of iron, such as wheat germ, brewers yeast, even some greens etc. Take a look at that Iron Deficiency Anemia article I linked above when you have a chance.


The walks will definitely help to engage his mind

Would he use a cat wheel? Treats and wand type toys can get a cat started ... Also, would he benefit from clicker training?

Calming treats could help, maybe, and also Cat Music might be helpful as well.

I need to change vets now anyway because I just moved and the previous ones are rather far. I will take him to a new one in September to check that all his vaccines and dewormers are up to date, and will discuss this then. I don't know whether 2 months in a home cooked diet would be enough for there to be a difference in his blood markers, though... might need to wait a bit?

I say that because he's done two full blood panels this year - the first one was prior to his hip surgery, and the second was when he was hospitalized due to an accident at home (involving my flatmate and a cleaning product). There was never anything off, and he stayed on the same diet until June. Another important detail is that he's always had this chewing habit, which means it would have been there even when his blood panel results were normal, and when he was eating the previous food.

I've been thinking about a cat wheel!! I'd love for him to exercise more and gain strength on his hind legs, but I can't be sure he'd use it. He's mildly active, I think... his play sessions never last long unless they involve a laser pointer, which I'm conservative with. In our previous building, we had gotten into a habit of going up and down the stairs together (I lived on the 4th floor). We haven't been able to do this in the new one yet because he's still acclimating to the new sounds.

 

[gabicards]

By the way, this is pretty much what Topaz does with his toys: DIY Cat Toys are the Best!

 

[Furballsmom]

I can't be sure he'd use it.

People have said that a couple favorite treats will help him to step on it, done a few times so he gets used to it, and then a wand style of toy or rope to tempt him, can get him to step forward thereby making the wheel move ...

Another important detail is that he's always had this chewing habit, which means it would have been there even when his blood panel results were normal, and when he was eating the previous food.

Good point. And true, I have no idea how slowly, or quickly, a animal that is actually anemic recuperates appropriate values/levels.

 

[gabicards]

Played with him a bit just now and here's the actual chewing behavior I'm talking about: IMG_8450.mp4

He'll bite wood toys, too. Other than those plastic chairs and the window handle in the previous apartment, I'd say he sticks to toys and the cardboard boxes I give him - he hasn't bit his current box, though, so no pics/videos of that.

 

[Furballsmom]

Wow, he's gorgeous!

This article states pretty definitely that if they're not eating what they are chewing, it is normal. I'm going to try and watch my crazy Captain and see what he does regarding any chewing on toys ...

Pica in Cats: What It Is, Common Causes, Tips for Treating It

 

[gabicards]

Wow, he's gorgeous!

This article states pretty definitely that if they're not eating what they are chewing, it is normal. I'm going to try and watch my crazy Captain and see what he does regarding any chewing on toys ...

Pica in Cats: What It Is, Common Causes, Tips for Treating It

I hope so! Like I said, I've never gotten the impression he was purposefully trying to eat anything - he doesn't try to take chunks out of his cardboard boxes, for instance. He just seems to like biting into things and I don't know to which extent it is normal.

I'm probably overthinking it. We've had a rough year I sent the video to his brazilian vet (I live in France, but often exchange messages with her as I find her to be really good - though we sadly don't agree about natural feeding x hypoallergenic dry food), and am curious to see what she will say.

Hopefully the instance where he ate the feather was accidental, as was the one where he seemed to have swallowed part of that toy string that I pulled out. It might have gotten tangled as he was chewing on it, who knows. I already am careful as it is, so it's not like anything else can be done about it, but was genuinely curious about what other people might think of his case.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Honestly it looks like normal chewing behavior.. does he try to eat everything he chews on or just chews a lot on things? If he has been doing this for a long time and has only swallowed 2 things I wouldn't think it is pica but I don't know. My girl has chewed on this rope that hangs from her cat tree to the point of it being completely frayed now. And it is that real rough braided type rope.
Attached is a new one and one she has completely chewed and chomped on. She did that much "damage" in about a month she doesn't chew on it often but when she does she goes at it.
She chews on it to unbraid it little by little then starts chomping it to make it fray lol