My cat eats plastic

[Spideycat69]

Hi. First time here. My cat Max is 5 years old and he's always chewed up wires and cell phone cords and loves plastic - bags, wrappings on products, candy bags, even chewed up my shower curtain which now rests on the shower rod out of reach. I do my best to keep plastic out of reach but he's a sneak and fast. He chewed the handle of plastic grocery bag in two in the time it took me to make three trips in from garage. He does vomit up most of the plastic. He also vomits up food and food with hairballs on a weekly basis. What causes this behavior and should i be more concerned?

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I would be concerned about Max ingesting any plastic items. Here are two threads with the same issue that may have some helpful information for you:
Does Your Cat Eat Weird Things? Should I Be Concerned?
Why do cats like plastic bags?

And an Article that discusses how to treat hairballs: How To Treat – And Prevent – Hairballs In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[KittyJ]

It sounds like pica. Pica is a syndrome that urges cats to eat things like plastic. Here's another link: What is Pica Syndrome in Cats? | Petcetera Animal Clinic. I suggest a trip to the vet.

 

[fionasmom]

If plastic extended to rubber type objects like superballs, those are know to disintegrate in an animals stomach or intestinal tract and adhere to it, necessitating surgery. It cannot be passed or vomited. Try to break him of this habit.

 

[LTS3]

If the vet rules out pica and other behavioral issues, your cat may be simply bored. How often do you play with your cat? Have you tried new interactive toys, maybe a bird feeder attached to the outside of the window?

Do your best to keep plastic and other chewables out of reach. Put all food behind cabinet doors, use trash cans with secure lids, use cord protectors on cables and wires.

Vomiting up food and hairballs often is not normal. The vet can do blood work and other tests to check for any underlying issues. Elevating the food bowl and / or using a slow feeder may help. Hairballs can be treated with hairball gel or by giving egg yolk lecithin, How Best to Manage Hairballs

What brand of food are you feeding your cat? Sometimes an ingredient in food doesn't agree with a cat's tummy and that causes a cat to vomit.

 

[Micaela227]

Hi! Have you had this cat for long now? When I got Brian he was around 6 months old and he would try to eat any kind of paper he came across. We rescued him from a paper warehouse/storage place, and we think they had him there so he would take care of the mice problem. I don't think they feed him anything else. So he kept trying to chew on any paper he found even if he knew he always had food available. He is almost four now, and he doesn't do it anymore, but it took a while to go away, a couple of years at least.
Plastic is definitely more dangerous though. But maybe he had a similar experience?