Siamese cats and chewing

Question
Hi Jessica,
I read that Siamese cats tend to like to chew on wool.  Do you know if that extends to human hair?  My part-Siamese that I adopted will NOT stop licking and chewing on my hair.  I've had him well over a year and this is a fairly recent habit.  And no, I hadn't changed shampoo or hairspray brands when it started.  I have switched to other things, and they didn't seem to have any effect, good or bad, on the chewing.

He does this at any time . . . when I pick him up and he can reach my hair, when he walks by my head if I'm sitting on the couch, if I'm doing a search for cat toys under the bed, basically, if he can get to my hair, he starts to chew. He especially does this at night and I will wake up to him lying on the pillow, grooming me.  Which is why I want to be careful in how I break this habit of his . . . I know he's just trying to be loving or because he, for whatever reason, finds it comforting.  But besides from being annoying, sometimes he gets over-zealous and grabs with his teeth.  I don't want to worry about my future kids when he's around.  

I have tried (only a few times) to just close the bedroom door to keep him out of the bed, and he meows. . . loudly . . . constantly . . . on the other side of the door until I open it again.  The longest I've been able to stand it, he meowed once a second for an hour and a half before I opened the door (that's 5,400 meows, by the way).  He's just more stubborn than I am, I guess.

If you have seen this type of behavior, do you know of a way to make him understand that I do not want my hair to be chewed on?  It's not reasonable to go to bed with a water squirter, when he's lying on my pillow.  He has other toys to play with and chew on.  Saying "No," doesn't work.  I don't think I want to spray my hair down with bitter apple spray every night and get that stuff on my pillow (unless you think just a night or two would be enough).

Also, any tips for helping him relax once the bedroom door is closed would be wonderful.  My other cat figures, "oh well," and just finds a comfy spot to sleep.  I wish Sammy would follow suit!

Thank you,
Ragen

Answer
Hi, Ragen.  This behavior is called wool sucking, or wool chewing, which is a better term for the behavior.  It does extend to other materials, including human hair, man-made materials, plastic, rubber, and other odd objects.  

Wool sucking isn't well understood.  It appears to be linked to the breed - 70% of cases are Siamese or Siamese mixes, and many of the remainder are Tonkinese and other Oriental breeds.  Another thing that seems to be a common thread among wool suckers is anxiety.  One theory is that wool sucking is a displacement behavior that cats use to distract themselves from feelings of anxiety.

It makes sense, then, that Siamese would be predisposed to wool sucking, as recent studies are indicating that Siamese cats may be more likely than other breeds to have hereditary anxiety problems.

It also makes sense that anxiety would be the problem in your kitty's case due to the fact that he cries when you lock him out of the room.  This is a symptom of separation anxiety.  Since Siamese cats bond more closely with their humans than any other breed, they are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety.

Consulting an animal behaviorist may help.  They can give you insight as to why your cat feels the way he does and can give you exercises to practice to help relieve his anxiety.

There's also a product on the market called Feliway.  This is a synthetic cat pheromone.  Pheromones are hormones produced by animals that help to make the animal feel relaxed.  Feliway is very successful at relieving anxiety and subsequent behavioral problems, like overvocalization.  It comes in an easy to use plug-in diffuser, which is the one I use and recommend.  You can learn more and order at www.catcontrol.com, or purchase it at pet stores and through some vets.

Finally, some studies are showing that over half of all wool sucking cases may be cured by placing the cat on antianxiety medications, such as Prozac, Buspar, Clomicalm, and Valium.  I've used Prozac, and since it has no side effects, I have no problem recommending it.  Buspar, Clomicalm, and Valium can cause drowsiness, nausea, and rarely, liver problems, so I haven't used them in my cats.

Unfortunately, I don't know of an easy solution for dealing with cats suffering from anxiety.  One has to come to terms with the fact that it is not an easy situation.  Usually, ignoring a cat who's just trying to get his way by crying will curb the behavior pretty quickly (after a couple weeks of sleepless nights).  But in cases of anxiety, this usually doesn't work and may make things worse.  My best suggestion would be to consult a vet, and possibly, an animal behaviorist.

In the meantime, you could try to get creative about keeping him away from your hair.  Braiding might help if you have long hair, or wearing a beany on your head when you go to sleep could deter him.  I had a half Siamese that used to do the same thing.  I had to keep my hair in a bun during the day and cover my head with my pillow at night.  I know it's silly to think of, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  I'd skip the bitter apple.  It's usually not effective, anyway, and who knows what it would do to your hair!

Best wishes,
Jessica