Cat who chews/eats plastic

Question
My cat, Cameron, is a 2 1/2 year old neutered female tabby who stays indoors (and has a kitty companion).  She is obsessed with chewing plastic, mostly the kind shopping bags are made of, and she also sometimes eats it.  She has vomited it up at least once.  The problem is compounded by the fact that my husband is is a pack rat who hoards things, so this plastic is easily accessible to Cameron.  Is there anything we can do to stop this behavior?

Answer
Tracy,

PICA is the voluntary ingestion of non-edible items/materials, and accounts for approximately 2.5% of abnormal cat behaviors. It is a serious behavior that can have deadly consequences! If a piece of plastic bag (0r other non-edible item) gets stuck in your cat's stomach or intestines, it can cause a blockage and/or cut off the blood supply to both organs which could be potentially fatal. The cause of Pica is not known, although mineral deficiencies, or psychological disturbances are often blamed. Too, this behavior could  be a sign of an underlying medical problem, or it could be triggered by boredom.

An attraction to plastic bags is a common behavior problem. Why cats like plastic is not known, though there are several theories. Some people speculate that cats like the coolness of the plastic, the texture on their tongue, or the sound it makes when they lick it. The most logical theory is that cats like licking or eating plastic bags because rendered animal fat (tallow# is used in the manufacture of some plastic bags, and that there are cats who can detect the smell and/or they enjoy the taste. Other variations of this explanation have said petroleum products and gelatin are the attracting ingredients (gelatin is used in the manufacture of many items including the emulsion used in photographs, which some cats also like to lick).

Here is a link to more information about Pica:
#copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar#
http://www.petplace.com/cats/pica-in-cats/page1.aspx

Play with the cat more, and get her more cat toys, like little white furry stuffed mice. Get a pet laser light #from PetSmart/Petco/etc.). It is good interactive play and burns off some excess energy in the cat. Put ping pong balls in the bathtub, get a cat tree where she can look out a window, get an aquarium with fish or a cage with gerbils for her to watch. These things will help any issues with boredom, and keep her mind off of eating plastic bags. You can distract her with food too.

You should have your cat examined by a vet to check for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies she may have that could be causing her behavior.  She can also be given medication  that will curb her behavior. You can speak to your vet about the possibility or need for it.

Reminder: if your cat shows any kind of abdominal distress, pain, or discomfort, she needs to be seen by the vet right away because a blockage caused by ingesting the plastic could, and probably will be, be life-threatening.

It may be inconvenient because of your husband's hoarding habit, but you really need to keep plastic bags out of the reach of your cat. Sometimes you need to make concessions when you have animals, and this is one that could save your cat's life and/or a lot of expensive surgery and vet bills.

I hope this has been helpful.

Tabbi