can I stop my cat from eating plastic bags

[TerrorAustralis]

I have two cats and one eats plastic carrier bags. We try not to leave them lying around, but if one is left for even a few minutes she starts chewing on it. If a plastic bin liner is even slightly protruding from the bin she will get stuck in.

I'm worried about the potential toxicity of ingesting plastic, and yesterday she vomited up a piece of plastic about an inch square, so I'm also worried about the potential choking hazard.

Vomiting doesn't discourage her, as we discovered at Christmas when both cats repeatedly ate pine needles off the Christmas tree and vomited them back up.

Does anyone have any tips to stop her eating plastic??

[Toddlerteaplease]

One of mine is the same. She loves plastic. She got hold of a plastic strip off one of those posting bags the other day and was trying her best to eat it. I chased her round the house and finally managed to snatch it off her. (Covered in slobber!) nothing to suggest apart from being very careful where you put plastic.

[Safyre]

Same problem here. Nothing puts him off, including an extensive operation to have an 8 in long strip of plastic removed from his digestive system. We are generally very careful of leaving plastic lying around, and alert for suspicious rustling noises!

[Allergictoironing]

Google feline Pica - it's a well known eating disorder in cats, especially in orientals. There's no cure as such, but quite a few coping mechanisms you can try.

One of my DSil's Burmese had it to a lesser degree especially for wool, she would stand up after an evening on the sofa to find a large hole in the cardigan she was wearing at the time! Then there was the time the cat ate her way through the top layer of the radiator hammock, fell through & got stuck...

[TerrorAustralis]

Seems like there's not much to be done then. They really are the dumbest cats I have ever lived with.

I'm not sure about the genetic thing. They're Singaporean street cats (as opposed to Singapuras) so not Orientals by breeding definitions, although they are from the Orient. It's possible the early weaning thing could be an issue because they were both rescue cats. The non-plastic eating cat likes to lick, which I am sure is a sign he was weaned too early.

We shall continue to hide plastic and keep an ear out for suspicious rustling!

[msrisotto]

My moggy does this too. I also have to hide any rubber gloves, squishy shoe cushions etc anything rubber. She loves it and will chase it round the house endlessly.

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Our old LandingCat did this (licked and chewed plastic bags rather than ingested - although I'm sure if the bags hadn't been whipped away he'd have ended up eating them.) He wasn't weaned early (we still had his mum, well into adulthood), he was just odd. All we could do was keep plastic out of reach. Not much help, I'm afraid, sorry.

[Toddlerteaplease]

One of my Persians loves the plastic covers we put on themometers at work. (I'm a nurse) I usually come home with a pocket full. She sits there meowing loudly when she's 'caught' one and knocks the waste paper bin to get them out. I couldn't believe it the first time she did it coz she's not the brightest feline specimen. Her sister is even dumber!!

[Threetoedsloth]

My beautiful Birman girl is a prodigious wool (primarily) muncher. We do our very best to hide everything from her but she snuffles out goodies now and then. I have lost count of the socks and scarves and jumpers and blankets (waaaaaaaaaaaaah lovely White Company accent ones)she's ruined.

[prokupatuskrakedatus]

Felix and Sev - both ordinary cats and properly weaned - have (had in Felix case) a thing for all things rubbery.

I once spent a week examining cat poo because Felix ate a toy soft rubber dragon. Luckily it came out again - in a number of hardened colorful bits.

We now have a rubber band box with a tight lid and no rubbery toys.

[abbsismyhero]

one cat had a thing for the strips of sparkly tinsel off the Christmas tree (laminata?) he ate it pooped it came out with poo hanging off it but not all of it came out so the little bastard started running around my house with poo attached to his but while i chased him with a pack of baby-wipes

i never used it again

[RubbishMantra]

"in a number of hardened colorful bits"

My Little Monsier, a Devon Rex has a thing for sheepskin. He attacks it quite violently, resulting in me chasing him about the house trying to pull it out of his mouth before he swallows it. He usually wins. He looks like a sheepskin rug himself, with his curly locks.