Cat randomly chewing on plastic

[TY78910]

Random one!

Noticed my cat chewing on plastic (soft like bags and packaging). Saw it a couple of weeks back and thought how odd and happened once yesterday and once today (the plastic you peel off those snack watermelon fingers from Tesco... DC had one yesterday and today and obviously left the rubbish).

The first one I put down to maybe him being intrigued by the smell / taste of watermelon and he was trying it and now as it's happened the second time it's odd. Not just licking either, chewing.

So question is: obviously I did a little google and it's one of those 'go to vet urgently' situations but is it actually? Thanks!

Mine eats plastic, the soft stuff especially
He will go in my bag and drag out a plastic bag from a blood test form, eat carrier bags, rip open sweets packets...
It's not unusual, I seem to remember there's a reason because of what it's made of

Our cat does this. The vet said it is a fetish, and they enjoy the feel in their mouths. He said you can’t ever stop it, but just try to keep plastic out of reach. And if they eat any long bits of plastic ribbon or tinsel or anything never ever try and pull it out of them if they’ve partially pooed it out.

One of my cats used to lick plastic carrier bags. Someone told me it's because the bags are made from something from fish waste, not sure if that's true.

This sums it up

Hahahahahhahahhahaa

Thanks all!!! I didn't know if he actually wanted to eat it as I've always intercepted but he was definitely chomping on it 😂

I frequently had to chase one of my late girls around to retrieve quality street wrappers out of her mouth. It took me ages to realise she was deliberately knocking over the bedroom waste paper basket to get them out. She wast the brightest. So I was astounded by her intelligence. 😂

One of my cats was a plastic addict. I found her choking once and, whilst getting my skin torn to shred, I eventually managed to somehow fish a piece of plastic from the back of her throat. She then tried to grab it from my hand and eat it again. She wasn't the brightest of cats.

Haha plastic addicts!
Our cat kept picking out used cotton bud sticks out of the bathroom bins and chasing them all around the house 🤮🤮

My Ragdoll has the same fetish. PICA the vet called it. I have to secure the bread bags! Keep an eye on them whilst it's amusing. the vet had operated on one cat 4 times due to plastic getting stuck.

My cat loves attacking and chewing electric cables!! Think he has a death wish.
I don't know how common this is? He doesn't seem.interested in plastic as yet...
We switch off all plug sockets overnight and hide cables, but several are chewed, he pounces on them and springs back on all fours!
We did mention it to the vet, he asked if he had toys!! He has plenty, but prefers cables.

Very common. My cat is obsessed with all things plastic. Must have chewed some Christmas morning then proceeded to vomit 6 times. Thankfully seemed fine after, ate her food and went to sleep.
That's what I love about cats, they are very sensible when it comes to their health. If it's not meant to be there, they'll usually manage to purge. Unlike dogs who will keep eating despite having a stomach full of balls or socks.
I do try to limit access but not easy when everything is covered in bloody plastic.

TempCat likes plastic but it must be sticky. Sellotape, packing tape, those plastic bags with self adhesive sealing strips.

Any Amazon/delivery box is a prime target for having the tape peeled off in teeny strips. If I'm leaving him the box to play in (what cat doesn't love a box) then I have to make sure there are no loose dangly bits he can get his teeth into or pick at to get underneath. Last year the decorators used that masking tape for edges when painting. Left some of it down around some skirting boards, found it next morning pulled off and chewed up in soggy lumps.

Also likes bubble wrap, rubbery stuff and leather. Absolute menace.