When attempting to assess why your dog (or cat) may be engaging in this habit, consider the animal’s environment and lifestyle. Examining an animal’s environment and lifestyle Pica can even be a symptom of normal exploratory behavior. The causes of pica can be hard to determine, but can include gastrointestinal disease, anemia, liver disease, pancreatic disease, diseases causing excess appetite (such as diabetes), neurologic diseases, poor diet, being on medications such as prednisone, behavioral disorders such as anxiety, or a depraved home environment. Pica doesn’t include the ingestion of trash or feces, since the consumption of such things is often driven by different motivations. GI distress, oral pain and neurological issues can sometimes exacerbate pica and are best treated.The ingestion of non-food items, such as rocks, dirt or fabric, is called pica disorder and it’s a fairly common occurrence in pets. Your veterinary team is an important resource if you suspect your cat has pica. Providing cats with safe opportunities to lick and chew is key to having a happy and healthy cat. Although the Bristol Cat Study indicated that half the cats who had been reported with pica at 6 months were no longer chewing/ingesting things at 18 months, it is wise to monitor your cat for such behavior, even if it seems to have gone away.

Managing the cat with pica can be challenging.

Changes in the scent profile of the home?.

Have things changed in the home – furniture moved? Home remodeling?.

Are interactions with humans predictable?.

Do neighborhood cats come to the windows?.

How does the cat with pica get along with other pets in the household?.

Identify and reduce stress whenever possible. Stress can stimulate an increase in pica behaviors, especially as cats grow out of the kitten stage. Step four: reducing stress in the cat with pica Make sure to check the ASPCA site to make sure that the plants you choose are safe. Some varieties of ornamental grasses are non-toxic to cats. There is the grass sold at pet stores and seeds you can plant. If you try these, be sure to monitor the wear on them and be around to supervise your kitty with these.Ĭats are attracted to grass and like to chew on it. There is also a gum stimulator on the Catit Wellness Center that is designed to be chewed and sucked on. There are silicone toys that can be filled with catnip or silver vine (see the PetZone Boredom Buster dental chew toy). Some cats may like licking toys or balls made from compressed catnip. Licking appears to be calming and soothing to cats. The cat licks the food off much like a wild cat may lick meat off a bone. Slow-feeding mats are textured silicone mats that you spread canned food on. Food puzzles offer a natural cat behavior (foraging) as well as a snack. If “free-feeding” is not an option, frequent small meals will work. Try “free feeding” your cat with pica if possible.

We would like to provide Kitty with an outlet for her oral activities and provide something safe for her to interact with.

cats who moved to a new house when they were around year old were more likely to have pica.about half of the cats reported to have pica at 6 months did not show pica at 18-19 months of age.pica was most commonly reported at 6.5-7 months of age.plastics were the most commonly targeted material.About 25% of 2203 cats were reported to exhibit some pica behavior. These questions were repeated at 2-4 months, 6.5-7 months, 12.5-13 months, and finally at 18.5-19 months. These owners were asked whether or not their cats chewed (with or without ingesting) one or more of the following items: 1) woolen fabrics 2) other fabrics 3) plastics 4) other materials. To participate in the study, the owners had to own a kitten or kittens, 8-16 weeks old at the time of registration. The Bristol Cat Study (Animals 2021, 11(4), 1101 ) followed a group of cats for a little over 3 years. Have you had or do you have a cat who would eat anything – hair ties, ribbons, plastic – in addition to food? Have you experienced the anxiety waiting for your cat to pass whatever object you think he ate? It is not unheard of for cats to eat, chew or suck on non-food items.

Cure pica in cats