What is it with bags??

[Bunny]

I seem to be having a serious problem with my cat Ripley. She is just over 2 years old and ever since I brought her home two years ago, she continually eats bags.

She will take any kind of plastic bag she can find and chew on it until she rips off pieces and swallows them.

We have to be very careful where we leave bags because we don't want her to be chewing them.

I am really worried that one day, she will eat a piece of bag that she does not throw up and she will get it caught in her internal system somewhere and possibly die.

Does any of your cats do this, and what kind of advice do you have for me, if any.

Thanks!!

[wolflady]

Hi Bunny and welcome to Pet Talk!! You will find a lot of friendly and helpful people here. Now, I don't know how helpful I can be with this situation, but someone else may have some ideas for you as well.
It is very strange, isn't it? You are definitely right-on to be concerned about this though. Those plastic bags can be a danger if swallowed.
How is her diet? What type of cat food are you feeding Ripley? Cats can resort to eating strange things (pica) if they are lacking something (usually essential nutrients) in their diet.
What is your cat's background before you adopted her? There could be many reasons that would cause pica with your cat. It could be a behavior problem(anxiety or frustration), a food problem, play behavior or possibly an attention-getting mechanism.
Try keeping the plastic bags away from her(I know...this can be tricky. Cats have a way of finding things! LOL).
You could keep a can filled with pennies and shake it everytime you catch her eating/licking the plastic bags. This will teach her that it is not a good thing to do.
Let us know how your little bag-chewer is doing, and a little more background info would be great! Give your cutie some scritches for me and good luck!
**hugs**
Karen

[jenluckenbach]

Hi Bunny, and welcome. I don't know why they like to eat plastic either, but they sure do. Try to find out which type of toy she likes the best to chew on to keep her mind off of those plastic bags.

[hellostranger]

Hi Bunny and Ripley! Welcome to PT! Like everybody else so far, I have no idea why some cats have a mysterious attraction to plastic. I was actually surfing around some pet sites yesterday and found this from a vet:

".... It is a common problem that I see all the time, and one that I myself battle with my cat Shea. You cannot imagine how many times I have had to go in surgically to remove plastic from a cat's stomach/intestines (one memorable time I removed a handful of plastic Easter grass from a cat's stomach - four months after Easter!!) She is not lacking anything in her diet, she is not unusual, she is not sick. She is a cat, and that is about the best explanation that I can give. As to how to stop it, a couple of suggestions. First, this could be a boredom problem. Give her some other toys to play with, or maybe even another cat as companionship. Secondly, and most important, cat-proof your house."

OK, so it doesn't really tell you anything you didn't already know, but it's always nice to know you aren't alone!

Laura

[BastetsMum]

Hi Welcome to pettalk. I use a water pistol with white vinegar in it to stop Bastet from doing naughty stuff. Cats hate vinegar!

Also I agree with Wolflady - check her diet - she might be lacking in something but also check her teeth! A previous cat I lived with started chewing plastic bags - found out his teeth were annoying him - I never found out mind you what the tooth problem was. Cats will chew though - is it possible to change from plastic bags to brown paper bags or even boxes until you work out why she is doing this?

[JillLovesMinnie14yrs]

I have the coolest remedy. Your local petstore. In New England where I live the local pets shops sell these "kitty crinkly" bags made out of cloth, and sewed inside is the sound of a plastic bag. It crinkles and feels like one, except its made of soft, safe, cloth and catnip. It is only 12 dollars and well worth it!!

[wayne0214]

Welcome to Pet Talk, Bunny.

As far as a cat actually eating plastic bags, it is like the others have said, I'd check Ripley's diet, to make sure that she is getting all the nutrients that she needs. It could be that she likes the "crakly" sound from them. Personally, I feed my furkids with dry food left out all day, so they can eat whenever they are hungry. Also, in the mornings after I get up, I feed them dry with some canned mixed in. This way I am sure that each one gets fed properly. Subsequently, I have no problems with any of them eating things they are not supposed to -even plastic grocery bags. I have 2 cats that have to be fed separate from the others, otherwise, Amy will not eat anything and Tiger will barf up what ever meal the others have eaten. Also, for a deterrent, you could spray any plastic bags you have stored away with cologne -cats hate it. I hope this helps.

...........wayne

[Bunny]

Her diet seems to be pretty good. We do not change her brand of food at all so that can't be it.

We feed both of our cats Friskies. We keep a full bowl of dry stuff for them to snack on throughout the day and we feed them a little soft stuff first thing in the morning and at dinnertime.

We never deviate from this diet and they both are doing very well with it, it seems like.

Both cats seem to really enjoy the crunchies and they both eat the same things. However, my cat Gizmo does not eat bags, he will only play with them.

I can't spray Ripley with water because she likes it and she loves things that are noisy so I can't use a jar with pennies because she thinks it it something to play with!!

I will continue to try to keep bags away from her but it isn't that easy.

Her teeth are also really good. They are still pearly white and if she was having problems with them, she would not be eating the crunchies.

I don't know , but I will keep an eye on her as always!!

Bunny

[BastetsMum]

I would definately change their diet. Dry food only gives them a certain amount of good nutrients. I alternate dry, wet and meat with Bastet. That seems to stop any chewing problems she may have. Also cats hate vinegar! Put diluted vinegar in a water pistol. Should work!

[smokey the elder]

The plastic used in plastic bags has an additive in it which makes the plastic easier to process. This additive is often derived from animal or vegetable fat. A cat may smell this and think of this as "food". She may be craving fat, or may just be being... a cat!

[wayne0214]

smokey, When I cook bacon in the microwave, it always leaves a little grease. I gave this to my furkids but the only one that would even touch and lap it up was Tiger. The others did not like the stuff. Tiger is also the one with the dietary problems, so that I have to feed her separately from the others.

........wayne

[rbrowne222]

Bunny, cats do weird things...that's what makes them cats!

My cat likes to chew on anything that crinkles...she has confiscated cellophane-wrapped peppermints and eaten them on several occasions...and some of the wrapper was gone as well. As long as your vet sees her regularly and knows what's up with your furkid, it sounds like you're doing the best thing you can do. And think positive...cats LOVE to make a liar out of you...now that you've said she eats plastic bags, she'll probably stop!!

Sonsy's Mom Rosemary

[dragonchilde]

I have this EXACT same problem with wobbles. We just moved recently, and her habit of chewing on and eating bags moved with her. She isn't bored; we play with her constantly, and she stays in our bedroom with us. (we live with my mother, and spend 99% of our time in the bedroom, and Nathan doesn't work, so there's usually someone here).

They're on Nutro Complete, the really expensive premium food, so the diet isn't the problem. (Ours don't, and won't, get wet food. If we give it to them, they won't eat the dry for weeks, even if we give them nothing else)

There's a bag in our room full of clothes...she's completely torn off one corner! She'll sit there, chew on the bag, and DARE us to stop her. Of course, we do. She's a little stinker. Any other suggestions?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to Pet Talk Bunny. I'm sure you'll love it here. My cat Storm loves to chew on anything that is plastic. He usually does this to get my attention. He has two brothers to play with but I guess this just isn't enough for him. He's a very social cat and loves to be around people all day. I sometimes think that he's really a dog that is trapped in a cats body. I just try to keep all plastic things hidden away. He also likes to chew on tags. He even chewed on the tag on my computer cord. I'm so glad that I was home because it was wrapped around his tongue. Cats are just like kids. They get into everything that isn't hidden away. Good luck Bunny, Dragonchilde, and everyone else who has a plastic bag problem with their cats.