Anyone else have a cat who licks plastic bags?

[Jayna78]

Just wondering if any of you have a cat like my Leo, who is obsessed with licking any plastic bag he can get to - he's the only one of our 4 who does it, but my mom's cat Belle also does it.

Does anyone know the root of this strange behavior? He doesn't seem to suffer any adverse health effects - when we give the other 3 treats, he doesn't eat them, but he certainly jumps at the chance to lick plastic - like that's a treat! :)

[smokey the elder]

Plastic bags are often covered with a trace of oil which has its origin in animal fat. Cats have sensitive noses and some think this stuff tastes really good! The amount is so small it can't hurt them. Make sure they don't eat the bag itself, though.

[Jayna78]

Now I know. I appreciate it - none of my cats likes to eat plastic bags, but the one loves to lick them, and it's good to be able to explain why.

[kaoK'okung]

my cat Shy doesn't lick plastic bags, she licks photographs, (couldn't figure out how my pictures had the little scratch marks), finally i caught her in act, now i hide all my pictures....can't be good for her...

[me me]

my cat eat's it. She is a pain in the cat's ass

[krazyaboutkatz]

Both Storm and Sunny will attack plastic bags and chew on them. Sunny ususally does it to get attention.

[smokey the elder]

Photographs have gelatin emulsion, also made from animal products. But the salts are poisonous so they shouldn't lick the pictures!

[ginagt]

My cat likes to lick plastic bags, pictures and tape. I doubt any of it is good for her so I make sure she can't get to any of those items. The tape issue is the hardest if you wrap a gift you can't leave it out or she will rip the tape off to eat/lick it.

[BastetsMum]

Bastet likes to lick plastic bags. She also likes to rub her nose over paint - she has already scraped off all the skin on her nose once from rubbing it against the doors!

[catmandu]

The Meezers,will lick,the plastic bags,if I have been bringing home,meat,or cheese,from the Farmers market,and the smell,lingers,on the bag,or if the AWA Toys,have been,in there.

[mkjacobs]

Yes, I have a 5 year old female calico...when she wants to drink running water from the sink (for a change)...or if it has been a few days since her taste buds have tasted some milk....she will remind me by licking on the first plastic bag she can find.

Once her thirst has been satisfied, she is okay and runs outside.

[kaoK'okung]

welcome to PT mk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....what is your cat's name??....that loves milk....(and licks plastic bags in milk's place...lol...)...

[LoudLou]

Little Miss Mocha Bean doesn't exactly "lick" plastic bags, but when we buy toilet paper in the plastic, we have to hide it... she likes to leave her Fang marks in the TP. Only if it's still in the plastic tho. :o :rolleyes:

[mkjacobs]

Hi,

For those of you wondering...

The name of my 5 yr old calico is .... tribble... in honor of the little furry creatures who love humans (in the original Star Trek series).

With a beautiful coat of fur and a purr that is louder than your average jackhammer...I could think of no other name.

[vince_n_laura]

Our "little princess kitty" (she thinks) loves to suck on bags. The worst part is when she seaks a bag into our bedroom and decides she wants to nurse on it all night long (crinkle crinkle slurp slurp) it gets old! We have switched to paper bags at the grocery store, but I think she has a secret stash of plastic somewhere because she still brings them in at night!

[kaoK'okung]

welcome to pet talk vince n laura!!!!!!!!!!!....crazy little kitty you have there, is there a name for the little princess???...maybe a pic???...lol...:D :D

[BigCharles]

The "Friskies" cats were in town over the weekend. They were one of the things at a large show that I attended. They had three shows on Saturday. The vet who hosted the performances stayed after each to do Q and A.

I was surprised how often that this question came up. It was always "my cat chews on ..." and then fill in the blanks. Grocery sacks, rubber bands, ribbons, extension cords :eek: :eek:

The vet said that her own cat is a grocery bag chewer. She defined this as a behavior "pica". It is just something that is particular to your cat. They furkids just latch onto one thing that they ador and just "go for it".

The only solution that she had was to "cat proof" the house. We have to be responsible for the creatures that we love.

It is reassuring to know that your cat is not crazy or defective. Just a cat. Of course have the cat checked for any medical conditions.

As to extension cords, line cords, mains cords, whatever you call the cord that carries electricity to your lights and appliances. She suggested deoderant. :confused: Yep. That stuff that you slap on under your arms in the morning. She said that they usually don't ingest any of it and that the smell or first nose touch is enough to back the cat away