my cat eats material! Please help!

Hello there. This is my first time here. Here is the problem with my cat:

I always joke around that Zeke is more like a dog. He barks. He chews stuff (leather, books, etc. whatever he can wrap his mouth around) Well he also EATS MATERIAL! Literally, eats it. He takes my socks and chews HUGE holes in them! and then swallows the material! He's NOT hungry, I feed him plenty. He always eats as fast as he can. So I feed him twice a day only, the recommended amount. He weighs about 12 pounds and MIGHT be a little over weight. If I leave clothing folded on the dryer, he TAKES it drags it to the front door, and chews a hole in it. I left my closet door open and he dragged out a few socks from in there (I didn't realize that was where he had been getting them from lately) I had my duffel bag in there from since halloween and there were gym socks and halloween socks in there. So he has eaten them.

I try my hardest to keep them put away in the drawer or whatever. I can't leave ANYTHING out. He has been doing this for about a year. It started with my shoes about 3 years ago, (biting the leather) then went to books 2 years ago and then went to socks 1 year ago. I keep putting stuff away but now I can't even leave a book lying about because he will bite into it.

I have a cat Jordy, who has been with me for over 3 years. I got Jordy right after I got Zeke. No problems there. I just got a new kitten last week, but this has nothing to do with the new kitten as I've had her only one week and he's been doing this now for a few years. Nothing else different has happened. Same food, same litter, same everything. He does it when I'm here and when I'm not. Whenever he finds something, he eats it whether I'm sitting right here or not.

I checked one website (the only one I found that mentioned this) and it said "wool suckers" need to get their molars removed to aleviate the problem!! :eek: That is not an option for me!! It also said it wouldn't SOLVE the problem, he would still TRY to eat it, but he wouldn't be able to actually chew through it.....

About weaning: Zeke was FOUND at 3 weeks old. But he wasn't eating solid food yet, nor was he going to the bathroom on his own. (sorry if TMI: his butt had to be wiped using a wet washcloth) So he was bottle fed. When I got him a week later (4 weeks old) I continued to bottle feed him, even though he ate solid food for the first time, the day I got him. I continued to bottle feed him for *ahem* ANOTHER 8 weeks. LOL. I stopped when he did more chewing of the nipple than sucking. He tried to climb right into the bottle he was trying so hard. He was so darn cute. Unfortunately, I never got a picture of the bottle feeding events!!

By the way, he LOVES those little furry mice. He eats the tail off immediately (which the package says they will do and is normal) But Zeke continues by eating the fur off the mouse and then biting into the plastic part also and who knows if he swallows that or what!! I mean, he normally plays with each mouse for a month or longer before the whole thing is destroyed.

Please help!! Thanks!

Here's a couple pictures of Zeke, let's see if it works. :)

http://www.seemesmile.com/photos4/2471178a.jpg
http://www.seemesmile.com/photos4/2462257a.jpg


Alexis <><

All 4 of my cats eat things they shouldn't like sock fuzzies, dirt, my hair....there's nothing I really do about it, just try to keep my carpets lint-free. My orange female also destroys any toys in the house-she would if she could competely destroy those little mice too. For that I just make sure I am watching her when the toys are out.

My two year old Siamese Cross girlcat, Dinah Lee, also eats my socks, my husband's socks, the Pendleton wool throw (expensive!!!), and any sweater she can find. She prefers theme socks (Halloween, Christmas, Easter) to just plain socks. She has chewed the corners off all the polar fleece pillows. She is a raging nuisance and has cost us a bundle in destroyed garments, but I love her to distraction. If you find a cure for this compulsive behavior, please pass it on to your fellow sufferers. Happy New Year!

There must be something in particular in "theme" socks because Zeke seems to eat those the most. Of course, those are the kind I WEAR the most. Also the striped and polka dotted ones you get at target, he's gotten into those too, but they are the same type of material as the Christmas socks. Hmmm, he also has eaten 2 regular workout socks, different types, so maybe I'm not onto something....

I did read though, that this affects siamese breeds more than others. Unfortunately for me, Zeke has not a trace (that I can tell) of Siamese..... Just plain ol' orange tabby. :)

Alexis <><