she likes to lick plastic

Hi, I know I have already aired this topic under "behavior" but I want to see if I can get more opinions on it. My middle-aged calico girl, Julie, lately has really gotten into licking plastic objects, like shelves, chairs, plastic bags, etc. A couple of people have said that there might be some material in the plastic that she can smell or taste, like fish or something.

I try to put away plastic items, like bags, but I cannot always put my plastic storage bins or chairs out of her reach, and lately she is getting even more determined to lick these items whenever she can.

I have two concerns:

Is this an unhealthy thing for her to do? Could there be chemicals in ordinary household plastic objects that could harm her?

Secondly, could there be something lacking in her diet that makes her crave the taste of the plastic?

Any input would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Fairlady68, welcome to the Pet Talk board.

I have no information for you concerning your pet licking plastic. However, this morning my Jumper began to lick plastic on the monitor and printer. But I believe that he is doing that to tell me that he is hungry. Unless you have been around Jumper for a while, some of his antics may go unnoticed as having any meaning.

Is your Julie cat hungry, and does she not eat what she used to? Can you tell if there has been a change in her favorite foods?

.........wayne

Thanks, Wayne, for your welcome and your reply. No, there has not been a change in Julie's food, but I have wondered if she is maybe tired of her current dry food or not getting what she needs from it. I give her Senior Cat, I think it is Purina. Purple box with a pretty lady cuddling a cat pictured on the front. She also gets a touch of lactose-free milk most nights and a small can of salmon "senior cat" wet food about twice a month as an evening "treat". (It takes her 4-5 days to finish the can.)

The above seems to be the only food she really will eat consistently. If I change to something else, she usually shuns it after a few days of "oh, goodie, something new" excitement.

Thanks to anyone else who wishes to share input on this subject.

Cheers,

I am so glad that it's not just my cat who does this. Actually my cat will chew on the plastic also. His little teeth marks are on any bag that is left laying around.
I hope someone can tell us why they do this. It makes no sense to me.

Dear Fairlady

One of my cats Max has a similar problem. When he is hungry or is trying to catch our attention he eats the ends of plastic bags etc. It is very worrying i know. He sometimes is sick because of it.

Ingrid chews those flimsy plastic grocery bags--also the cellophane from a CD wrapper. But she mostly does the former to get my attention, because she knows that it annoys/concerns me. I know she likes the noise.

As for the cellophane--I can't tell what the attraction is. Maybe it tastes a little salty? I'm mostly afraid that if she tries to swallow it, it might choke her or mess up her tummy.:(