Cat eating and pooping plastic

[Mea]

My kitten is about 9mth old now.
And she has this habit of chewing and swallowing plastic.
We need plastic to line our bins and it's impossible to get rid of all plastic in the house.

She has started pooping outside the litter box... And I'm guessing this has to do with her having plastic in her poop!

I'm at a lose on what to do.

I'm also pretty sure this is the reason for her rather poor appetite.
She still eats, but not as much, compared to her brother.
She's a petite lil girl, but I'm still worried!

Help or suggestions anyone?

[Victoriax]

my male cat Teddy does this, I first realised when he pooped out a piece of bubble wrap!!!

any time there is plastic around he will seek it out & try to eat it, I have read that this can be due to a mineral deficiancy !!!

I keep all plastic safely stored away & if I come in with a plastic bag of shopping, I disgard of it as soon as I get in & have emptied the content's

we have plastic bin liner's but we have a lid on the bin so he is not able to get to that.

I would advise to keep ALL plastic out of reach of your cat - it is possible

if you are worried about appetite take your cat to see the vet.

[catloverami]

I agree you should keep all plastic away from this kitty. It's possible that if kitty ingests enough plastic it could cause an intestinal blockage and then you would be looking at a big $$$$ vet bill for surgery. If you're cat stops eating and is vomiting often, this is a vet emergency as she likely has a blockage. If her eating is off to the point that she's losing weight you need to take her to the vet to determine why.

[sarasaurusrex]

It sounds like your cat has pica, or an appetite for non-nutritive/edible substances. Many cats have this, particularly for plastic, my cat Molly included. She doesn't go as far as to tear off chunks and actually swallow it, but when she's hungry, she always licks plastic.

As mentioned above, this can become a serious problem if it causes an intestinal blockage. Even if it never gets that bad, it's still not good for her. Plastic has all sorts of chemicals in it that mimic our bodies hormones, and the same goes for our cats. This could lead to behavioral problems and other health issues like cancer later on.

Is she only eating the plastic from the litter box liners? If so, get rid of the litter box liners. I don't know what kind of litter box you use, but I'm sure it works just fine without the plastic liners. Also make sure that you don't leave any plastic bags lying around or any other types of thin plastic materials that she can easily chew and swallow.

I hope that helps!

[tgw]

Our Emily likes to chew and swallow plastic. When she does, which is not often since we keep her away from plastic) she throws it up like she would afur ball.

[lovetimesfour]

Many plastics have toxic things in them, since they are not meant to e eaten. I agree with the others. A vet trip now, and start being extra vigilant at keeping all plastic away from her. You will have to find a way to keep your garbage bins behind closed doors. It may be slightly inconvenient for you, but you'll get used to it.