Do any of your cat's have pica?

[Rocky_Raccoon]

I feel like Rocky has pica because he tends to chew on inanimate objects like wooden chairs, knobs, cords, etc. I read that cat's who have Siamese in them, they tend to have Pica. Rocky's mother is half blue lynx Siamese and half Ragdoll, so it makes sense as to why he could also have Pica. I bought him rawhide chews in order to prevent him from chewing on things and it has really helped! He loves to play fetch and retrieve with the rawhide sticks, it's really cute, and he loves to chew on them instead of other things

[doodlebug]

In my experience (total of 5 cats) the majority of them chew on things that aren't food...paper, cardboard, baskets, ribbons, elastic bands, stuffed toys, plastic, cabinet knobs...all kinds of stuff.

I really don't recommend rawhides...first there's the chemicals that are used during the processing...stuff like formaldehyde. Second is that rawhide isn't digestible, if pieces break off and get ingested they can expand in the digestive tract and cause blockages.

If your cat really enjoys chewing on the rawhides, some all natural, digestible alternatives are thin bully (or steer) sticks, cow tails or thin beef tendons...you should be able to find these in the dog treat section of a good independent store.

[Sinatra-Butters]

I'm pretty sure Nutmeg has it. She has ignored every chew thing I have given her so I just put away stuff I don't want her to chew on.

[praline]

Cats enjoy chewing as much as dogs. All 3 of mine chew on things all the time ~ paper, wood, their scratching post... T.P. ... you name it.

I give them Duck or chicken chews. They will chew them like a dog does a bone. They are better for them to get their chew fetish in check.
Dogswell Happy Hips Dog Treats at PETCO

Here is the kind of treat to look for even though there are several brands. Its just dried meat ~ either chicken or duck. Some are 100% meat while others have vitamins and additives. I am picky about the additives so make sure to get the 100% meat ones.

If he starts chewing something he isn't supposed to, pull one of those out and give it to him. You can break them in half if you don't want him having the entire thing at once.

[littlesushi]

mine love chewing on cardboard (and maybe sometimes eating? i'm trying to keep an eye on that) as well as our wooden chairs, cupboard corners, and their grooming tools. they're kittens though, so i can't tell if it's pica or if they are teething/just chewing on stuff. i let them chew on the cardboard, but have sprayed bitter apple on the cupboard corners and try to give them a chew toy when i see them chewing on something i dont want them to be chewing on and that seems to work, for now. *knock on wood* the duck and chicken chews seem nice though

[~Siameseifuplz~]

And see I was just wishing cats chewed so I could buy mine Bully Sticks to clean their teeth like my dog lol.

Mine will try to eat ribbons (like the type you tie on present..balloon strings) and rubber bands because they see them as toys. And they eat plastic bags because they are yummy. But otherwise they don't eat random stuff.

[doodlebug]

Kobi will go through a Happy Hips chicken strip in less than a minute.

[Auntie Crazy]

Just for clarification for readers who may not be aware, pica is an unnatural craving to eat non-food items; chewing on stuff is a totally different behavior.

Thankfully, none of my cats - both my own clowder and fosters - have ever been chewers or suffered from any type of pica. *whew*

AC