Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cats

Cat eating everything in sight? Experts explain why

By

Caleb, a four-year-old Siamese cat, just couldn’t seem to stop chewing and ingesting things around the house. After he’d eaten the cuffs off of a pair of pants, chewed holes in socks and T-shirts, and scarfed down some wrapping paper, his distraught owner sought help from Nicholas Dodman, an animal behaviorist at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University. It turned out Caleb was suffering from feline pica syndrome, an eating disorder that causes cats to chew and swallow non-food items.

If your cat is eating everything in sight, he may be suffering from pica syndrome. A study on cats’ pica behavior published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery found that the unusual cravings were directed most commonly at shoelaces or threads followed by plastic, fabric, rubber, paper, cardboard or wood.

Cat chewing on wool.
Irina oxilixo Danilova / Shutterstock

Why does my cat act like he’s starving?

According to Dr. Stephanie Liff, a veterinarian and advisor at SpotOn.Pet, cats are carnivores, first and foremost, so they really rely on animal products with a lot of protein, moderate fat, and minimal carbohydrates. While Liff explains that there is no ideal formula for how much and how often to feed your cat, here’s a general breakdown of what your cat should consume: 

  • 50 percent protein (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, and fish)
    30 percent fat (from meat, dairy, eggs, or plants)
    10 percent carbohydrates (from grains, potatoes, or legumes) 
Recommended Videos

There are many possible reasons your cat may be begging for food. He could be bored or have parasites. Medical reasons for food cravings include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, cancer, or aging. If your cat is always looking for food, a trip to a veterinarian is necessary to rule out health issues.

When a cat’s cravings focus on non-food items, finding the cause can be more difficult. In a WebMD article, veterinarian Arnold Plotnick, a feline specialist in New York, said that many things can cause pica, including:

Dietary deficiencies — Cats who are not getting enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber in their diets sometimes turn to non-food sources, classic feline pica syndrome behavior.

Medical problems — Feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus, diabetes, or brain tumors can cause cats’ pica behavior.

Genetic predisposition — Sometimes feline pica is hereditary. Your fur baby may have been born to occasionally nosh on non-food.

Environmental factors — Your cat may simply be bored or seeking attention. He may need more mental or physical stimulation.

According to Dodman, pica is closely related to — and is sometimes an extension of — feline wool-sucking commonly seen in Oriental breeds such as Siamese and Balinese. The onset of pica can be as early as 3 months of age with some cats growing out of it by 1 to 2 years old. While it’s not unusual for young cats to chew or rip up items when playing, a pica sufferer will grind the object repeatedly before ingesting.

How do I get my cat to stop eating everything?

In addition to stopping the destruction of household items, it’s important to treat pica in cats because it can lead to a possibly deadly intestinal obstruction, warns Dodman. Taking your cat to a veterinarian to rule out an underlying health issue is the first step to controlling this eating disorder. Once your cat gets a clean bill of health,, you can work on managing the behavior. That includes making necessary dietary changes and, when possible, denying your cat access to the items he craves. Spraying the objects with a deterrent such as Grannick’s Bitter Apple may also help keep your cat from inappropriately chewing on things.

Dodman used a combination of environmental enrichment and Prozac to treat Caleb’s eating disorder. The Siamese was put on a high-fiber low-calorie diet. which allowed him to feel fuller for longer without gaining weight. Caleb’s exercise was increased daily with more time spent playing with toys and chasing a laser beam. Dodman recommended leaving treat balls filled with tasty snacks around the house and providing fish treats frozen in ice cubes to provide mental stimulation. All of this dramatically reduced Caleb’s eating non-food items in a few weeks. Within months it had stopped and the Siamese was successfully weaned off of the Prozac after a year.

Cat hanging out in catio.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to veterinary experts at the Petcetera Animal Clinic in Grand Forks, ND, providing mental and physical stimulation can help manage pica behavior. This is especially true when stress or boredom are believed to be at the root of the problem. You can provide more mental and physical stimulation for your cat by:

  • allowing the cat some bird-watching time in a safely secured catio or chicken coop
  • providing scratching posts
  • using puzzle feeders
  • engaging your cat in play with interactive toys
  • hiding treats around the house for your cat to find

If despite your best efforts your cat continues to eat non-food items, it’s a good idea to engage the help of an animal behaviorist. You can find a local specialist through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. While it can certainly be challenging, experts say it is possible to manage pica in cats.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Vera Lawlor
Vera Lawlor
Contributor
Vera was the pet columnist for 201 Family magazine and has contributed pet and animal welfare articles to Bone-A-Fide Mutts…
How to take care of a blind cat: The tips and tricks to know
Creating a home that's comfortable and helpful for blind cats
A closeup shot of a one-eyed orange tabby cat.

With over 2 million adoptions taking place at animal shelters in the U.S. every year, pet lovers have every reason to celebrate. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. The adoption rate is much lower for "special needs" animals like blind cats. It takes a wonderfully special kind of person to adopt a disabled fur baby, but those who do give special needs animals a forever home don't regret it. 

Not only are you saving a life when you adopt a disabled pet, but you're also setting an example for family members, friends, and neighbors. As pet parents of disabled fur babies will tell you, differently abled pets, including blind cats, are just as loving and fun as any other.

Read more
Is your cat a boy or girl? Here’s how to tell
This is important to know for lots of reasons
Two kittens playing on a tile floor

Whether you've adopted a new kitten or you've rescued an adult cat, distinguishing males from females can be tricky, even for professionals. Figuring out how to tell if a cat is a boy or girl is even more difficult with kittens and neutered male cats, especially if you don't have another cat to use for physical reference.

However, there are some physical characteristics — as well as behavioral cues — that can help you determine a cat's sex. We'll walk you through everything you need to know about how to tell kittens' sex and whether you should name your new feline friend Alex or Alexis. 
When can you tell the sex of a cat?

Read more
Do cats really eat mice? Let’s explore the truth
Your feline might be chasing rodents for a completely different reason
Cat playing with toy mouse

One of the unfortunate side effects of being a cat owner is finding the occasional small mammal presented to you as an offering. But if that's where you normally see the rodents, do cats eat mice? The truth is that our felines may catch an animal and play with it, bring it to you as a gift, or eat it. And we aren't just talking about mice here, but also rats, birds, or other mammals, like voles. So why do they have this instinct, and should you allow it to happen? There's a bit more to this ancient drive — read on to get the info.
Why do cats hunt mice?

We domesticated cats about 10,000 years ago, and they probably served as mousers then, too. Even if you keep your kitty indoors, their hunting instinct has been preserved in their DNA this whole time. Without rodents, birds, and small reptiles to chase after, they instead turn to toys. That's why you'll see your pet swipe at and chase their fake mouse, and we highly encourage this activity as it stimulates them physically and mentally.

Read more