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my cat eats plastic?



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 1st 05, 04:41 PM
blueberries79
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Default my cat eats plastic?

It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of
plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or
stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the floor.
Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and he
zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear rustling
and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent, or
stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still
does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will pry
it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up,
sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives? This
seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought
maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject...



  #2  
Old May 1st 05, 04:54 PM
Justin L
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Default

On Sun, 1 May 2005 11:41:17 -0400, "blueberries79"
wrote:

It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of
plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or
stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the floor.
Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and he
zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear rustling
and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent, or
stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still
does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will pry
it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up,
sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives? This
seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought
maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject...



I have not seen this with my cats, but I would think it would be
pretty dangerous for him to swallow plastic.
I would try to keep the bags locked away from him.

Justin

  #3  
Old May 1st 05, 05:06 PM
blueberries79
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Diane L. Schirf" wrote in message
nk.net...
In article LN6de.3214$aB.241@lakeread03,
"blueberries79" wrote:

It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much

knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had

this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of
plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or
stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the

floor.
Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and

he
zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear

rustling
and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent,

or
stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still
does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will

pry
it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up,
sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives?

This
seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I

thought
maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject...


I don't know if Hodge actually tries to eat and swallow, but he does
like to chew on them and just about anything else that protudes. Given
his dominant dog behaviours, I sometimes wonder if he isn't part dog.
Anyway, I agree with Justin -- probably not very good for him, and
there's the potential for choking as well as for intestinal blockage. I
keep things like that away from Hodge. What he doesn't know about won't
hurt him. And then he can focus on his toys, which are a bit safer.

--
http://www.slywy.com/


I try to keep all plastic bags away from him; sometimes he just finds a
little piece on the floor from something that was opened, or if he gets into
the bathroom sometimes he finds wrappers and things. I bring it up today
b/c our bathroom door didnt shut tight and he was able to jimmy the door
open to get in and chew at the toilet paper wrappers. It always wakes me up
when I hear the chewing. Thats funny you mention your cat is like a dog b/c
Gabe is a bit like a dog too... he knows his name and comes when he is
called (something Oreo will NOT do, its beneath her!) Neither of my cats
like traditional toys though. I've gotten them lots of different things,
from fabric mice to plastic balls with bells in them to catnip (Gabe just
laid down on my arm, kind of hard to type now... lol) but neither of them
like toys. Gabe likes to swat around balled up paper or tries to lay claim
on a stack of paper on the ground, but other than chasing each other around,
thats about it. Definitely not typical, but I love them just the same : )


  #4  
Old May 1st 05, 06:59 PM
Karen
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Posts: n/a
Default

in article et, Diane L.
Schirf at wrote on 5/1/05 11:43AM:

In article k97de.3216$aB.2104@lakeread03,
"blueberries79" wrote:

I've gotten them lots of different things,
from fabric mice to plastic balls with bells in them to catnip (Gabe just
laid down on my arm, kind of hard to type now... lol) but neither of them
like toys.


Hodge really likes his fleece snowman and pineapple. Also likes those
chase the laser light and the the Go-Cat (I think that's what it's
called) feathers on a string on a rod). Your cats may need more
interactive toys.

Hodge is getting a Panic Mouse Tuesday. We'll see how that goes!


Do report! Mine got bored with the panic mouse when I got it two years ago.
I had it in a closet and recently brought it out. We were missing the little
arm so I bought new ones at the store, intending to give it to someone with
a younger cat. Well, it's been a big hit. At night, it is like "TV" for
Pearl. She will play with it, but she is also content to just sit and watch.
When in a goofy mood both Sugar and pearl play with it a lot. I find the low
to medium speeds are best. The new arm also had a nice colorful ball instead
of the black one (which I just found the other day) so maybe that is more
attractive too. Here is a series of Sugar playing with it.

"http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kchuplis/album?.dir=6452&.src=ph&store=&prodi
d=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kchuplis/my_photos"

or

http://tinyurl.com/df3tk

That whole series was in about a 20 minute span.

  #5  
Old May 1st 05, 07:31 PM
bookbug2005
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Posts: n/a
Default

My 7 mo. old cat's favorite toy is the hard plastic lid off a bottle of
a spray butter. It's small enough he can carry it around, and it
serves as both a soccer ball and an item with which we play fetch.

Michelle

  #6  
Old May 1st 05, 09:00 PM
MaryL
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Posts: n/a
Default


"blueberries79" wrote in message
news:LN6de.3214$aB.241@lakeread03...
It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much
knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had
this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of
plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or
stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the
floor.
Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and
he
zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear
rustling
and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent, or
stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still
does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will pry
it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up,
sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives? This
seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I thought
maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject...





This is very common with cats. I once read that some plastic bags even some
type of fish emulsion used as part of the manufacturing process. Regardless
of what it is, many cats are instantly attracted to plastic and celophane
(including my Holly -- if I left an opened package of steak on the counter,
she would ignore the steak but lick the plastic!).

This can actually be very dangerous. As you have noted, cats will sometimes
swallow (and not just lick) plastic. I have learned to keep *all* forms of
plastic out of Holly's reach. She once ate the soft plastic coil that is
used around the top of some over-the-counter medicine bottles. Some
plastics can become entangled in the cat's intestines, and some trash bags
now have insecticide or deodorant on the inside of the bags. Dispose of all
plastic *immediately* and don't take chances with your cat's health. I put
all pieces of plastic in the chair beside me when I open items, and then I
immediately take them to the trash.

MaryL


  #7  
Old May 1st 05, 09:29 PM
blueberries79
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Posts: n/a
Default


"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
news:czade.2361$yV4.1798@okepread03...

"blueberries79" wrote in message
news:LN6de.3214$aB.241@lakeread03...
It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much
knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has had
this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds of
plastic, but he is extremely partial to plastic grocery bag handles, or
stray pieces of a ripped open bag that sticks out or that fell on the
floor.
Its as though his kitty cat nose sniffs out plastic within his range and
he
zooms over to it. He knows he's not supposed to eat it (ie, I hear
rustling
and walk into the room and he runs away from the bag, looking innocent,

or
stays there trying to swallow the piece he just ripped off) but he still
does it anyway. And its not just chewing, he actually eats it; I will

pry
it out of his mouth if I catch him at it. Sometimes he throws it up,
sometimes it just goes though his system... anyone know what gives?

This
seems extremely unusual! I just accepted it as part of him, but I

thought
maybe someone had some knowledge on the subject...





This is very common with cats. I once read that some plastic bags even

some
type of fish emulsion used as part of the manufacturing process.

Regardless
of what it is, many cats are instantly attracted to plastic and celophane
(including my Holly -- if I left an opened package of steak on the

counter,
she would ignore the steak but lick the plastic!).

This can actually be very dangerous. As you have noted, cats will

sometimes
swallow (and not just lick) plastic. I have learned to keep *all* forms

of
plastic out of Holly's reach. She once ate the soft plastic coil that is
used around the top of some over-the-counter medicine bottles. Some
plastics can become entangled in the cat's intestines, and some trash bags
now have insecticide or deodorant on the inside of the bags. Dispose of

all
plastic *immediately* and don't take chances with your cat's health. I

put
all pieces of plastic in the chair beside me when I open items, and then I
immediately take them to the trash.

MaryL



It reminds me of the warnings to cut 6 pack soda containers b/c the baby
dolphins can get caught in them!

That is interesting about the fish emulsion, that could explain some of the
reason he goes for it. We're to the point that the only time he can get at
it is if he gets the bathroom door open. He's a brute, so if the door is
not latched properly, he can usually get it open after a while. It's
amazing how smart they are opening doors!!!


  #8  
Old May 2nd 05, 03:14 AM
blueberries79
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Posts: n/a
Default


"bookbug2005" wrote in message
oups.com...
My 7 mo. old cat's favorite toy is the hard plastic lid off a bottle of
a spray butter. It's small enough he can carry it around, and it
serves as both a soccer ball and an item with which we play fetch.

Michelle


My have stumbled on to something this evening... kept thinking about the
ideas everyone said while I was just getting ready for bed. I happened to
look at on the counter and saw the thick plastic shower curtain hooks we had
gotten for our half bath. There were about 6 left over and I thought...
hey, what not? They're hard plastic so Gabe cant eat them and he does like
to bat things around sometimes. Plus, poor Oreo lost her favorite toy (my
elastic hair bands) because Gabe kept eating them too, so it was kind of the
same thing. I just played with the two of them for about 5 minutes and they
seem to like the solution. Gabe at least, Oreo did her best to look aloof.


  #9  
Old May 2nd 05, 03:36 AM
bigbadbarry
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Posts: n/a
Default


blueberries79 wrote:
It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much

knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has

had this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds

of


When your at the store and they say, "paper or plastic"...

Just say....

All together...

Paypurrrrrrr!

  #10  
Old May 2nd 05, 05:03 AM
Mary
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Posts: n/a
Default


"bigbadbarry" wrote in message
oups.com...

blueberries79 wrote:
It's amazing after reading this newsgroup for a few weeks how much

knowledge
is out there when odd situations arise. I dont know if anyone has

had this
happen before, but my cat Gabe loves to eat plastic. Not all kinds

of


When your at the store and they say, "paper or plastic"...

Just say....

All together...

Paypurrrrrrr!


Barry, you are a genius.


 




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