Category: Animal House
Hi, guys! Some of you may already know this, but I have a new kitty. I named her Emma. She is exhibiting some really odd behaviors that I've never seen in cats before, and I was curious if any of you have.
1. She likes to suck on and lick plastic. It doesn't matter what it is, so long as it's loose plastic. It could be a grocery sack, or even the plastic that rims the top of a Klenex box after you open it. That doesn't seem too healthy for her, so I always stop her from it. I don't punish her, though, just make her quit it. Do any of you know why she's fascinated with all things plastic?
2. Most cats like wet food. Or, even if they don't, they just ignore it. The two times I've put wet food down for Emma, she acts frightened of it. She begins crying and pacing, and won't go near her dish, or the area where the dish is sitting. I don't understand.
Any thoughts?
Hi Sister Dawn:
I've a cat fascinated with al things plastic as well. Its only when he ingests it that we have problems. He gets sick, and up it comes. Over the years, he's les interested in it.
It sounds like Emma has had dry food most of her life. If you want to transition her to wet food, that's what you're going to have to do. Call the shelter and find out what kind of dry food she's had, and start with that. Gradually try and mix some wet food into the dry. Our cat Advent will eat pretty much what we set before him. Its dangerous though,because he has food allergies. (He actually gets zits on his chin.)
Good luck, and keep your cyberfamily posted.
Lou
Hi,
One of my cats seems to be a little interested in plastic bags, too. She doesn't always bother with them, but sometimes she does. Of course, I don't allow her to chew on them, for obvious health reasons. Like I said though, it doesn't seem to be an all the time thing. Just every once in a while. as far as the food thing goes, maybe she doesn't like the smell of wet food. I, personally, don't give my cats wet food. I've known veterinarians to say that dry food is actually much more healthier for cats and dogs, unless there are certain health issues, where they arent able to eat the dry food. Also, as mentioned above, she may be used to eating dry food, and that's another reason why the wet food may not be all that appealing to her.
Hi, guys. I wasn't going to transition Emma to all wet food, just offer it occasionally as a treat. She is still undernourished, and my vet had said it was okay to offer her some wet food, since she could use the extra calories. But I intend to keep her on primarily dry food. Now that I know she is not into wet food, I'll leave it alone. She's very slowly beginning to gain some weight, which is good. She was just under five pounds when the Humane Society got her, and I think now she might be around six pounds. She's an adult cat though, so that's still pretty underweight.
Aw, the poor thing! Well, she should definitely gain some weight, as long as she's eating.
Well, your cat and you are still in he bonding process. it'll take some time for her to get more comfortable. We adopted Advent from a vetrinary bloodbank. It took him three or four months to really trust us, and get comfortable. You're probably going through a lot of that with Emma now. I think this is the time when I learned the most from Advent, and the most about Advent's behavior.
Lou
Hi Dawn
Smokey also loves all things plastic. He loves to turn waste baskets on their side -- not to look for food -- but to look for anything plastic that has been thrown away. I've heard this is one symptom some cats exhibit if they were weened from their mothers a week or two earlier than ideal. He also chews on cords.
About the wet food, I wouldn't force it on her if she is not interested. I think you were right in thinking that it might help her gain weight a little faster, but it probably isn't necessary.
Hi, all. No no, I'd never force any type of food on Emma, or any animal, for that matter. I keep her dry food fresh and full, as well as her water bowls. She is eating quite a bit now, which relieves me. I'm glad she's not eating cords, though. Grin.
LOL, oh yeah. Cords, definitely not a good thing. fortunately, I don't have to worry about that. My cats don't seem all that interested in them.
Unfotunately, my cat likes cords. She doesn't just chew on them to chew on them, but she will try to chase and play with them when I am plugging stuff in.
I read somewhere that since plastic is increasingly made from corn, the scent attracts them to it. I am glad that Emma is gaining weight.