Cat Loves To Chew On Plastic bags or Anything Plastic

by JoAnne
(Fresno, CA)

I recently lost a 3 year old cat to what I believe was his constant chewing on plastic. I didn't think this could be dangerous at the time, but now I am afraid that's what killed him. He died before I could get to a Vet. Is plastic deadly? Can it kill? Now I have another two cats that want to chew on plastic and I have to make sure anything plastic like plastic around toilet tissue, etc. is put away from where they can get at it.


Dear JoAnne,,

I am very sorry for your loss. An obsession with eating plastic could be deadly, although I have known of many cats who chew on plastic and almost none that have become obstructed from it.

Of course, there is always a chance a cat can develop an intestinal obstruction from any foreign material that is swallowed.

If your kitty was vomiting, not eating, not defecating, and generally very ill for several days, he may have passed away because of an obstruction. However, your question seems to indicate that he died much more suddenly which would mot strongly support a theory of obstruction from eating plastic.

I'm sorry that I cannot say with certainty what caused your kitty's death. And I know how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet and not know the cause. It is especially worrisome when that happens and you have other pets that you worry may develop the same problem.

Evem though you do not know the exact cause of your kitty's death, you do still need to be concerned about your other cats eating plastic. You are not alone in your struggle with plastic-eating cats. I've lived with cats that chew plastic for years and have learned to keep all plastic away from them. After awhile, it just becomes second nature. Removing all plastic is the only way to avoid having any issues with vomiting or obstructions from your kitties ingesting it. Many cats will never exhibit this behavior regardless of how much plastic is around while others will go after anything plastic the second you put it down. Since it's impossible to know exactly which cats are going to have this tendency and which ones aren't, it's best to err on the side of caution and keep all plastic out of sight from all cats.

To read more about cats eating plastic from other readers, please click here.

Again, I am really sorry for your loss. I hope you will stop blaming yourself. It may mot have been the plastic and even if it was, you didn't know the dangers. The most important thing you can do now is learn from your experience and love and protect your other cats and share your story as you have done here so you may help others.

With sympathy and best wishes,
Dr. Neely