Has your cat eaten cat litter or other messy things? For example: cardboard boxes, soda bottle caps, your hairpins, socks, toothpicks, cotton swabs, walls, etc.

We call this behavior pica. Pica is more severe in cats than in dogs.

1. Let’s first see which ones will become the primary targets

Cat litter: The probability of eating cat litter is the highest among all pica, ranging from milk cats just one month old to elderly cats. Perhaps this is because more and more cat litter is made of natural materials. Ingredients, such as tofu, corn, etc., plus a lot of cat litter, have a light milky fragrance. Fiber fabrics: plush toys, carpets, curtains, tablecloths, sweaters, socks, etc. Plant pots: pothos, succulents, etc. Paper products: toilet paper (often shredded paper all over the floor when you are not paying attention), photos, RMB (cats have an innate ability to eat money), books, etc. Wires: One of the dangers. Various strange hard objects: coins, needles, window screens, radio antennas, wall corners, door frames, etc. The second risk is that it can easily cause intestinal obstruction, which sometimes requires surgical removal.

2. Causes of pica

Although the specific cause has not yet been determined, most veterinarians and experts tend to believe that a lack of certain vitamins or minerals in the body is the most likely cause.

The following possible reasons also include the following, which are also several hidden dangers that need to be paid special attention to by shit shoveling officers.

Disease risks: Anemia (relevant data shows that most cats with pica have symptoms of anemia), hypothyroidism, and certain liver, pancreatic and gastrointestinal diseases may cause pica. Neurological disorders, diseases such as rabies, or exposure to neurotoxins may also cause pica. Therefore, when cats develop pica, special attention should be paid to the hidden dangers of these diseases. Most cats with leukemia will have pica behavior. Cat is in a bad mood: For example, stress, boredom, depression or anxiety may cause pica. When a cat feels that you are not paying enough attention to it, it will also eat strange things to attract your attention. If you eat something that attracts your attention, it may reinforce pica behavior. Nutritional deficiencies: such as lack ofFat or insoluble fiber may also drive cats to search for missing nutrients in the mess. Simple play: When you give your cats toys, you can basically find that they love to chew the toys, and over time it becomes a matter of course.

Some behaviorists believe that when kittens are weaned too early or too suddenly, they will start sucking on stuffed toys. Kittens use this behavior to soothe themselves, and sucking will gradually turn into chewing.

3. Summarize some correction methods

Prevention: Try to keep cats away from objects that are easy to chew, but it is not effective for chewing corners and eating cat litter. "Artifact" toilet water: Most cats don't like the smell of toilet water. They spray it on whatever they like to eat. Over time, they know that those things are not delicious. Voice stopping + caressing method: If you find that the cat is eating randomly just to attract your attention, then when you find out, sneak up and stop it loudly when it realizes that it is not you. When it is too good to touch the thing, hug it, kiss it, or caress it in the way it likes. Enrich diet types, eat small meals frequently: Cats, like people, like different tastes of food, so the scientific feeding method is not to just give cats cat food. Considering that cats are not able to change food acutely, In the case of stable cat food, add more canned food, nutritional supplements, and some cooked food and raw food. This can not only adjust the taste, but also make the nutrition more comprehensive and sufficient. When cats are stressed or feeling stressed, they can use items that soothe their mood, such as catnip, polygonum, and other environmental sprays that can soothe their mood. Change toys frequently and use more toys that cannot be chewed, such as table tennis balls, track balls, etc.