Why is my 11-month-old cat eating clothes and blankets? Stop her!

If she actually ingesting the non food items, this condition is indeed called feline pica. If she is sucking or nursing on them, this is an entirely different behavior. Ideally, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose any underlying medical causes. Once those have been ruled out you can focus on behavioral causes. Many times, stress or boredom can cause aberrant behavior. Consider a pheromone product such as Feliway Spray or plug in diffuser to decrease any stress or anxiety. Keep Maui engaged and distracted using a variety of toys and exercise. Restrict access to those items she eats or sucks on, stopping and correcting the behavior when observed. Be consistent and be patient.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is concerning as this can eventually result in Salem developing a gastrointestinal obstruction from eating a foreign material. I recommend that you avoid this behavior as much as possible and let him know that this is wrong when observed. Clinical signs consistent with a gastrointestinal obstruction include inappetence, vomiting and abdominal pain. If ever observed, have Salem evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Often times foreign body gastrointestinal obstruction requires surgery for treatment so it is best to avoid it. Good luck and have a great day!

There is a condition we see in cats commonly called wool sucking. It is an OCD type of behavior, so treatment involves behavioral modification (environmental enrichment and providing alternative outlets), but often also includes medications from your veterinarian. I have attached a link below with additional ideas for environmental enrichment. It should also include alternative items to chew and suck, multiple small meals with treat balls and puzzles as feeders (https://docandphoebe.com), and increased social enrichment (play, reward training), combined with an environment where she can be housed comfortably in an enriched and comfortable space (e.g. room, pen) within the home away from potential targets. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Good luck! Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi there! It’s not recommend to try and “discipline” cats in this way (scruffiness, yelling, squirt bottles, etc) because it generally isn’t effective and can make your cats stressed and afraid of you. Instead, focus on providing her with other things to scratch and claw that are more effective than your rug. This is a normal behavior for cats, so she needs appropriate options to meet her needs. Try a tall, sturdy cat tree or scratching post, or a horizontal scratching tray if she prefers this. You may also need to take up the rug temporarily until she is reliably scratching more appropriate things.

Cute kitty!! I'm sorry that you are having a hard time with her. It sounds like you've been trying all the right things up to this point. I think the most helpful thing for you at this point would be to consider investing in a consultation with a behaviorist. Here is a great site to find one near you: https://iaabc.org/consultants Additionally, consider a laser pointer toy at multiple times throughout the day to help keep her occupied: https://www.amazon.com/SereneLife-Automatic-Cat-Laser-Toy/dp/B07537S2LJ or a motion activated mouse is also a great option. Use a "hunter" type feeding toy... this allows cats to "hunt" their food. This is a great system: https://docandphoebe.com Here's a site with some additional info that may help you better understand the behavior and intervene appropriately: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/aggression-cats I hope that helps you! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

That's an interesting problem. If it's really truly only things that have been in contact with the iron, there is clearly something about that smell that she finds interesting. She may have learned this as a young kitten somehow. Of hand, I can't see a way to train this away and would suggest having a special room you do all your ironing and keep clothes or linens that have been ironed in there, so that she never has access.

This could be a normal behavior for Cleo. You can start disciplining her for this behavior. If you catch her in the act you can spray her with a little water bottle and tell her “no”. Also if she has anything particular she wants to chew up, I would try to keep those objects out of site. If you worry about her being stressed, you can try to add feliway didfusers throughout the house. Feliway is a cat pheromone that helps to calm cats but doesn’t work on everyone. Also, make sure she has plenty of cat toys to play with and make sure she is getting enough attention. Sometimes they do this if they are bored. Look up “environmental enrichment for cats” for more ideas on how to prevent Cleo from becoming bored. I hope this helps!