What is Pica?
And How Do You Protect Your Cat?
Dr. Joan M. Freesh
Sometimes cats and kittens will chew and lick on many different non-edible items. Some cats swallow these non-food objects. This behavior is called pica.
How Pica Develops
Chewing on items may allow a cat to mouth and feel the surrounding world. Children also do this. Perhaps pica starts as exploratory or play activity, but it can become an obsessive-compulsive behavior in some cats. There are many theories as to why cats exhibit this behavior: early weaning, intestinal parasites, intestinal disease, food allergy, liver disease, behavioral, pyruvate kinase deficiency (a rare genetic blood disorder), poor diet (some cat breeds chew wool), poor early socialization, malnutrition, endocrine diseases, stress, and boredom. The behavior most often results with a “foreign body” in the intestinal tract. A gastrointestinal (GI) foreign body is a life-threatening blockage of the intestinal tract requiring surgery.
As a practicing veterinarian for 42 years and a feline-only practitioner for 28 years, I found those marvelous crazy kitties and what they ate always astounding. Cats with pica usually present with no appetite, vomiting, straining, diarrhea, depression, and/or lethargy; some exhibit pain upon abdominal palpation (feeling the abdomen with hands). The foreign bodies that I surgically removed from my feline patients were published under the title “Foreign Body Hall of Fame” on our website blog to alert cat owners. The following is a list of some foreign bodies that I found:
- needle and thread
Never allow cats to play with yarn. If they ingest it, it can easily wrap up in their intestines. - thread only
- shoe laces
- children’s toys
- a dime (per owner, her most expensive dime ever)
- cassette tape
- pieces of lace women’s underwear
- pieces of fabric of unknown items
- five-inch piece of cat owner’s rope tie for sweatpants
- Christmas tree tinsel
- two pacifiers
- black rubber plugs for drains
- small sparkle balls
- plastic flowers
- ribbon
- a tough piece of steak
- rubber bands
- hair ties
- slices of corn cobs
Hair ties, thread, needle and thread, and Christmas tree tinsel were the most common.
Playing Pica Detective
How do veterinarians determine whether your cat/kitten has a GI foreign body due to pica behavior? A history from the cat owner can help identify pica suspects. Does the owner have thread and needles in the home that the cat can access? Has the cat been seen playing with string, yarn, or spools of thread? What toys does the cat have to play with? Does the cat play with other household items? Are there children in the home? What items has the owner found the cat playing with? Are any toys or household items missing?
Next is a physical exam. Abdominal palpation is an excellent procedure, and many times a veterinarian can feel something in the GI tract that isn’t normal. The cat may exhibit pain with palpation.
A radiograph (x-ray) or Ultrasound is usually done. Often a foreign body can be seen, but it may not be possible to determine exactly what the object is. Blood tests, urine tests, and fecal tests are often done as a case work-up to identify potential problems prior to surgery. Once the foreign body is removed, most of the time it can be identified. Sometimes cat owners know where the item came from (such as a bag of hair ties stored in a closet), but sometimes the owner has no idea where the cat found the item.
Prevention …
The lesson for cat owners is to do their best to prevent access to common items that will be high on the “preferred” list of a cat with identified pica behavior to swallow.
All cat owners need to be aware that pica behavior is a “real behavior” that seriously endangers cats and kittens. Most cats play and chew on items but don’t swallow them. Please watch your cat’s playing and notice what they choose to mouth. No thread or needles should be where cats can get them; keep hair ties and rubber bands in a drawer. Small sparkle balls are more likely to be swallowed, so buy large sparkle balls if you so choose.
What about pacifiers? A two-year-old grandchild brought them to grandma’s house and dropped them on the floor. Grandma’s cat was 4-5 years of age and had not exhibited pica behavior previously, though she had seen him carrying the pacifiers around. Then he swallowed two!
Observation and action are paramount for cat owners. Be aware of what is loose in the environment and what most interests the cat. Pick up items and put them away; keep small things off the floor, including children’s toys, and don’t use tinsel on Christmas trees. Vigilance will pay off to keep your cats safe.
Boredom has been proposed as a reason cats start pica behavior, so it helps to offer environmental enrichment: give your cats activities to do for entertainment. Cat trees for vertical space are enticing. Access to windows allows for watching birds and squirrels. Food puzzles are challenging, and interactive play also provides time to observe your cat closely. My cats enjoy peacock-feather play with me. If you use a toy such as a “bird,” “mouse,” or fuzzy toy with string or ribbon attached, don’t leave it on the floor when you are done playing. Cats will go after the string.
… And Treatment
Treatments/prevention for pica have included worming, diet trials for food allergy, anti-anxiety medication, metronidazole, prednisolone, diet change, negative reinforcement, calming Feliwayâ, prebiotics, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids and more. Pica seems to be a multi-causation behavior, and without one identifiable cause or one single treatment, it is a difficult problem to treat – even after surgical removal of any intestinal obstruction. Some cats never repeat the behavior. Some do.
There is much that cat owners can do to protect their kitties. Observe, be vigilant, pick up small items on the floor or on furniture, provide entertainment, and engage in interactive play. I treat my cats to catnip periodically – it’s something new to play with and eat, though not all cats find it interesting. I have an enclosed lanai that my cats enjoy visiting, where they may view the yard. Lizards are entertaining on the screens. Bugs are so much fun! And falling snowflakes, raindrops, and autumn leaves provide endless fascination. You have many choices to help care for your cats and kittens with pica.
References
- Demonitigny-Bedard; M. C. Belanger; D. Frank. Gastrointestinal Evaluation of Cats Presented with Pica. Veterinary Behavior Symposium 2006. University of Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Michael Kearley. Pica in Cats. PetMD 2023.
- Amy Young. Abnormal Eating Habits in Cats, UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Animal Health Topics, 2019.