Why Do Cats like Plastic so Much?

It’s not hard to come across cat people the world over who’ve seen their cats lick and chew on plastic things. Plastic shopping bags, plastic milk rings, plastic wrappers; you name it, cats seem to like it. Most of us know that plastic is dangerous for cats to swallow, and we seem to have to take special pains to keep plastic away from them. What is it that makes cats like plastic?

Cats like plastic for a wide variety of reasons

There are several reasons for why cats like plastic, according to Dr. Debra Primovic at Petplace. Some of us may think that plastic is coated in gelatin, which cats might find attractive. Dr. Debra says, however, that’s not necessarily true. One possible reason is that cats are attracted to things that move. Plastic bags and wrappers move slightly in air currents, because they’re very light. That movement can mimic cats’ natural prey.

Another possible reason is that some plastics may be made with rendered animal fat. Cats would, for obvious reasons, be attracted to the smell and taste of that. A third possibility is that cats like the texture of the plastic they lick and chew.

Catster has their own theories about this interesting phenomenon. Author JaneA Kelley says that soft plastics are porous, and therefore, able to trap smells, like food smells. This would explain why cats just love plastic food wrappers and grocery bags. They can smell the food items that were once inside.

Plastic bags and wrappers are also crinkly, but not annoyingly crinkly, so cats might find them fun. This is similar to the movement issue; the crinkly nature of certain kinds of plastic might sound like little rodents running through grass or dead leaves. So, in more ways than one, plastic can mimic prey, which makes cats like plastic even more.

There’s also the possibility that plastic contains chemicals that mimic pheromones. If that’s true, it’s possible that some cats like plastic because they’re actually trying to “taste” the chemicals. Have you ever seen your cat sniff intently at something, and then sit up with his mouth open, like he smells something bad? He’s tasting the air, trying to identify scents. It’s possible that’s what he’s doing with plastic, too.

Vetstreet says that some cats like plastic because it’s a way to cope with stress. It might be situational stress, such as hostility in a multi-cat household; or a fear of storms. He might also have more general anxiety due to a lack of enrichment in his environment.

It’s possible that some cats like plastic because they have pica.

There is a possibility that, if your cat actually eats plastic, he has a condition known as pica. Pica, according to Vetstreet, is when your cat likes to eat non-food items. Some possible causes for pica in cats are dental disease and gastrointestinal disorders.

Even though so many cats like plastic, it’s dangerous for them to swallow. If your cat is eating plastic, you should get him to the vet because plastic causes all kinds of problems, including blockages. If this is a recurring problem, you may want to have your cat evaluated for pica, too. But you should definitely make sure he doesn’t have access to any plastic he can swallow.

In fact, that’s good advice for all people with cats that like plastic, because even licking it or just lightly chewing it can result in accidentally swallowing it. Prevention is best in a situation like this.