Is it normal for a cat (siamese) to have a fetish for plastic?

My sister in law has had a siamese kitten now for 3 months

She has an enormous desire to chew on plastic, whether it be the plastic wrapping you get on products, duct tape, or even the plastic cap on laces

Her favourite toy is a peice of duct tape rolled lengthways and folded over itself

To the point where she now brings me the tape and sits there waiting for me to throw it

When I throw it for her, instead of normal cats playing with it by themselves, she brings it back

This is continous - a game of fetch with a cat, I have seen the You tube vids showing this with other cats, but never thought I would see a cat do it with my own eyes

So is it normal or even healthy for a cat to chew plastic?

And if not how do you stop her from doing it?

tany072075

Actually no. His bowls are ceramic. His previous owner used plastic though. I've had him for just over a year and he's always done this. So that could have something to do with it. I guess I took it more as a pschycological thing. Like when dogs eat grass when they have an upset stomach. They eat it and vomit to make themselves feel better. I was thinking licking plastic could give him the feeling of eating. Who knows? I've also had a cat that talked to walls every morning at feeding time. Maybe I just have crazy cats. lol

phlanx

hahaha, I think we all have crazy cats, that what makes us love them so much

I have spoken to my sister in law, and she agrees with most the ocmments here, her cat only chews on plastic when she appears to be hungry or certainly just before she is fed

So my question now is

Why do cats chew on plastic when they are hungry? Why not the chair or shoes?

tany072075

That is a very good question. Its obviously not that one tastes better than the other. Although my cat has been known to chew through shoe laces. but thats usually when nobody's looking so I don't think thats a hunger thing.