Cat: Destructive Behaviours - Chewing and Fabric Sucking

What can I do to stop my cat from chewing?

During exploration and play, kittens (and some adult cats), will chew on a variety of objects. Not only can this lead to damage or destruction of the owner’s possessions, but some chewing can be dangerous to the cat. String, thread, electric cables, plastic bags, twist ties, pins and needles are just a few of the objects that cats may chew or swallow resulting in intestinal foreign bodies and possibly the need for surgery.

 The first step in preventing inappropriate chewing is to ensure that the cat has appropriate opportunities and outlets for play, scratching, climbing, chewing and exploration. The next precaution is to keep potential targets of the cat’s chewing out of reach. When this is not possible the cat may need to be confined to a cat proof room when unsupervised, or baited pieces of the target material may need to be planted in the cat's environment in order to establish negative associations with the behaviour.

Another common target of feline chewing is houseplants. The best solution is to keep the cat away from household plants whenever it cannot be supervised. In some cats the desire for chewing plant material can best be satisfied by providing some greens (e.g. lettuce) in the food, or by planting a small cat herb garden which provides the cat with an acceptable outlet for the behaviour. Some cats can be redirected away from houseplants by providing other acceptable targets for their chewing such as toys or biscuits, and feeding a dry cat food may help satisfy the desire to chew for some cats.

What can I do for my cat that sucks on wool and fabrics?

Although sucking on wool or other fabrics may be seen occasionally in any cat, the problem is most commonly seen in Burmese and Siamese cats, or Oriental mix breeds. Although some cats do grow out of the problem within a few years, the problem may remain for life and in cases where the cats are ingesting large quantities of fabrics there can be quite serious health implications. The first step in correction is to provide alternative objects for chewing and sucking and to fill the cat’s time budget with activities associated with preparation of food for ingestion. A well-cooked bone with some gristle and meat could be considered, provided the cat is well supervised and sucks and gnaws on the bone without causing it to splinter. Feeding dry and high fibre foods or making food more difficult to obtain by hiding it around the house, and causing the cat to hunt it out, may also be helpful. Secondly it is important to ensure that the cat has plenty of play periods to keep it exercised and occupied. 

The third approach is to plant baited pieces of the target material (in other words target material that has been coated with something that is aversive in taste) in the cat’s environment so that the cat comes to associate the negative experience of a taste deterrent with the behaviour of fabric sucking. Of course the owner must be on hand to offer the cat an alternative and rewardable behaviour outlet when it retreats from the baited materials. Finally, cat proofing techniques will be required whenever the owner is absent and cannot supervise. 

Some cats are so persistent in their desire to suck wool that it may be necessary to provide the cat with one or two designated woollen objects to suck on, provided no significant amounts are swallowed.

Some cats have such a strong and seemingly uncontrollable desire to suck that the condition has been compared by some authors to compulsive disorders in people. If your cat shows persistent efforts to suck, chew or ingest material, a consultation with a veterinary behaviourist, or certified clinical animal behaviourist should be sought, as this is a very complex behaviour which needs detailed investigation.