What To Do If Your Cat's A Destructive Chewer
Plus find out what "wool sucking" is đ§

You love your cat to bits â but you probably donât love that he feels compelled to chew things to bits.
Chewing is a common behavioral problem for cats, but there are things you can do to make the situation better for your cat (and protect your house).
The Dodo spoke with Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, medical director at Behavior Vets in New York City, who explained what you can do if your cat canât seem to stop chewing certain things around your home.
What do cats like chewing?
âCats like to chew or lick plastic,â Dr. Tu told The Dodo. âCats can also tend to like to chew or bite off pieces of cardboard boxes.â
If youâre wondering why your cat seems to be drawn to chewing cardboard or plastic, thereâs not much of a reason other than the fact that he just likes it.
Some cats also really enjoy fabrics.
âIt actually can be to the point where itâs called âwool sucking,â where theyâre sucking and chewing on fabrics [or even] swallowing fabrics,â Dr. Tu explained.
But this doesnât apply to all fabrics.
âWhat I see with wool sucking and fabric sucking is itâs usually going to be something thatâs on the ground, like a blanket or sweatpants,â Dr. Tu said. âThey donât go and suck on or chew on something thatâs hanging. And itâs not like upholstery where itâs flat. It has to be layers. Itâs got to have some slack in it.â
Risks of cat chewing
If you catch your cat chewing on cardboard, thatâs usually pretty harmless (unless, of course, it was a piece of cardboard you were particularly attached to or planning on saving).
âIf they swallow a piece of the [cardboard] boxes, itâs no big deal ⊠unless theyâre eating a lot,â Dr. Tu said. âItâs fibrous [and] going to break down.â
But if your cat is chewing â and ends up swallowing â plastic, thatâs a much bigger problem.
â[A catâs] stomach acids melt those plastics into harder, sharper pieces,â Dr. Tu explained.
Ouch! Thatâs definitely no good for his insides.
Not to mention, swallowing plastic also poses the threat of a linear foreign body, which is a medical emergency.
And if you find your cat wool sucking, youâre definitely going to want to reach out to a vet for a few reasons.
âSometimes that can be correlated to a nutritional deficiency,â Dr. Tu said. âBeyond that, it could be an indication of anxiety, so you may want to consult with a veterinary behaviorist service.â
If your cat is just covering those fabric items with spit, that in itself isnât a physical hazard (if you donât count having to do a little more laundry).
But if your cat is actually ingesting the fabric, that could also result in a foreign body or blockage.
How to get your cat to stop chewing
The fact is, you arenât going to be able to make your cat stop chewing altogether.
But if you want him to stop chewing destructively, the only thing you can do is try your best to control what he can and cannot chew.
âItâs just cat-proofing your house, is really all it is,â Dr. Tu said.
That means making sure you're keeping those things you donât want chewed in places your cat canât get to.
It also helps to redirect his attention to something else he can actually sink his teeth into.
âGive them boxes that they can chew, and then make sure you put away the ones you donât want them to chew,â Dr. Tu explained. âSome cats like the crinkle sound [of plastic], so you can offer them the crinkle toys [instead].â
Try this crinkle toy from Chewy for $4.98
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