Why Does My Cat Lick Blankets and Then Chew Them?
Why Does My Cat Lick Blankets and Then Chew Them? You’re all snuggled on the couch with a warm blanket on your lap when, all of a sudden, your cat jumps up not to nuzzle or snuggle up to you, but to start happily gnawing on and sucking on the corner of the plush fabric.
It’s a bit weird, can be destructive, and might even make you a little concerned for your cat. If you have found yourself wondering why my cat is sucking on my blanket, you’re in the right place. This is an actual feline phenomenon, a condition in which your cat is actually exhibiting a behavior known as pica. Here’s everything that this means, and what it takes to solve it!
Why Does My Cat Lick Blankets and Then Chew Them?
What is Pica in Cats and Why Does It Happen?
Pica is what we veterinarians call when we find our pets can’t help but chewing, suckling or eating things that aren’t food. And while chewing on things like shoelaces, plastic bags, or cardboard can be a form of pica, wools, fleeces and blankets are the most common non-food victim. Woolsucking, a specific subtype of pica seen in cats, is seldom a mere bad habit and instead points to a deeper problem.
In fact, it’s easiest to view a cat’s blankie-chewing habit as merely a symptom.
Thinking in dual veterinary and behavioral terms, the reasons for pica in cats can be grouped into the following several basic areas:
1. The “Kittenhood” Connection: Early Weaning
However, many veterinarians will tell you the most accepted cause of fabric suckling is due to the cat not being able to nurse sufficiently from mom and weaned away from their mom prematurely or unpleasantly. While they suck and lick on the fuzzy cloth, it imitates the security they had on mom’s tummy. If the cat was weaned early, the fabric sucking may develop into an ingrained coping mechanism into adulthood. Blankets are warm and soft and provide strong comfort.
2. The Stress Factor: Coping with Anxiety
These cats may be very set in their ways. Stressed, upset and over-stimulated cats have natural ways of seeking comfort and calming themselves. Sucking and chewing fabric can be just as soothing to a cat as it is for a child. Here are typical stressors:
A new baby or pet comes home: A major disruption, such as moving to a new home or significant home renovations There’s another dog or a new pet at home, leading to increased stress.
3. The Boredom Factor: Lack of Stimulation
When a cat is bored they’ll amuse themselves. You’ll see your cat “destroy” everything, turning things such as that fluffy blanket into a chewing material, especially the cats you leave alone for extended periods and they don’t get their fair share of mental and physical stimulation. Boredom is a “displacement activity,” that allows your cat to work off some energy or to fulfil a requirement for their oral needs in an activity they have otherwise no other purpose to engage in.
4. The Medical Side: Underlying Health Issues
There are several other factors to look for even when the case is behavioral, such as these. Remember, your child’s case should always be addressed to the medical causes, even if it appears to be behavioral. Your doctor might screen for some underlying condition which causes this to be an symptom such as:
Nutritional Imbalance: Certain diets that do not fulfill specific nutrient and/or fiber requirements can prompt pets to eat things other than what’s intended for consumption. Gastric Distress/Irritability (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): Gastrointestinal inflammation, such as IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), can cause your cat to engage in this behavior out of the effort to pacify discomfort.
Certain Medical Illness: hyperthyroidism, anemia, IBD, gastrointestinal illness, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or issues concerning their oral cavity.
Important: This kind of change happening so abruptly in an older cat should be an urgent alert call to get him to the vet.
5. The Genetic Factor: Breed Predisposition
It’s not just your perception when you hear about particular types of cat that engage in this kind of behavior. Siamese, Burmese and other Oriental breed cats have a strong genetic predisposition to develop habits like wool sucking, and as such, they tend to get reported with this kind of behavior more than the average domestic cat.
Also Check: How to Treat a Respiratory Infection in a Pet Turtle?
Why You Must Take This Behavior Seriously: The Dangers
Sure, this may seem like just one of your cat’s weird, but harmless, behaviors. However, it could actually pose serious health risks. First and foremost, cats can and do swallow pieces of the blanket.
This can lead to something known as a gastrointestinal obstruction, a life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate veterinary care.
When your cat swallows fabric bits that are too large, they can cause a blockage in his intestines, preventing food from moving through his digestive system. This can lead to extreme vomiting and tissue damage in the abdomen, and he might even need surgery.
- Warning Signs of a Blockage:
- Vomiting repeatedly and Loss of energy
- Sleepiness and Inactivity and anorexia.
- Constipation/difficulty. In passing faeces and Bellyache (which the cat will try and show by hiding or sensitivity when touch.
- Consult your vet if you find evidence of these issues.
What to Do: A Step-by-Step Guide to Stopping the Behavior
The way to resolve this involves several multi-pronged initiatives.
Step 1: Veterinary Consultation – Rule Out the Medical
First, see the veterinarian for a behavioral consultation. Describe the problem exactly as it is happening, and the vet should give your pet a full physical examination and may recommend appropriate lab work such as blood count, chemical profile, and Urinalysis to ensure the behavior is not being caused by a disease such as diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, or nutritional problems.
Step 2: Environmental Enrichment – Banish Boredom
Once you and your vet are happy they are up to it, you’re free to think about how to make life even more interesting for your kitty. A worn out and bored out of her mind cat will not look to seek the solace of a comforting blanket for entertainment.
Give More Time for Play-based Interaction: Play is crucial to your cat’s physical and mental health, so try to dedicate a little time each day to playing together. Use tools like feather wands, laser toys, or prey-simulating playthings. Aim for 15 minutes of active play several times a day. Set Up a Different Toy-Based Solution: Some cats have learned to satisfy this habit by playing with tiny dog toys, dental chew toys, or other small objects not intended for cat-ingestion.
Puzzle Feeders: Provide puzzle feeders rather than just a bowl of food-this encourages engagement and makes meal time a mentally enriching activity. Constructing a cat-safe world Provide the cat with a vertical area to play and roam such as cat trees, window sills to perch upon, and scratching post.
Step 3: Manage Stress and Anxiety
List all of the things that may cause your cat stress, and attempt to reduce the amount of the stress occurring. Feliway is one example of a synthetic pheromone that may help to calm the home environment. Ensure there are calm, safe areas where your cat can escape and feel secure.
Step 4: Remove Access and Use Deterrents
- Make it Taste Bad: Spray cat safe anti-gnaw with a bitter flavor on the blanket so it is unappetizing for kitty to Chew on. Do test this on a small unseen portion of the blanket prior to coating the whole thing so you know it does not stain!
- Restrict access: Sometimes the most obvious answer works best. Put the most inviting blankets away in a storage box when they’re not in use, and close the doors to rooms in which other desirable textiles may lie exposed. If you want to keep a particular blanket out, ensure that a distraction toy is always readily available when your cat is in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
My cat chews blankets on me, what’s the main reason why?
Likely Behavioral. If your cat was weaned from his mother and littermates before he was ready or if there’s ongoing stress or boredom. Some kitties also have a predisposition, especially Oriental breeds, due to genetics.
Does chewing a Blanket on me mean I don’t have enough nutrients or Fiber for kitty?
Sometimes if your cat has something called ‘pica.’ That’s a condition where animals eat non-food substances. Some nutritional deficits and lack of fiber can lead to it. Take a vet’s input on your kitty’s diet.
Is chewing blankets gonna hurt MY CAT??
YES, It can be serious or even fatal. The greatest concern is that the feline would consume fibers and then that material gets tangled in the digestive system, causing intestinal blockage which demands immediate surgical intervention.
Are there kitties who tend to Chewy blankets more than others??
You betcha!! Cats of Oriental types, that would be Burmese and Siamese among others, have this predilection known for something like a ‘wool sucking’ or just pica itself but literally Any Cat Can Be Affected.
So, if kitty Chews Blankets, does kitty have Mental Health issues?
Not necessarily. Although in some cases this can indicate that they are experiencing obsessive-compulsive symptoms, most likely it really is just a coping mechanism used by some felines for a little bit of added peace during periods of stress. And this is also a very typical behavior if they didn’t spend enough time being nourished by the mother and her siblings from when they are weaned.
My Kitty fixates on ONE special blanket for Chewing – Why the heck?
Most probably have a favorite blanket with the right feel maybe it’s a type like wool or something super fuzzy. Perhaps the favorite has kitty’s preferred scent, which is usually the one that smells most strongly like us, or something associated with safety and comfort.
What’s The PLAN at the Veterinarian to Determine what may be causes of a blanket Chewing Cat?
During your kitty’s vet exam, your veterinarian will likely carry out physical check ups, possibly include blood work and/or urinalysis along with different checks on kitty’s digestive functions to rule out things like diabetes, anemia, etc., also Hyperthyroidism and others that can arise from it.
Is anything I can do right from my house to Help stop This behavior from my cat??
You can attempt applying a natural repellent to the blanket which has a repulsive taste for cats but is safe to ingest. You can attempt applying a natural repellent to the blanket which has a repulsive taste for cats but is safe to ingest.
Is there a chance my cat will naturally stop Chewing Blankets as He gets Older??
Certain behaviors originating from simple kittenhood habits related to the period of weaning from the mother can decrease over time. On the other hand, some cases of Pica or habit-based behaviors develop into chronic tendencies that do not go away without management efforts to support behavioral adjustment.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, your love for the cat that’s a constant source of warmth on the lap has its drawbacks! Here are some of the most obvious culprits behind the behavior along with simple solutions to curb their blanket habit. Once you make sure there aren’t underlying medical problems, you can turn to simple adjustments that can go a long way toward encouraging peaceful living on and off of those beautiful blankets.
