Pica in cats: when your cat eats plastic and string
Why some cats chew and swallow plastic, the warning signs of an intestinal blockage, and exactly what happens at the vet up to the decision to operate.
8/9/2026
· Gatsou Team
· health, safety
Some cats don't just play with the bag — they chew it and swallow it. Plastic, string, charger cables, bits of foam. Pica is far more common than most people think, and for as long as the piece stays in the mouth it's merely annoying. The moment it goes down into the gut, it becomes an emergency.
What is pica in cats?
Pica is the persistent urge to chew and swallow things that aren't food. It isn't a moment of curiosity — a cat with pica goes back to the same material again and again. It often starts in the first months of life and can carry on into adulthood.
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Plastic bags and cling film — the sound, the texture and the smell of food on them make them irresistible
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String, thread, ribbon, tinsel — by far the most dangerous of all
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Fabric and wool, so-called 'wool sucking' — more common in Siamese and Oriental breeds
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Elastic bands, cables, paper, soil from houseplants
Why does my cat eat plastic?
There is rarely a single cause. Usually several overlap.
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Early weaning — kittens separated from their mother too soon keep the oral need to suckle
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Stress and boredom — a monotonous environment, little play, changes at home
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Genetic predisposition — Siamese, Burmese and other Oriental breeds show pica more often
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A diet low in fibre, or a constant feeling of hunger
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Medical causes — anaemia, hyperthyroidism, intestinal inflammation, dental pain, parasites
That's why the first step isn't training, it's a vet check. If anaemia or a digestive problem is driving the behaviour, no amount of environmental change will stop it.
When is it an emergency? The signs of a blockage
The real problem isn't the chewing, it's the piece that went down. A foreign body can lodge in the stomach or the intestine and block it. Symptoms often take hours, sometimes a day or two, to show up.
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Repeated retching with nothing coming up — the single most suspicious sign
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Vomiting right after eating, or even after drinking water
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Refusing food, even a favourite treat
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Lethargy, hiding, unwillingness to lie down or settle
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A hard or painful belly on touch
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No stools, or straining in the litter tray with no result
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String or thread hanging from the mouth or the anus
Never pull on string or thread hanging from your cat's mouth or anus. If the other end is anchored, you're pulling the intestine along with it and the string can cut through it like a wire. Don't induce vomiting on your own initiative either. Go to the vet immediately.
What the vet will do: X-ray or ultrasound?
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Physical exam
Palpating the abdomen and carefully checking the mouth, especially under the tongue, where string often anchors. You'll be asked what was swallowed, how much and when — answer as specifically as you can.
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Imaging
An abdominal X-ray, an ultrasound, or both. Plastic and fabric usually don't show up on an X-ray, so the vet looks for indirect signs such as dilated loops of bowel or an unusual gas pattern. Ultrasound gives a better view of the intestinal wall and any fluid around it.
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Repeat imaging a few hours later
If the first images are inconclusive and your cat is stable, imaging is often repeated after several hours. The point is to see whether the foreign body has moved along on its own or whether the picture of obstruction is getting worse.
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The decision
If the object isn't moving, if there's a clear obstruction, or if your cat is deteriorating, endoscopy or surgery follows. That decision comes from the combination of imaging and clinical progress, not from a single X-ray.
Time matters more than anything else here. A foreign body pressing on the intestinal wall can cause a perforation and peritonitis within hours. An unnecessary visit costs far less than a late one.
The sign never to ignore is repeated retching that produces nothing. In a cat that chews plastic or string, that does not wait until morning.
How do I protect my cat from pica?
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Clear away the bait — bags, string, elastic bands, tinsel and threaded needles belong in closed cupboards
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Offer allowed alternatives — cat grass and toys that stand up to chewing
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Two short sessions of active play a day make a real difference to boredom
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Enrich the space — height, hiding spots and puzzle feeders that turn eating into work
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Talk to your vet about diet — more fibre, or smaller and more frequent meals, helps some cats
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Don't punish — the extra stress usually makes pica worse
Keep notes on every episode: what was swallowed, how much, when, and what followed. You can log incidents and vet visits in your Gatsou healthbook, so your vet sees the pattern rather than just today's episode.
Frequently asked
My cat ate a piece of plastic — should I worry?
Call your vet and describe the size and type of material. Very small pieces often pass on their own, but larger or sharp pieces, and anything long and thin like string, need to be examined. Until then, watch closely for vomiting, refusal to eat and lethargy.
How long does it take for a blockage to show?
There's no fixed window. Some cats show signs within a few hours, others after a day or two, depending on where the object has lodged. That's why monitoring continues even if your cat seems fine at first.
Can a foreign body pass on its own?
Yes, small smooth objects often pass through the digestive tract without trouble. But that call belongs to your vet, based on the exam and imaging. Waiting at home to see if it comes out is the most common mistake in these cases.
Can pica be cured?
In many cats it can be reduced a great deal. Medical causes are ruled out first, then you work on environment, play and diet, alongside removing the dangerous materials. For persistent cases, a behaviour specialist is worth involving.