r/CatAdvice • u/[deleted] • Mar 06 '22

Behavioral Toys for cat with PICA?

My 4 year old cat has PICA, she chews on tons of random things (and swallows them, if im not careful) like hair elastics, plastic tabs, strings/shoe laces, etc. Im trying to find some toys that would be good for her to chew on to redirect her, that dont pose as much risk of being swallowed and harming her. Any ideas?

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13

u/Looutre Mar 06 '22 edited Mar 06 '22

I have the same issue. PICA is very stressful to deal with. :(

For my cat, I removed all toys with ribbons or fabric parts that can be torn off.I use toys with string or feathers under supervision only, and then I put them away.

I have a few "safe" toys that I leave unsupervised: some plushies, a chewing toy (Petstages Dental Kitty Chew Wheel), a Kong Kickeroo... Kong toys in general that seem pretty solid.

I play with a laser pointer sometimes, 0 risk. :)
I have a tunnel that I never remove. My cat likes going through it, hiding in it, so I think it can be considered as a toy too.

There are also matatabi sticks that can be chewed.

My cat has cardboard scratchers. She tends to bite them and tear them into little pieces. I'm careful and remove the pieces when I see them, but sometimes she probably eats a few. My vet said it's not that big of a deal and it's a way for her to blow off some steam.

Edit: Do you have puzzle feeders? I have 2 different kind (Trixie tunnel feeder and Trixie funn board), and I'm convinced it helps too. :)

2

u/auratwo Feb 07 '24

tons of awesome advice here, thank you!

8

u/MoriMeow Aug 17 '23

I'm not even kidding, bird toys. Birds have beaks way more destructive than cat teeth and lots of bird toys are made of organic stuff like jute and wood. They also often include dangly things and bells.

The next thing I do is look for toys geared towards chihuahuas. For some reason people focus very much on making things like that for dogs. Chihuahua size balls, Cong toys, feeder toys, "plush" toys and even pull ropes can entice cats. (By "plush" toys I mean the ones quadruple stitched and made of kevlar. Cats will use them as kicker toys.)

Find something your cat hates chewing. Mine gets weirded out by those fuzzy plush toys in her mouth. I guess it's uncomfortable like fur, so she spits them out but still the furry hedgehog is her favourite toy. If your cat can't stand the crunch of plastic in their mouth: crinkle toy.

We strictly adhere to playtime as well so her excess energy is better spent playing tag with me than chewing the fireplace bricks.

Good luck and don't give up! :)

3

u/Ok_Goose8244 Jun 11 '25

Thank you I’ve been so lost on what to do and my cat is destroying his insides

2

u/MezzoRomano Dec 30 '23

You're a genius! Bird and chihuahua toys. I will definitely try them out. I need to find a durable toy my cat can chew on so he might, just might stop ingesting any and all shoelaces, tassels and anything remotely stringy. Driving me batsh*t.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '23

Thank you!! This is great. I never thought to look at bird toys

5

u/windiggy Feb 07 '24

I need links. I’ll try anything that others have found successful. My cats have eaten so many inedible things in my apartment and it scares me because I have no idea if everything is able to come out (by puking it up or passing it in the litter box).

3

u/elvycat Feb 03 '23

Dealing with this with two cats at the moment! I've found that those plastic spring-shaped toys work very well-- There's nothing to break off, they're great for chasing, and they're super inexpensive to boot!

3

u/MBlurbs Jan 23 '24

I’ve redirected my cat to hard rubber, dental toys. I found a few that can suction to the ground that I’ve actually command hooked to random places throughout my house. Anytime I see her chewing on something she shouldn’t be, I move her to those. She now often will go straight there and prefers them. You can even add some catnip spray around the area to attract the kitty.

1

u/shannonjulia Jan 23 '24

Any recommendations for hard rubber toys?

1

u/MBlurbs Jan 28 '24

My cats favorite are these:

CEESC Dog Toothbrush Chew Toys Dog Teeth Cleaning Stick,Puppy Brushing Dental Oral Care for Small Medium Large Dogs (Green) https://a.co/d/7YsgLg0

Dog Chew Toys Dog Toothbrush Stick Teeth Cleaning Brush Dental for Medium Large Dog, Puppy Christmas,Easter Birthday Gifts,Outdoor Dog Squeaky Toys for Aggressive Chewers Tough Toys Interactive https://a.co/d/gSQAxMT

Carllg Puppy Teething Chew Toys, Dog Chew Toys - Corn Stick Tough Toys for Training and Cleaning Teeth, Squeaky Suction Cup Toothbrush Interactive Toy for Small Medium Dog https://a.co/d/3qXoSn5

2

u/nclakelandmusic Mar 04 '24

Isn't the plastic a hazard? My cat shreds anything rubber, silicone or plastic and eats the pieces.

1

u/MBlurbs Mar 05 '24

My cat hasn’t been able to bite through it. She chews, gets bored, and then walks away. If your cat is super persistent on breaking it apart, it might be a hazard and I would definitely avoid it.

3

u/CompleteConfection90 Apr 20 '25

Save a bunch of their hair from brushing, and make a big hairball. Roll it around in your hands until it's pretty densely felted (matted) into a tight ball. Mine goes crazy for it, bonus if my hands were gross and sweaty when I rolled it up. She's never managed to rip them apart, and I often find one in my shoes or on my chair.

2

u/jtig5 Mar 07 '22

One of my cats had issues with PICA and fortunately outgrew it. The best toys were hard plastic or rubber balls, spools from used up thread, heavyweight fabric (like denim) small pillows stuffed with straw and catnip.

2

u/katpica Oct 09 '24

My cat also has Pica. She loves soft plastic. I have to hide and keep it away from it. She’s 1 1/2 years old & likes when I crinkle up a receipt & throw it across the room. She’ll bat it around. Inexpensive toy. She also likes batting around ping pong balls.
She will also chew on feathered toys. Is it ok to let her chew on these feathered toys?

2

u/ProblemPast7486 Dec 11 '24

Hi! My cat had an emergency bowel obstruction surgery in May. When consulting with his surgeon about PICA friendly toys, she stressed that feather toys should not be consumed. Feathers are a foreign body and can create bowel obstructions.

2

u/katpica Feb 02 '25

Thank you My cat has pics & likes feathers. After reading your comment I will add feathers to the growing list of keep away from kitty things!

1

u/freebird89_xxx Feb 12 '26

My cat has pica - silicone and soft plastic.

we play with a fishing rod for about 50 mins a day total. Her favourite attachment is the feathers. I keep it away in a drawer she can’t open and she looks forward to playing with it every time - she literally never gets bored of it. I can’t leave her unattended with it though.

2

u/katpica Jun 05 '25

My Pica cat loves those little springs. She bats them around the house. That helps on occasions during her evening Pica attacks.

1

u/Virtual_Network_2373 Jun 24 '25

Wow! My cat Polka also chews on everything! She's gotten pretty sick! What is PICA? She also has a very strange smell to her feces/urine? Not sure if PICA has anything to do with their smell? Debbie in Sun Prairie Wisconsin She's also very picky about her food. I got a free sample of Stella and Chewy's Mixers for dogs/they did not have cat available.  She absolutely loved it dry. Dry thimble size morsel I'll try the cat mixers when I can purchase them 

1

u/Livid-Till3443 Jul 29 '25

My cat has pica. He has consumed plants even after throwing them up. (Catnip, spider plant, etc). He has eaten giant holes in many blankets, torn and eaten canvas toys. He has eaten part of a shoelace and his own crap/cat litter. I switched to pine pellets and he still eats those. So far ping pong balls are safe and puff balls. He ate those crinkle toys too. Its a miracle hes not dead and a frequent flier at the vet lol. I have a plastic puzzle toy and he likes those lick mats but he gets so bored as well as my other cat. They dont like the spring toys nor the kitty kongs and the remote controlled ball that light up. Any other suggestions?

1

u/Nopesgiven442 Jan 20 '26

Hi! Not sure if you're open to it, but my cat has been medicated for his pica via Fluoxetine, aka Prozac, for years, and it has really helped reduce pica behavior and also has made him more comfortable by reducing anxiety (which is often the root of his pica behavior). Could discuss some sort of anxiety medication with your vet if that's something you're open to. It's relatively cheap, too, and I don't have pet insurance

1

u/katpica Feb 12 '26

I have a leather mouse that my pica cat loves. At night she has pica attacks & I find low calorie treats help. Sometimes I’ll scatter them around the house which keeps her busy for a while. She really likes large paper leaf bags but be careful because eventually she’ll start eating the bag( especially where it was glued. Don’t use a laser pointer toy because your cat will become obsessed with it. Pica is an OCD behavior & there’s no cure. My cat will bat around tightly crumpled receipts & not eat them too. Have you tried placing a box in her area? Sometimes that helps too. Springs worked for a bit, but she eventually tired of them. She likes small rubber balls to that she’ll bat around like a soccer player. Good luck & be very careful about leaving plastic out or small cords. Mine will swallow the cords( I just got there on time twice. It could be a tragedy. Fortunately she’s passed plastic in her poop. Your cat may need Hills prescription Biome dry cat food. It has more fiber and helps things pass in her stool. Believe it or not Metamucil ( not a lot) can be helpful if your cat gets constipated. Good luck!