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Why Do Cats Chew On Plastic?

Cats often have unusual habits, like chewing on plastic.

This behavior is common among cats and has several potential reasons.

They might do it out of hunger or because of anxiety.

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1. Teething

Kittens enjoy chewing because it soothes their teething discomfort.

Chewing on hard surfaces like plastic provides relief.

Plastic is readily available at home and offers a balance of hardness and flexibility.

ALSO READ: Why do cats like the sunbathing?

2. Hunger

Cats may swallow plastic if it's near food or resembles their diet.

Hunger or nutritional dissatisfaction can contribute to this behavior.

Some plastic items have flavors cats find appealing.

It's crucial to keep such items out of reach of pets.

ALSO READ: Why do people prefer cats as pets rather than dogs?

3. Pica

Pica is a condition where cats eat non-food items, including plastic.

It can lead to dangerous internal blockages, requiring urgent veterinary care.

Nutritional deficiencies are a common cause; a balanced diet can help prevent it.

Medical issues or anxiety can also trigger pica.

Consult a vet if your cat exhibits this behavior.

ALSO READ: Why do cats attack pregnant women?

4. Anxiety and stress

Chewing can soothe and distract cats from stress.

Cats may start this behavior in new environments or with the arrival of new pets.

Loneliness can also trigger plastic chewing in cats.

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This article was compiled with the help of Artificial Intelligence

Can Cats See Things That Humans Can't? Veterinarians Reveal What Cat Vision Is Really Like

If you could develop any of a cat's sensory abilities, which would you choose? Perhaps hearing, so you can identify each of the many thousands of cockroaches in your building. Maybe proprioception so you, too, can fall from a four-story building and land on your feet. While these two senses offer a big upgrade in perceiving the world, you likely wouldn't take sight. While big cats like cheetahs have impeccable vision for spotting prey far across the savannah, house cats don't actually have great eyes.

So, what does their world look like? What can we see that they can't? In 2013, artist Nickolay Lamm visualized how the world looks through a cat's eyes. Among other key differences, like their expanded periphery and improved night vision, is their color perception. In these images, panoramic views blur and take on a desert-like palette. But where does their color perception start and end? Bruce Kornreich, veterinary cardiologist and director of the Cornell Feline Health Center, tells Inverse what's going on inside those mystifying eyes and how it mediates a cat's universe.

What colors can and can't my cat see?

"They do well with blues and yellows," Kornreich tells Inverse. But they have "a little more trouble … distinguishing greens and reds." It's not that cats can only see these two colors, but they're better at detecting these colors' nuances than others'. Blue and violet are at one end of that spectrum with shorter wavelengths, around 380 nanometers, while red is at the other end with long wavelengths at around 700 nm.

It's not that cats can't see reds and greens at all, Kornreich explains, "but they don't see them with the same richness of hue." This richness of hue is known as saturation. Certain colors in Lamm's cat-eye visualizations look washed out and not as vibrant. Red, for example, looks "just kind of like a dark color," Kornreich describes. Cats can better detect vibrancy on the blue-yellow end of the spectrum than the green-red end, which has everything to do with the types of cells in their retinas.

How do cat eyes work?

The eye's retinas are full of light-sensing cells called photoreceptors, like rods and cones. Rods help to see at night and help with peripheral vision, while cones enable colors to be seen. Feline cones contain two types of proteins called opsins. Opsins "change their structure when light hits them," Kornreich says. As in, opsins literally change shape in response to visible light. However, each opsin is stimulated by different wavelengths, which determines what color light they perceive. The opsins they possess are especially sensitive to blue and yellow light, which is why they see these colors best.

Since cats' cones have two opsins, which makes them what's called dichromatic, meaning they best perceive two light colors. Humans have a third type of opsin, making our eyes trichromatic. But "it's not as if [cats] can only see two colors," Kornreich says. Colors combine to create various blends that cats perceive at different degrees.

On the flip side, their rods give them solid night vision. They can better discern shapes in the dark, which is likely a predatory advantage for these crepuscular creatures. They evolved to hunt in the dim light of dawn and dusk, so a high contrast vision with low light comes in handy. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, cats can see six times better than humans in dim lighting.

"They have lots of rods, that's presumably an evolutionary advantage because they often hunt in low light," Kornreich says.

Should I only use colors my cat can see?

Still, there aren't necessarily any advantages that come with spoiling your kitty with blue and yellow toys. If you're disappointed that your cat can't enjoy the Christmas season or, say, learn to read traffic lights, take comfort in the fact that they can perfectly see the tranquil expression on your face as they sit on your chest, watching as you sleep.

Senior Cat's Growth Shrinks Before Surgery

Dear Dr. John,

Not too long ago, I noticed a substantially sized growth on my cat's underside. I adopted her from a shelter about 13 years ago as an adult cat. She was spayed at the shelter before I got her. When my vet showed me the growth more closely, it looked like she had a large fluid filled distended nipple. The vet recommended it be removed suggesting that it could be a cancerous growth. Could it be breast cancer or something else? The weird thing is she is scheduled to have it removed next week and the overall size of the swelling in the area is much smaller. Should I still proceed with the scheduled surgery? Why would a cancerous growth suddenly shrink? I'm also inclined not to have a biopsy done since she is so old, and it costs a lot. A.H.

Dear A.H.,

One can never say whether a growth is cancerous or not unless a biopsy is done. Often, veterinarians might consider doing a fine needle aspirate first in which a few cells are obtained by needle from a growth and examined to see if cancer is present or not. Based on the history you give; it appears that the cat may have been spayed as a young adult so breast adenocarcinoma is surely a possibility but the fact that the nipple appeared as it was, and the growth underneath shrunk in size suggests to me that your cat may have a cystic breast condition that may not be cancerous or a mixed tissue mass.

Cystic tissue sometimes gets smaller, and I cannot help but wonder if fluid leaked out of the nipple to allow the size to be reduced. I would suggest you proceed with the removal of the affected tissues and then have the biopsy done.

Depending on the result, you may decide to proceed with an oncology referral if necessary and subsequent chemotherapy or radiation. I would also ask about a preliminary chest radiograph to make sure that there is no sign of metastasis to the lungs since that is the most common location for that to happen. Hopefully, the removal of the growth and proper diagnostics such as biopsy will yield favorable answers for you. Good luck.

Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994

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