Cats can also exhibit other symptoms associated with pica or its results, such as: The hallmark symptom noted with pica is the actual behavior itself-chewing, sucking, or ingesting non-edible materials. Pica isn’t always the sign of an underlying health issue, but the results can be devastating-including health risks to the cat, damage to the pet parent’s belongings, and erosion of the human-animal bond.

The science of this disorder is not well understood, but the behavior eventually becomes obsessive due to increased reward sensations from the behavior itself, which promotes more of the behavior. Pica is not very common, but because the material ingested is inedible, it will cause stomach upset and can also become lodged in the gastrointestinal tract causing multiple conditions, including being life-threatening if left untreated. Pica is defined as the consistent chewing, sucking, or consumption of inappropriate and inedible materials, most commonly seen with cardboard, fabric, paper, plants, plastic, rubber, soil, and wood.

Pica cats symptoms