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Pica cats treatment10/4/2023 Plucking the target resembles pica but is a misdirected prey-related activity. Some owners provide an old sweater for the cat to suckle on while protecting other garments by storing them away from the cat or dabbing hot chilli sauce onto them. More rarely it becomes a compulsive behaviour or progresses to pica. Usually it decreases naturally as the kitten grows up, but it may persist or resurface in early-weaned or hand-reared cats, particularly at times of stress. In general, the younger a kitten is when it is weaned, the stronger the urge to nurse and the more persistent the comfort-nursing. Behavioural treatment may be needed to build up the cat's confidence so it no longer resorts to "comfort nursing". Other commonly suckled objects include the cat's own tail, other cats or pet dogs. Though sometimes mistaken for wool-eating, the item (sweater, blanket etc) is only sucked, not chewed, bitten or swallowed. It's similar to a child's thumb-sucking in providing comfort. Wool-sucking (or fabric-sucking) is a misdirected form of nursing. Sometimes it is a displacement activity where an abnormal activity is substituted for normal behaviour because the cat can't express the more normal behaviour i.e. The challenge is to make the behaviour unrewarding and redirect the behaviour into something rewarding for the cat and acceptable to the owner. The reward might be a nice taste, a full stomach or simply getting attention from the owner. Like many obsessive or abnormal behaviours, the cat persists in doing it because the it is comforting or rewarding. Eating a little grass or herbs is normal cat behaviour indoor cats may eat houseplants if there is no grass accessible. Other objects have included cassette tape and the rubber "teat" section of a child's dummy (pacifier). Commonly consumed target items include wool, string, elastic bands, electrical cords, tissues, tinsel and houseplants. It should not be confused with the suckling/nursing behaviour that some cats retain into adulthood. The behaviour ranges from sucking, chewing and biting through to swallowing bites of items.
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