In fact, in addition to dogs, cats can also have xenophagia: wires, headphone cords, chewing on cardboard boxes, eating plants, etc.
What are the causes of xenophagy in cats?
1, lack of trace elements. When the cat lacks vitamins and minerals in the body, it will show signs of heterophagy.
2. Infection with parasites. If the cat also vomits, blood in the stool, body wasting, rough coat without luster these symptoms, it may be infected with internal parasites.
3. Indigestion. There is undigested protein in the cat’s stool, which is then eaten as food for secondary absorption.
4, this may be a manifestation of the cat’s compulsive behavior. Cats that are stressed will also relieve themselves by gnawing on things. Pay attention to what causes stress in cats, and if the degree of gnawing and swallowing of foreign objects is severe, rule out illness first, at which point you may need to do a more detailed consultation with a behavioral trainer to solve the problem.
5, there is another situation in which cats swallow foreign objects, which may be unintentionally enhanced by the owner. If the cat was originally motivated to explore the environment, by chance to gnaw on something, the owner is very anxious to fight with it, will unintentionally enhance the cat’s behavior of gnawing on this thing, “Since you and I fight, this must be something good!” The cat might think so.
6, there are also some cat breeds that are genetically predisposed to prefer chewing on things like cloth, such as Siamese cats and Burmese cats.
What’s the best way to improve it?
1, regular deworming for cats. Sometimes cats eat indiscriminately because of the growth of parasites in the body, the worms absorb the cat’s nutrition, resulting in a lack of nutrients in the cat to appear heterophagia.
2. Supplementation of nutrients. The lack of trace elements in the cat’s body can also lead to the emergence of heterophagy, so the daily feeding management is very important, and the owner should reasonably match the cat’s diet to ensure balanced nutrition.
3, feed your cat snacks in moderation. Many owners especially spoil their cats, will feed it a lot of snacks, which will lead to picky eating and malnutrition.
4. The owner cares more about the company. Some cats have psychological problems because the owner does not care about it for a long time, so the owner should care more about it.
For things that cats like to chew on, you can put cat-sensitive scents on them, such as deodorant and perfume, and cats will stay away from them out of disgust.
