It is important to rule out medical concerns initially when dealing with pica and to note that even when the basis is thought to be behavioral, there are cases where pica can contribute to intestinal blockage which can be quite dangerous. Various theories as to the motivation for the behavior range from medical conditions, to a need for more fiber in the diet, early weaning, emotional upset, stress or lack of choice and control.
Pica also refers to eating non nutritive substances and is commonly seen in cats that suckle or consume fabric, plastic or foreign objects. Grass chewing in cats is not strictly pica as cats often exhibit a natural preference for grass when it is available and ingesting it may benefit digestion. It has been found to satisfy nutritional deficiencies when chalk, ashes, or bones are consumed for phosphorus or when clay or dirt is consumed for iron. This behavior is seen in humans as well as cats.
So why do some cats consume plastic, fabric and other inedible objects? “Pica” is defined as an atypical desire for and eating of substances not normally eaten. Cats are meat eaters and hunters, “obligate carnivores” who depend on those amino acids found only in meat for complete nutrition.
