Cats lick plastic bags because they like it! There’s no other reason behind that weird habit – but, the thing is, we don’t know why they like it. Some people believe it’s because of the smell, others because of the taste, or maybe it’s because of how a plastic bag feels.
When you used a plastic bag to carry food, it’s easy to understand why cats like to lick them. Your grocery bag has the scent of meat all over it. But what about other plastic bags? Your cat may love to lick the bag you got from the hardware store just as much as any other.
At the end of the day, we don’t know why cats like to lick plastic bags, we just know that they love to do it. There’s something cats know that we don’t!
Are plastic bags dangerous for cats?
Plastic bags and cats do not mix. You need to keep your pet away from plastic no matter what. If your cat licks a plastic bag, there’s no problem there – but if you let it swallow plastic, you may have to take it on an emergency trip to the vet.
Even though we don’t think about it, plastic bags are dangerous. If your cat takes a bite out of a bag, the bits and pieces could get stuck in its stomach and threaten its life. Only emergency surgery would save your cat from trouble in that scenario.
If your cat is playing with a plastic bag, it could end up tangled with it and hurt itself. If your cat wraps its head around a plastic bag, it could run out of oxygen. There are a lot of terrible outcomes when a cat is dealing with a plastic bag!
What should I do if my cat licked a plastic bag?
When your cat’s playing with or licking a plastic bag, the first thing you need to do is take it away from your cat. Make sure there are no holes in it to rule out that your cat has taken a bite from it. Then, keep the plastic bags away!
The important thing is making sure your cat didn’t eat a piece of plastic. If you’re not sure what happened, keep an eye on your cat. Symptoms like vomiting are the result of eating plastic.
You need to take your cat to the vet if it has eaten plastic to determine what your next steps should be. Don’t worry, though, your vet will surely know what to do to keep your cat safe!
How do I make my cat stop licking plastic bags?
The only thing you can do to make your cat stop licking plastic bags is to keep plastic bags away from your cat. You can also talk to a pet trainer to discuss a strategy to deal with this bad habit – but never use corporal punishment to do so!
The best way to draw attention away from plastic bags is to keep your cat busy. Buy chewing toys for your cat to play and it will forget all about plastic bags. If your cat is feeling anxious, a scratching pole may help. Distractions are the best way to deal with this situation.