Pica

Involves the ingestion of non-food items. Commonly reported items which cats may chew include wool, fabric, wood, plastic, paper and plants (Case, 2003, Horwitz & Mills 2009). The molar teeth are often used to chew holes in such materials. Pica should not be confused with the kitten behaviour of suckling which in some cats persists into adulthood. When adult cats exhibit suckling behaviour, material is not ingested but simply sucked repetitively and the action is often accompanied by kneading with the front paws.