![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
Ever wonder about your cat's strange behavior? Other people do, too. (Not about your cat, about their own cats.) Someone wrote to the Science Times section of the NY Times, asking why his or her cat licked or chewed plastic bags from the grocery store. The answer is that no one really knows, but get this:
"Occasionally a cat's taste for plastic represents an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can be treated with a tricyclic antidepressant drug, most often clomipramine."
You and your cat could be on the same med.Ilene
Posted by Sarah T. on July 5, 2005, at 17:38:40
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
Hi, Ilene.
A few years ago, I read that cats like to chew/eat plastic because they like the oils in plastic. Even if they like the oils, it's best to prohibit them from chewing on it. They might end up with an intestinal obstruction. I have a question about something ALL of my cats do:If I'm reading the newspaper on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the newspaper, not just on the article I'm reading, but on the very paragraph I'm reading. If I'm looking at a map spread out on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the map at that moment, not just on the grid I'm interested in, but on the very city or street I'm looking for. Does anyone know why cats do this? Is it simply that they want to be the center of attention, or is it something else?
Posted by Phil on July 5, 2005, at 18:06:28
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
My cat's gonna have to cover his own co-pay.
Posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 18:07:42
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Ilene, posted by Sarah T. on July 5, 2005, at 17:38:40
> Hi, Ilene.
> A few years ago, I read that cats like to chew/eat plastic because they like the oils in plastic. Even if they like the oils, it's best to prohibit them from chewing on it. They might end up with an intestinal obstruction. I have a question about something ALL of my cats do:
>
> If I'm reading the newspaper on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the newspaper, not just on the article I'm reading, but on the very paragraph I'm reading. If I'm looking at a map spread out on the floor or a table, my cats have to sit on the map at that moment, not just on the grid I'm interested in, but on the very city or street I'm looking for. Does anyone know why cats do this? Is it simply that they want to be the center of attention, or is it something else?To quote the New York Times, "As with so many cat behaviors, the exact reason remains mysterious, said Dr. Katherine Houpt, a veterinary behaviorist and professor of animal behavior at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
Her informed guess is that cats tend to go after something novel in their territory, both checking it out and marking it as theirs."
I suppose that answer, which refers to the attraction plastic bags hold for some cats, is just as valid for why they sit on whatever you are reading. I don't think that sitting-on-what-you-are-reading qualifies as OCD, though.
I.
Posted by crazy teresa on July 5, 2005, at 20:57:19
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
My cat only likes chewy plastic. We have no Barbies left with feet. Would you recommend antipsychotic meds? ;~}
crazy t
Posted by partlycloudy on July 5, 2005, at 21:35:50
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
My cat Psycho only chews flip flops. She prefers platforms, thank you.
Posted by justyourlaugh on July 5, 2005, at 23:17:00
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Ilene, posted by Sarah T. on July 5, 2005, at 17:38:40
inking now is all vegetable oils...
maybe kitty needs a salad!
j
Posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 23:41:15
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Ilene, posted by crazy teresa on July 5, 2005, at 20:57:19
> My cat only likes chewy plastic. We have no Barbies left with feet. Would you recommend antipsychotic meds? ;~}
>
> crazy tI don't know if cats take antipsychotic meds, but it would probably be cheaper to replace the Barbies, or maybe keep them in a drawer that the cats can't open.
I.
Posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 23:43:03
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Sarah T., posted by justyourlaugh on July 5, 2005, at 23:17:00
> inking now is all vegetable oils...
> maybe kitty needs a salad!
> jOne of my cats likes greens. Unfortunately they make her barf.
I.
Posted by sleepygirl on July 5, 2005, at 23:43:07
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
Posted by Sarah T. on July 5, 2005, at 23:50:58
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » Sarah T., posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 18:07:42
I think my older cat has a touch of OCD. Usually, when she has a bowel movement in her litter box, she spends an inordinate amount of time covering it up, long after it's completely covered. Sometimes she spends 10 or 15 minutes trying to cover what she's already covered!
Posted by sleepygirl on July 6, 2005, at 12:53:02
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
I love to watch my cat in the window. She makes the strangest little grunty sounds when she sees the birds. It's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Posted by GreySkyEyes on July 6, 2005, at 14:44:46
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
Yeah, I think OCD describes my cat. He actually wanders around the house aimlessly until he finds a grocery bag, then plops himself down and licks himself into a stupor. I've seen his eyes glaze over. I usually shoo him away if I catch him but he's sneaky.
Posted by Racer on July 7, 2005, at 17:42:28
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats, posted by sleepygirl on July 6, 2005, at 12:53:02
> I love to watch my cat in the window. She makes the strangest little grunty sounds when she sees the birds. It's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.
That's actually a kind of practice of the neck bite they use to kill their prey.
Isn't it funny, how what looks so cute in one light, looks so much darker from another angle? I used to say my cat was "calling the birds" until someone told me what it was...
Posted by Racer on July 7, 2005, at 17:45:20
In reply to Crazy Cats, posted by Ilene on July 5, 2005, at 16:40:28
> You and your cat could be on the same med.
>
> IleneLoL!!
Actually, my cat and I do share a medication, although it's not clomipramine. We both take cyproheptidine, and I usually just give him my prescription, since it's cheaper that way...
When I told his vet that I had a prescription for it, she looked at me and said, "for itchies, or appetite stimulation?" Those are what he takes it for. I told her no, it was to reduce side effects of another med...
Posted by sleepygirl on July 7, 2005, at 19:32:49
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats » sleepygirl, posted by Racer on July 7, 2005, at 17:42:28
wow how creepy!! She's not cute at all she's a monster!! Just kidding, I still love that little fur ball.
thanks for the info,
:-) sleepy
Posted by Ilene on July 7, 2005, at 20:09:44
In reply to Re: Crazy Cats, posted by sleepygirl on July 6, 2005, at 12:53:02
> I love to watch my cat in the window. She makes the strangest little grunty sounds when she sees the birds. It's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.
I call it the "bird at the window" noise. I figure the cat must know he can't get the bird, otherwise he wouldn't make noise. What's strange about my cat is that he makes the noise even when he sees a mockingbird, because they swoop down and chase him when they see him in the yard. He is the hunted, and not the hunter of mockingbirds.
I.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.