Changes

Young cats that wool-suck before the age of 6 months will probably stop spontaneously, but should be given alternative safe objects to chew. Food that is chewy may help to redirect the behaviour. Hide-based dog chews tend to be too hard for cats and have little flavour but they can be adapted by soaking them in hot water until the hide becomes softer. It may then be flavoured to make it appealing, using a few drops of fish sauce used for oriental cooking. The pieces must be sufficiently large that they cannot be swallowed whole. Other alternatives include dental hygiene dried cat food, which comes in large pieces, or meat jerky sold for human consumption.

Young cats that wool-suck before the age of 6 months will probably stop spontaneously, but should be given alternative safe objects to chew. Food that is chewy may help to redirect the behaviour. Hide-based dog chews tend to be too hard for cats and have little flavour but they can be adapted by soaking them in hot water until the hide becomes softer. It may then be flavoured to make it appealing, using a few drops of fish sauce used for oriental cooking. The pieces must be sufficiently large that they cannot be swallowed whole. Other alternatives include dental hygiene dried cat food, which comes in large pieces, or meat jerky sold for human consumption.

The same diversionary tactic can be tried with adult-onset cases of pica and the texture of the chewing substitute should be matched to the cat’s existing preference. These cats should also be provided with general environmental enrichment and any specific underlying environmental or social stressors should be dealt with. Psychoactive medication may be used, with SRI and SSRI drugs producing significant improvement in both juvenile post-weaning and adult-onset cases of pica, although the mode of action of the drug in the two conditions may be different. Clomipramine should be given at an initial dose of 0.25 mg/kg once daily, rising in dose to 0.5 mg/kg once daily if there is insufficient response after 4-6 weeks.

The same diversionary tactic can be tried with adult-onset cases of pica and the texture of the chewing substitute should be matched to the cat’s existing preference. These cats should also be provided with general environmental enrichment and any specific underlying environmental or social stressors should be dealt with. Psychoactive medication may be used, with SRI and SSRI drugs producing significant improvement in both juvenile post-weaning and adult-onset cases of pica, although the mode of action of the drug in the two conditions may be different. Clomipramine should be given at an initial lower dose, rising to a higher dose if there is insufficient response after 4-6 weeks.

Drug therapy should be continued until a period of 6-8 weeks without pica has elapsed, and the cat is chewing the alternatives provided.

Drug therapy should be continued until a period of 6-8 weeks without pica has elapsed, and the cat is chewing the alternatives provided.

*Provide substitute to chew and consider feeding a chewy dental diet [e.g. Hill’s t/d].

*Provide substitute to chew and consider feeding a chewy dental diet [e.g. Hill’s t/d].

*Psychoactive medication; Clomipramine, or Fluoxetine are first choices.

*Psychoactive medication; Clomipramine, or Fluoxetine are first choices.

==Prognosis==

==Prognosis==