Changes

==Treatment==

==Treatment==

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 provided with an enriched environment and access only to safe objects to chew. Food that is chewy may also help to redirect the behaviour. Hide-based dog chews are too hard for cats, and have little flavour, but they can be softened by soaking in warm water. It can also be flavoured to make it appealing, for example with a few drops of fish sauce added to the water used to soften it. 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. Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SRI) and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) drugs produce 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.

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 preferences. 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. Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SRI) and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) drugs can produce significant improvement in both juvenile post-weaning and adult-onset cases of pica. [[Clomipramine]] should be given at low-end initial 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.