Why Do Cats Lick and Chew Plastic? – 9 Reasons for This Odd Behavior

You, as well as millions of other cat owners, are very familiar with this scenario. As you’re putting your groceries away, you hear some swishing.

You look, and you see your cat all over your shopping bag. It’s playing with it, licking it like a toy, and incredibly territorial about it. But why do cats lick plastic bags anyway, and what makes them so crazy about it? How can the most straightforward plastic bag become its favorite toy and place within minutes? Is it the smell? Is it the texture? Is it the taste? Well, it is all of those and then some.

There are plenty of reasons why your cat is in love with your plastic bags, and we will explore them all to solve the mystery of their love for plastic.

Disclaimer: Plastic bags are not toys – much like you wouldn’t give a human toddler a plastic bag to play with. Plastic bags are dangerous and can cause suffocation. However, it is essential to explain why cats are attracted to and interested in plastic bags, hence the reason for this article. As with everything, please use common sense and better judgment when living with cats.

Why Do Cats Like To Sit Inside Plastic Bags?

There are several reasons why plastic bags can set off your cat’s senses, making them love sitting in a plastic bag. All kinds of scents and aromas are left by animal fat and other products that have been carried in the bag. Plus, the crinkly sound of plastic can entertain a cat and even help reduce their anxiety.

Plus, plastic bags provide a new sheltered space. If your cat is compulsive to hide away, then a plastic bag with all those delicious food smells might be very enticing.

Reason No. 1 – The Amazing Smell

Enticing food smells. It’s all about the bag’s smell…and, most importantly, everything in it. That’s right, it’s a whole whirlpool of smells in your plastic bags. Why? Because plastic preserves the smell of the items that were in it.

While this may be difficult for your nose to notice, it is not the same for your cat, which has a keen sense of smell and can feel everything in high definition. The beef, fish, and cheese in your bag a week ago still smell pretty awesome for your cat today. Now think about the past of your plastic bags and all the deliciousness in them. Your cat certainly is. So, it makes perfect sense that your cat is licking them. Not only do they taste like plastic (we’ll get to why that’s interesting right away), but they also taste like a full-on meal.

Plastic bags are like lollipops for your cat. So, next time you see your cat licking a bag, think about the things you had in it to understand their enthusiasm.

Reason No. 2 – That Dazzling Swishing

Not only do cats have a very acute sense of smell, but they also have excellent hearing. So when that bag starts swishing, it sounds incredibly enticing to them, and they start playing. They’ll sit on the bag and start moving it with their paws, licking it, and biting it, and what do they get in return? A plastic symphony, of course. Every move the bag makes sounds fantastic to your cat.

This is also one of the reasons why they spend so much time playing with bags. As we said above, bags are their new favorite toys every single time, so it makes perfect sense that they want to enjoy them. Also, the bag never runs out of batteries. It will swish every time they touch it, so it’s unlimited fun with plastic bags for your cat.

Reason No. 3 – That Smooth Texture

Along with the cats’ highly developed sense of smell and hearing comes their sense of touch. Their paws and the rest of their skin can feel the finest of textures.

Wild cats need that to get a good idea of their terrain and get quicker reactions to be better hunters. As for your household cat, this refined sense of touch makes plastic bags feel fantastic. Imagine feeling a plastic bag’s smooth, lush texture in high definition and all around your body. It’s slippery, it’s polished, it’s glossy, and it is amazing. This is why your cat rubs its entire body on it.

So, the next time you see your kitty stretching all over your plastic bag, rest assured that it’s having the time of its life.

Reason No. 4 – Those Irresistible Pheromones

Mental short circuit. A lesser-known fact about the simple shopping bag is that it is made from plastic containing substances quite similar in smell to pheromones.

This simple detail remains impossible to notice for humans, but it drives cats crazy. With one whiff of your bag, it will get an instant boost and feel incredibly excited about the bag. So, it will go on to cuddle it for hours because the smell is breathtaking.

This is also one of the reasons why your cat likes some bags better than others (plastic bags are all the rage), regardless of their previous contents. It’s not only the fish in your bag minutes ago that can make a plastic bag irresistible, but also its chemical structure. More importantly, the presence of those pheromone smell-alikes.

Reason No. 5 – That Corn Starch Deliciousness

The corn starch factor. Yes, you read that right. Many biodegradable plastic bags are made with corn starch, which cats seem very attracted to. So, the next time you get one of those smooth-textured bio bags, expect your cat to be excited about it.

The smell, taste, and texture feel fantastic for your cat, so it is bound to love that bio bag immediately. Moreover, it is entirely different from the regular plastic bag it has been playing with, making it a novelty. Your cat will be even more curious to play with it, stretch in it, and, inevitably, lick it.

Even though the corn starch will make a difference, you shouldn’t be worried about your cat eating the bag. If this happens, the situation is entirely different. We’ll get to that right away.

Reason No. 8 – All of These Things Combined

Now that we’ve unraveled the mysteries of the beloved plastic bags and you know that there’s more than meets the eye…and the nose when it comes to shopping bags, we’d like to point out that your cat experienced all of these things simultaneously. Please take a moment to think about it. The simple plastic bag feels, smells, tastes, and sounds terrific all at once.

This is why your cat loves it so much. When you present that bag to your cat, it gets on a sensory roller-coaster. They can feel the lanolin on the bag simultaneously with the delicious fish you had in it last week while enjoying the smooth texture all over its body.

And to top it all out, it swishes every time it touches it, which makes your cat want to play. The next time you see your kitty playing with a bag, rest assured that it is having a great time.

Reason No. 9 – Those Odd Eating Habits

We’re finally getting to the odd eating habits that cats get sometimes.

What Is Pica in Cats?

To be clear, it is perfectly normal for a cat to have a close relationship with its bag, lick it, stretch it, play with it, or cuddle it, but it is most certainly not normal for a cat to eat a bag. Suppose the bag tastes like fish or meat. In that case, some nibbling might be expected. Still, when cats bite into the plastic and swallow it, things get to a pathologic level.

This is called pica syndrome, manifested by cats eating things they would never normally eat, like plastic, small rocks, grass, yarn, wool, clothing, or other non-food items. If you notice this, taking your cat to the vet is very important. Pica clearly signals that your cat’s metabolism is not wired correctly.

Moreover, it can signal an underlying disease, which can be anything from anemia to FIV, hyperthyroidism, feline leukemia, diabetes, or other severe conditions. Your vet will thoroughly examine your cat to determine why pica syndrome exists. You will likely have to change your cat’s diet to provide the necessary nutrients, but other treatments may exist.

Until the Pica is cured, you should be extremely careful what your cat eats. If it is in the habit of eating plastic bags, then do your best to remove all bags in their way. Eating plastic bags can be extremely dangerous because the cat may be unable to eliminate it. The bag might get stuck along the digestive tract because it is too large to pass through tighter areas, and it might cause a blockage.

In this case, your cat cannot defecate, which is extremely dangerous. This is a medical emergency, and if you think this is the case for your cat, contact your veterinarian immediately because the blockage must be surgically fixed.
Leaving the pica syndrome aside, your cat can enjoy plastic bags safely.

The experience is a sensory wonderland. While you see a cat swishing a bag, it has the time of its life. From the silky-smooth texture to the wonderful smell of pseudo-pheromones to that of all the previous contents of the bag, and all the way to that tasty lanolin that the bag was treated with, or cornstarch if you’ve chosen a bio bag, there are so many reasons why plastic bags are irresistible to your cat.