Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why do some cats eat fabric and how to treat it
By Demontigny-Bédard, Isabelle et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2019·Department of Clinical Sciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Medical and behavioral evaluation of 8 cats presenting with fabric ingestion: An exploratory pilot study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Eight cats that were eating fabric regularly were evaluated for medical and behavioral issues. Owners tracked how often their cats ingested fabric and any related stomach problems for a month. The cats were found to have various health issues, including high cholesterol and inflammation in the stomach or intestines. After treatment, four of the cats showed some improvement, but managing fabric ingestion in cats is still difficult, and more research is needed to find effective solutions.
People also search for: cat eating fabric treatment · why does my cat eat cloth · cat gastrointestinal issues · pica in cats · cat high cholesterol symptoms
Abstract
The aims of this pilot study were to: i) conduct a thorough behavioral and medical evaluation of cats presenting for chronic fabric ingestion; and ii) implement specific treatments for conditions identified and evaluate the outcome of treatment on fabric ingestion. Eight cats which ingested fabric at least weekly were recruited. Cat owners recorded daily baseline frequency of pica and gastrointestinal signs for 1 month prior to the behavioral and medical investigation and again during a follow-up period. Diagnoses were made and response to treatment was monitored and modified as needed. Abnormalities included mild hypercholesterolemia (= 7), gastric or intestinal eosinophilic infiltrates (= 6), suspected delayed gastric emptying (= 4), suspected gastric reflux (= 1), andspp. (= 1). Four of the eight cats responded partially to treatments. Treatment of fabric ingestion in cats remains a challenge and further investigation is needed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31597993/