Help! Cat is eating non food items

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

My cat Sam, has been puking up white foam for the past two days. did some research, and found this could be caused by eating non food items.

I recall hearing my cat rummaging around in the guests bath (something he doesn’t normally do), so I went in there to look for anything that has been chomped on. Sure enough, there’s a section of my shower curtain missing about the size of my hand (WTF?), and also, there’s a patch of carpet gone missing. Sigh…

I’ve put a rug over the patch of carpet and have taken down the shower curtain. An easy enough fix, even though I don’t like leaving the rug where it is bc it looks so out of place. What I really want to know is how to keep cat from eating non food items in the first place?

Any ideas?

FTR: Sam is seeing the vet in the morn.

#2

Sounds like pica?

#3

My cat will eat anything that’s lying on the floor. It’s amazing to me that he doesn’t get sick more often. But it doesn’t seem to bother him.

#4

I had a cat who developed Pica when he was several years old. He only ate plastic, though. He, too, ate a fist-sized whole in my shower curtain. I replaced it with a fabric curtain. At first, I tried putting plastic trash at the bottom of the garbage can or waste basket but he would dig it out. My solution was to keep a bag in the refrigerator where all I kept all plastic trash until I took it out to the trash can.

I had to be very diligent about it though because as soon as I would lay something plastic down, he would be right on it. It had to be the smell because he would just know where this stuff was. He once got hold of a Nutrigrain bar wrapper I’d put down on the coffee table. His shits were little colorful presents the next day. He was fine but it made me realize how really cautious I had to be.

It will be more difficult if he is also eating fabric items. Your vet will be able to give you more advice.

#5

Uhg, I’'m starting to get scared. Took Sam to the vet yesterday. He got some X-rays. The intestines looked good, there was nothing that showed up on X-ray in his stomach. But the doc says that doesn’t mean there might be something in there.

So the doc injected some sort of water or saline solution into his back to help flush everything out. And gave him something that last 24hrs to keep him from puking.

It’s been 24hrs and still no puking, but Sam still doesn’t want to eat. He still has energy though.

I’m really getting nervous over the not eating thing.