cat chews on paper in protest

[Anonymous]

I have an adorable petite Tuxedo female. She was a stray (probably dumped) that followed us (me, my daughter, our two dogs) home from the playground about 5 years ago.


She has a number of eccentricities, including:

not wanting to drink water from a bowl, prefers the faucet
refuses ALL WET FOOD ALWAYS. Can keep down one brand of dry food which I serve to her in super small amounts with water (she slurps the water then eats the now softened dry).
CHEWS PAPER.

Because I have to feed her such small amounts (or she pukes it up) I have to feed her many times throughout the day. IF I AM NOT TIMELY, she jumps up on our mail area and chews the edges of the envelopes and papers in the bin. And I mean she really goes to town.

She has also been known to chew on metal gooseneck lamps or hard plastic edges of things. She stopped that thankfully and now sticks to paper.

As much as I hate this, it works well, because the only way to stop it is to feed her immediately. In other words, I never have to "wonder" if its time to feed her. The behavior stops when I feed her.

Just curious if anyone else has a paper chewer. I have had cats for 30 years and never had one who "protest chews" on paper (or really on anything).

[Anonymous]

Yes, also a rescue, a blue russian who we got at 6 months and who is now 4 and a half.

She does the same with the paper - but not just if she wants feeding, if she feels she isn't getting enough attention or play time - and in the early hours if she thinks its time I woke up (around 5am).

She also has chewed the edges of wood window shutters, the edges of hard back books and any kind of cardboard she encounters - I think this is her favorite thing to chew as a sport. She used to steal the plastic wrappers that came off tampons (ob) and got so over excited about these she would swallow them and the puke.

She also really only takes dry food - but we feed her twice a day and leave it so she can return to the bowel herself, or not.

[Anonymous]

I have a tuxedo rescue, too. He's a chewer of plastic, not related to eating habits. Sometimes he chews on book covers, but not thin paper.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I have ONLY had stray and rescue cats and none of them had this issue. I was about to postulate that maybe being a stray involves chewing on non food items and finding that certain textures are pleasing...?

In the case of MY cat, however it started (and she didnt ALWAYS do this, now that I think of it) its now become the default "feed me NOW" signal.

Sadly, I cannot leave food out for this or any other of my cats. They will eat each others food and puke it up.