Why do cats like to tear up and eat cardboard boxes?

Cats are usually quite playful and like to chew on things like cardboard and tissues. If it's just play, that's fine. However, some cats will eat random things, such as cat litter and plastic. These things aren't food, so why do cats eat these things?

It could be caused by pica. Cats usually eat cat food, meat, etc. These foods contain enough protein and fat, but they are prone to lacking trace elements. If a cat is deficient in trace elements, it is easy to cause pica. Some cats may also have anemia, which should not be ignored.

Cats typically get very few trace elements from their diet, which can easily lead to pica. Therefore, to address pica in cats, it's essential to supplement their diet with trace elements. First, choose high-quality cat food. Second, avoid feeding cats human supplements for trace elements, as cats and humans are different, and improper feeding can cause adverse effects. Instead, prepare nutritional supplements for cats, such as mineral supplements, which can be mixed into their food in powder form.

If a pet owner discovers that their cat has pica, the first thing to do is to put away any sharp objects in the house to prevent the cat from eating sharp objects when it's eating random things. Then, avoid feeding the cat high-oil and high-salt foods and choose low-salt cat food instead. Also, pay close attention to your cat's daily behavior and don't wait until you don't know what your cat has eaten.