Paper Shredder Poppy!

I did a little shopping today, nothing too exciting, new track bottoms for the gym and so on, and when I got home I went through the same routine as usual with Poppy! As soon as I enter the door and she hears the rustle of a paper bag she's all over it like a rash!! She can't wait to jump on it. And not just to hide in it like a normal cat, no she has to shred the bag to pieces! Which means every time I bring a paper bag home I have to wrestle it away from here before she's done too much damage and try and get it in the bin without her noticing!

Paper bags are her favourite, but she's not that fussy, she'll shred receipts, paperwork, bills, you name it she's tried it :D I've got so many notes for work that have little cat teeth puncture marks in them, it's mad! I'm always worried she'll find something to shred/chew/bite when I'm not there and ingest some of it, I don't want her to get ill. I'm only waiting for the day she eats a €50 note and then I'll be ill..hehehe! Not that i have €50 notes left scattered around willynilly ;p

Yesterday I heard someone talking about their cat making bits of the toilet roll! So at least I know Poppy's not the only mental moggy around! I've been researching this paper obsession a bit on the net and came across this reply to a question from someone whose cat was a paper shredder like Poppy..

Many times cats like the noise of the paper--they will play with it when it is crumbled and when batting it around, bite it. When my cats were kittens they loved to eat toilet paper and to this day, they will chew on tissue paper if it is laying around or the newspaper when I am trying to read it. My one cat also has a tendency to lick plastic...I chalk it up to a bit of obsessive compulsive disorder. Your cat may be bored and if has the need to nosh, you could try planting some cat grass. You can also try spraying bitter apple on the paper and boxes to discourage her. Also try getting her some cloth sacks of catnip to play and chew on and actively play with her for at least 15 minutes a day using pole toys or a laser pointer. But if it is only paper, I would not worry. If she takes a liking to ribbon, string, twist-ties or rubber bands, these things can cause intestinal blockages if ingested.

So I guess it's just a case of making sure she doesn't develop a taste for anything more exotic like elastic bands and keeping all the cash in the Piggy Bank..hehehe I found a video of another paper eating cat on You Tube. Very similar technique to Poppy, but not as enthusiastic, the rate she rips the paper to bits she could get a job working for a confetti making company ;p!!