'She likes to lick tape': 18 Ridiculous Non-Food Items Cats Will Try to Eat the Second You Look Away

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Sep 12, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

They don't call them "cat burglars" for nothing. We just wish they would steal diamond jewelry or expensive watches for us instead of trying to gnaw on the piece of plastic we just threw away.

You know what they say about cats and curiosity, right?

I'm not sure where the stereotype of cats being "picky eaters" came from because every cat I've ever owned has loved to eat everything, including things that are not food. From plastic containers to sewing thread, my cats love to sneak into my craft room and gorge themselves on a buffet of whatever they can find. Why do they do this when they have a purrfectly healthy and tasty bowl of wet and dry food waiting for them in the kitchen? It's not a rhetorical question - I actually have some answers for you!

Small items like hair ties, string, or ribbon move unpredictably and resemble small prey. Cats usually start off by batting them, playing with them, and then dive into the deep end and try eating them. They may not be "tasty", but they do satisfy an instinct deep down in your feline's DNA. Also, just like hoomans, cats might start eating things out of boredom, or to self-soothe. Have you ever been stressed and felt like you wanted to eat a giant candy bar? Well, it's pretty much the same thing. Repetitive chewing can become a comfort behavior in cats.

So, all in all, they're combining prey drive, curiosity, sensory preferences, and sometimes self-soothing behavior with the unfortunate inability to understand that a hair tie is not a mouse. Below, we gathered some hissterical, and slightly concerning, responses from cat owners who named the non-food item their cat will 100% try to eat the second they look away. Use these answers as a guide for your own cat, or just simply to laugh at how strange cats can be. There is no right answer, except that the string on your floor is not even close to being a real snake.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

What is the one non-food item your cat will try to immediately eat if you're not paying attention?
01

via Toa Heftiba

A curious cat being removed from the trash after trying to eat a piece of plastic
_{Still frame for contextual reference only.}
Cats are already notorious for treating absolutely everything ni your home like it belongs in their mouths, but sometimes that behavior goes beyond simple feline curiosity. When a cat regularly chews on or eats things that are very much not food (plastic bags, string, fabric, rubber bands, cardboard… etc.), it can be a behavior known as pica.
Pica is essentially the purrsistent eating of non-food items, and there isn't one single reason why cats develop it. For some, chewing may simply be soothing or entertaining (like we mentioned above). Unfortunately, your cat has absolutely no understanding that if they eat a piece of plastic, there could be consequences. A crinkly piece of plastic might smell interesting, feel satisfying between their teeth, and make an exciting noise when they attack it. As far as they're concerned, they've discovered the world's greatest furbidden snacko.
The problem is that swallowed objects can become lodged in the digestive track, meaning that pica is something worth discussing with your vet rather than simply accepting it as another wonderfully questionable purrsonality trait.
02
"Raven's are the drawstrings for trash bags"

via Noxatro
03

via Noxatro
04

via BrightAsDirt
05

via AdOutrageous7474
My cats will go for plastic of any kind. Plastic wrap, the plastic that comes around electronics or toys, plastic bottles or bags, plastic forks, the plastic box that holds the mushrooms from the grocery store… there is no end to their yearning for plastic. I had to get a trash can that's child-proof so they would stop getting inside to steal it.
06

via Few_Hat8330
07

via Few_Hat8330
08

via danceORbox
09

via derp714
10

via derp714
11

via MarchingMushroom
12

via WhoskeyTangoFoxtrot
13

via kategoad
Most of the items in this article are relatively low-cost. But hearing aids? Oof. Those bad boys can be pricey. That cat has some pawsitively expensive taste!
14

via Unbaked_Cat1066
15

via Unbaked_Cat1066
16

via Friendly-Gift3680
17

via Key_Cake5421
18

via Honest_Manager
19

via juggernaut-j
20

via JerriBlankenship
21

via Scullytheslayer
22

via Scullytheslayer
23

via 0rion_89
24

via 0rion_89
25

via Unlikely_Place197
26

via Unlikely_Place197