CatFilter: why does my cat keep trying to bust into my chewable pepto-bismol?

August 28, 2007 8:25 AM

CatFilter: why does my cat keep trying to bust into my chewable pepto-bismol? She will roll around on the floor in front of it like it's catnip and chew on the plastic packaging if I don't stop her. And no, of course I don't let her get it!
posted by media_itoku to pets & animals (12 comments total)

Maybe she has a tummy ache? I'm not trying to sound silly, Pepto-Bismol is approved for use in humans and pets, although it should be used with great caution in cats. Maybe your cat instinctively knows (by the smell, perhaps) that the product could help her?
posted by amyms at 9:00 AM on August 28, 2007

I doubt your cat is seeking medical attention, but I do imagine that there is something in the Pepto that has peaked her senses. Open the bottle and let her sniff one. She may try to lick it, but I am guessing that that will be the end of the Pepto-capades.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 9:04 AM on August 28, 2007

I don't know about the pepto part, however, my cat loves to chew on plastic! He will not drink milk, will not eat tuna, will not even try to sneak a lick of ice cream off your cone, but he will go after plastic like it is catnip. I have no idea what that's all about.
posted by AlliKat75 at 9:06 AM on August 28, 2007

I could give you a very long list of stuff our cat likes to eat that is not cat food. And he licks plastic bags.

If your cat likes the smell of Pepto-Bismol, maybe it's the medicine itself or maybe it's the packaging. Either way, put it away so the cat doesn't make herself sick.
posted by pracowity at 9:08 AM on August 28, 2007

Yeah. It's the plastic packaging. All my cats have loved it. I also had one that enjoyed licking photographs. Cats are nutty.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 9:16 AM on August 28, 2007

My cat snaffled my vitamin d capsule recently. Hasn't died yet, but we fight for it every morning when I put it on my desk. Also goes insane for valerian root. And melon...And salted peanuts.
posted by jennydiski at 9:18 AM on August 28, 2007

Yup, it's the packaging, and here's why: A lot of plastic bags/packages are coated with micro-thin layers of (are you ready) animal oils such as fish oil. Even the bags you get at the grocery store ("paper or plastic?") often have it; it helps the nice person bagging your stuff separate the bags.

Hm, photos; I'll bet it's the same thing. A lot of photographic emulsion (for both the film and the paper) is from animal gelatin.
posted by madpogue at 9:43 AM on August 28, 2007 [4 favorites]

I've known a number of cats that have an affection for mint-like substances (catnips is a member of the mint family). One of our cats used to go crazy for my mother's mentholated cigarettes. Pepto has some minty notes.

I also know a lot of cats that like crinkly things, so the cellophane is probably an attraction too.
posted by Good Brain at 11:22 AM on August 28, 2007

Yes, cats love mint. Mine goes after cough drops. Chewable pepto tastes like wintergreen.

Ever gotten in your cat's face after brushing your teeth with minty toothpaste? They try to climb in your mouth.
posted by lampoil at 11:54 AM on August 28, 2007

I've heard the photograph thing is silver nitrate.
posted by goethean at 12:03 PM on August 28, 2007

lampoil: Ever gotten in your cat's face after brushing your teeth with minty toothpaste? They try to climb in your mouth.

Ha! No sir. Mine physically recoil with lips a-curled. They haaaate mint.
posted by loiseau at 1:47 PM on August 28, 2007

I was wondering why one of my cats kept attacking the plastic bags from the grocery store. Now I know why! Thanks, madpogue.
posted by emilyv at 2:44 PM on August 28, 2007