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No one guarantees that this will never happen to any cat. My cat swallowed a bottle cap! What should I do? There are probably some female cats that have a more developed maternal sense (even if they never had kittens) and express it by collecting bottle caps. The second hypothesis refers to the fact that cats that stash bottle caps see them as their kittens.
![chewing on plastic bottle caps chewing on plastic bottle caps](https://img1.21food.com/img/cj/2014/10/9/1412861739359870.jpg)
This hypothesis is based on the fact that cats that live in the wild hunt all kinds of small animals such as mammals (rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice), birds, and reptiles, and sometimes even insects. In the first hypothesis, it is said that cats collect bottle caps because they see them as prey.
![chewing on plastic bottle caps chewing on plastic bottle caps](https://bettersolutions.com/word/characters/fonts-formatfontdialog.png)
However, they have issued two hypotheses that try to explain why cats hoard bottle caps or other small objects. The reason for this “occupation” is still unknown to feline behavior specialists. Why do cats steal and hoard (stash) bottle caps?īottle caps, as well as other objects such as toys, lipsticks, hairbands, hairpins, aluminum foil balls, tree ornaments, pencils, etc., are amongst the favorite things that cats like to collect, hoard, or stash. Also, if the cat is older or has dental problems, it risks breaking or losing a tooth in an attempt to chew on them – this also applies to plastic bottle caps. On the other hand, metal bottle caps, such as those from beer bottles, are not safe for your cat because they have the potential for injury – if the cat wants to bite it, the sharp and serrated edges of the lid can cut off its lip, gums, or tongue. Even if they bite or chew on them, they are quite resistant and rigid, and the plastic is not brittle to break into small pieces that the cat can swallow and eventually choke with them. Plastic bottle caps that come from soda, milk, or other products, are excellent and safe if you want to give them to your cat to play. Is it safe to let my cat play with bottle caps? Cats play with bottle caps because they are round and make noise, keeping them busy for minutes – this being the main advantage. Besides the fact that these objects are small and light, they can be easily carried around in their mouth. Some cats just like to play with bottle caps, while others are on a different level and even hoard them. Why does my cat like to play with bottle caps? Although this behavior is still unknown for specialists, they have two hypotheses: cats stash bottle caps because they see them as prey or as their own babies.
![chewing on plastic bottle caps chewing on plastic bottle caps](https://www.arktherapeutic.com/product_images/uploaded_images/nail-biting-nervous-need-to-chew.jpg)
Besides playing with them, some cats also like to hoard bottle caps. Do not use caps with sharp or serrated margins, such as beer caps, as the cat may injure itself if it tries to bite or chew on it (lip or gingival cuts). Bottle caps with rounded flat edges could make the perfect toy for cats. Who understands cats?!Ĭats are natural predators that hunt small animals and this is the reason why they like to chase tiny and light objects around, such as bottle caps – these make noise and go pretty far when playing with them, especially on tiles or linoleum. It’s like when you buy a comfy bed from the pet shop, and at home, you see that your cat likes to sleep in the box in which the product was. How many times have you bought an expensive toy for your cat, and after you took it home, you noticed that your cat is not even a little interested, but on the contrary, it prefers to play with a paper ball or a bottle cap? Cats usually like to play with a bunch of (inexpensive) stuff.