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My kitten eats paper. Is this normal behavior or a health concern?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 2 months and 24 days old | 2 lbs

my kitten keeps eating paper..literally any paper she can find she will tear it up and try to eat it. she's getting plenty of food, and we have probably 2 hours of playtime per day split up into intervals. could there be an underlying problem to her paper munching habits? is this normal kitten behavior?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on June 14th, 2017

In all likelihood, Fern's fondness for paper is likely a normal play and exploration behavior. Young kittens are still learning about their surroundings and sometimes get into trouble in the process. Obviously, try to avoid letting her eat paper when possible, but a bit here and there is unlikely to cause any significant problems. If she is eating a commercially available balanced kitten food, a nutritional deficiency is highly unlikely as a possible cause. Try to confine her when you leave the house to avoid unsupervised access to paper products, but I would expect her to grow out of this behavior. If you haven't already done so, take a stool sample to her vet to assure that intestinal parasites are not present, as this can occasionally cause animals to eat abnormal things. I hope that all goes well!

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    This can be a very common behavior in young cats! It is advisable, however, if your kitten hasn't had a vet visit yet, to have her examined to be sure there are no abnormalities or physical exam and that no intestinal parasites are present, and also to be sure you are feeding a food that is providing all her nutritional needs. You should be feeding a diet formulated for kittens. If possible, bring the food with you (the bag/package) so your vet can look and be sure it is providing adequate nutrition. You also want to be sure if your kitten is adventurous in getting into things that there isn't string or other foreign objects that she is getting into which could cause intestinal blockage.

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    Answered By Amy Poole, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It sounds like your kitten is being a typical 2-3 month old and exploring the world by putting things in her mouth. It is not unusual for cats and kittens to be interested in paper and many enjoy batting balls of paper around. That being said, it is possible she has an underlying medical condition that is causing her to eat inappropriate things. At her age it is important for her to be checked out by a vet to make sure she is growing and gaining weight appropriately, receives appropriate vaccines as well as de-worming medication. I would recommend taking her in for an exam with a vet to make sure she is a normal healthy girl.

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