A gnawed hair tie looks a lot like a small snake or worm, cats eat those. Sometimes cats eat veggies or they'll eat the stomach contents of their prey in the wild. They need meat but they get some benefit from plants.

Gizmo tells me when he doesn't like something. It's the flip side to my hands getting shredded. If he is free to voice or show his displeasure, he doesn't have to resort to sneaky acts of sabotage instead.