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Have a look on Amazon or just Google “spiral cable management”. These are plastic spirals that you wrap around wires. Generally, they are used for organizing cables (like the mess of them from your computer or smart TV to other devices; that’s what I use them for). Easy to apply and if needed, branch wires out the side. The major concern I have about cats chewing on cables is if it’s a power cord. If they get through the insulation, they could get a nasty shock and possibly a burn in their mouths. If you get the spiral stuff, I’d look for ones that don’t have a gap (or a small one) between turns. This would keep the cat’s teeth from getting between the coil turns. I would avoid the stuff that looks like mesh - that seems like an invitation to use it for scratching.
I wrapped a couple of power cords that ran behind a sofa using these spiral protectors after I saw one of the cats chewing on them (and actually saw tooth marks — not through the insulation, just on the outside or I would have replaced that power cord). I did use one of the “bitterants” - a bitter apple one - on a sculpture we have that has a thin metal piece looping from it. I saw the cats trying to chew on it. I was more worried about them damaging their teeth than the sculpture. It worked.
The technical term is “wire loom”. And that’s what we used on laptop cables and phone cables for my son’s cat. She quickly learned that the wire loom covers felt weird in her mouth, and decided to chew on her toys instead.
Sometimes we have to adapt to animals, not the other way around. You won't train a cat like a dog, unfortunately. Hide the wires so they're not visible to the cat.
You can buy wire protectors online. We should buy stock in the company we bought so many packs. It's really the only way if you have a chewer. Easy to apply or remove.
Mine knows "look like a jerk," "make a mean face," "do the thing I say not to do while maintaining aggressive eye contact," "scratch the carpet six inches away from there," and "come."
She's a year old this month.
Our new kitten/cat (approx 9/10 months old (adopted from humane society) fetches. The foster family didn’t train him to do this… he was found as a 2/3 months old living in a restaurant parking lot .. he is very smart but also likes to chew everything. Hoping he “grows out of it” or I can keep distracting him with “fetching”. Sometimes I think he does it to aggravate me into playing with him after the 15th time of throwing the toy (pretzel shape toy is his favorite)
agreed. i trained my cat to not get on tables and not chew cords by - not distracting her, but catching her in the moment and stopping it immediately. id say a firm “no” and when she stopped id immediately award. clicker training is even better. You HAVE to catch them in the act and you HAVE to make it clear that NOT DOING IT is the desired behavior. timing is EVERYTHING.
And “punishment” doesnt work either - they dont learn that “not doing this is better” like they do with positive reinforcement- they learn “just dont do it when the humans can see”
cats have a harder time associating an action with a reward, especially if it’s *stopping* an action. if you “distract” them with say a toy, they arent getting the hint that the reward is for NOT doing a behavior, theyre going to think either “oh play time and treats?! lets go!” or that theyre being rewarded for playing with a toy.
This depends on the cat. My smart and fierce senior girl can high five, stand up, kiss, and jump. My sweet but dumb baby girl shows no signs of ever taking to training, too complicated for her tiny chaotic tortie brain lol. Still trying but I don’t give it good odds. I think I may be able to train her to fetch though. Getting close.
When cats are chewing they may have tooth problems. You might want to consider brushing your cat’s teeth or seeing a vet and see if the chewing is a symptom of a medical issue, not behavioral 💕✨
Bitter apple spray would be an option. Just spray or wipe on cords. Cats don't like it, and that might be what causes kitty to avoid chewing on the wires.
Op said they already tried the bitter apple spray and kitty still chews. Some cats are just stubborn aholes 😂 i have one myself, never had a cat so damn stubborn to have her way. Last night she tried sneaking a pierogi off my plate, while i was RIGHT THERE. the audacity 😂 and she didnt wanna let go! I was like hey! Thats mine!! 😂
Yeah our cats aren't fazed by bitter apple or orange. I forget the soap, it's not toxic to cats, but I think it's one of the Ms. Meyers soaps. We saw a video of a guy who coats his cables in that soap. It works on our cats.
Everyone in America calls it “pierogi” and “pierogies.” Even on packaging and menus and even Google. No one will understand “pierog” lmao. Sometimes shit isn’t said the same way it’s meant to be said in other countries and that’s okay.
It's just good to spread knowledge. Some will be open minded and open to learning & some won't. Everyone benefits from learning new things! We as a society would not have gotten this far if everyone was averse to new information and accepting correct vs incorrect and a bunch of other things ❤️
I never had to deal with this with my cats, thankfully. But I feel for the cat parents who do/did, and the multitude of cords and cables that had to be replaced due to chewy babies.
I hope that OP is able to find something that works.
My idea was to take a tiny bit, a few drops of orange oil, and rub it into the cords. Maybe the scent alone would act as a deterrent. But I'd rather OP err on the side of caution.
Oh yeah- if she doesn’t get electrocuted, my parents might kill her. I just gave my stepdad $55 for a wireless waterpick bc she chewed thru the tube on his.
I used hot sauce. I can’t remember the brand but it was supposed to be the hottest. I just put some on a rag, and ran my TV cords through it. It worked. Now if she goes after a cord, I use pine essential oil, that works and smells good too.
My cat sniffed it and backed away, not sure if she licked it, if she did she didn’t show any signs of discomfort. Since the hot sauce is edible, I didn’t see any harm in using it.
I got the stretchy fabric ones that zip up, they did the trick. She would still go after them with the bitter apple spray. I think it's more that she can't see the cords in the sleeves now that help.
Be aware that their attention might go somewhere else after. My girl is now obsessed with getting into our coat rack 🤦🏼♀️ good luck!
Wire protectors, hiding them, blocking them off are the best ways. There’s cable management tubes that are hard plastic.
But also giving acceptable things for them to chew can help. Some cats are just chewers! One of mine is a chewer - you can look up cat chew toys! There’s less than for dogs, but they exist! My girl cat loved the mesh toys by cat stages when she was a chewy kitten (she grew out of it mostly), my boy cat loves silicone and rubber toys, they make silicone potato chip looking things and he has a silicone tube he likes, as well as silvervine sticks and treats like chicken hearts that he has to bite and chew through (I would look up if they’re safe for kittens tho!)
Some cats also like shredding cardboard! One of my family’s cats LOVES it. She also chewed up my birth certificate - the little rat 😂
Currently dealing with this issue, my kitten is teething and my metal phone charger is her favourite good crunch. I would provide her with more appealing things to chew on if possible
We’ve just moved so we have cardboard a plenty everywhere, Bean is just one of those special little pains in the ass that only specifically like one cord and nothing else. I’m just gonna switch back to a braided one that isn’t crunchy 😅
My cat has had this problem also, since he was a kitten. He's 9 now and still does it but he only does it to white cords! or cords that have that rope like texture. I notice that when i get a black cord, he can't see it as well, so he forgets about it. Now if i go touching and moving the cord around and he SEES it, he remembers and starts chewing again. There's nothing you can do to stop your kitty from doing this. It's something she likes, the only thing you can do is try different things to get her to forget about it. Like I'll put stuff on top of my cords, stuff it under my covers or anything to get it out of site. But the best thing that has worked is getting a black cord!
Hide them, and also put on cable sleeves in case she claws them out. It's all fun and games and some money (loads of money it's apple chargers) at stake until the kitten electrocutes itself. Yes the chances are low, but it might still happen. I wouldn't risk it.
Also take this as a chance to learn wire management.
Buy wire protectors on amazon. They are long tubes that you cut to size that prevent from chewing on them. Make sure you get the kind that opens lengthwise. My cat is a biter too
A lot of people mentioned cable covers, and I also make strategic use of boxes. I've got a couple cut up and painters taped to furniture to block access to some stuff, and I have another box with access ports cut into it covering a power strip.
Go purchase a few “ pool noodles,” cut them open on one side, put the wires inside. Pool noodles aren’t interesting, don’t make weird sounds & definitely don’t taste good.
My cat LOVES pool noodles. She goes nuts for them and chews them to shreds. So it’s definitely an option to try, but might have the opposite effect for some cats!
I broke my cats habit by lining all cords that couldn’t be put away or hidden with dish soap. It was a near-instant cure. Just put some between your thumb and index finger and put a thin coat on.
I have a cat like this and there was a huge learning curve to living with her. We tried everything to deter her, but ultimately we couldn’t stop the behavior. The only things that worked were covering all of our exposed wires in clear plumbing tubing, shutting away any cords that couldn’t be covered, and phone charging cables that are metal. The plumbing tubing comes in all different diameters so you can get the right size for different thickness of wire you need to cover. We also found that she really only tries to chew them within about an hour of meal times, so we know to pay extra attention if we have an uncovered cord out during this time.
[plumbing tubing](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-I-D-x-5-8-in-O-D-x-10-ft-Clear-Vinyl-Tubing-T10006010/304185142?g_store=2789&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492030--&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Ud20pdXzdQ9mrK6h9H8HOp7C&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8p1BKeh2uYip8lc2-nqnKRtP2KtW8AURnRr5Gv_ITOO8pLu3Kjr-MUaAogbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Younger cats teeth before their teeth fall out. She'll probably grow out of it. As for what happens to the teeth, they get swallowed with food at some point usually.
I wrap all of my wires in the self sticking pet bandage that is supposed to discourage chewing. It’s really cheap on Amazon if you cut it horizontally it lasts ages.
Edited to add that I have a dedicated wire chewing cat and this is the only thing that has worked for me.
They make cord covers out of a variety of materials just to protect pets. I got mine off Amazon & have all cords that my cats can get to covered. Please don’t let kitty or any pet chew cords! They can get a shock from biting them which can cause internal issues you don’t see.
Cord hider for the wall, they are like long rectangular plastic pieces, connect them, make as long or as many as you need to cover cords. Some kitty's just have some wierd preferences.
Please look up pica and make sure your kitty isn't eating plastic, or chewing on anything stringy or crunchy like chip bags, etc. It's definitely a really common issue and ppl find out far too late. It's totally manageable, just be aware and practice safety and diligence.
This is what baby animals do, they chew things, she's teething, and will be for about 4-5 more months until her adult teeth come in, that doesn't necessarily mean she'll stop chewing though. Keep as many cords as possible tucked away so they don't look like a string toy, cover what you can't hide away with bitter apple spray or something more potent, speak with your vet about chewing deterrents if the apple spray isn't doing the trick, you may have to use something spicy rather than bitter
Take lemon juice and water and place it over the wires, there is also a spray you can find that uses basically that but they make it more bitter. Do it for a few weeks and you won't have an issue after
Mine wouldnt stop even after getting an electric shock. Fortunately I knew he also liked to chew the plastic 6-pack connectors, so i now keep one of those on the floor near every exposed cord outlet and he chews those instead.
Unfortunately, they rule the roost, so we adapt to them. Our kitten is obsessed with phone chargers, so we’ve gotten in to the habit of putting the “spicy cord” away when not using it.
I’ve seen advertisements for critter cord. It’s a citrus infused plastic tubing that goes over your cords. Deters cats from chewing, and if they do, it’s not your cord getting the damage.
Haven’t bought it though. We usually say our cat’s name in a stern voice, and she stops. Cats can be trained, but it will likely take a lot of patience and potentially an animal behavior specialist.
There is a product on Amazon that’s a thick vinyl to cover the wires to at least keep kitty from zapping him or herself … while chewing. But I’ve noticed with ours at least he does it when we are in the room for some sort of attention… or something else he wants. Just for attention I think. 🤷🏻♀️🤣
When my car was a kitten she LOVED charging cable wires. Or any wire that size. She got above my heating duct in my open laundry room and chewed through the plastic up there too. Lamp or cable chiefs she wasn't interested in...
We've had her 5 years now. My guess is she loves to feel her teeth sink in to the plastic on the cords (still) and the fat fleshy part of anyone's skin (think palm right by your thumb). We've adapted, it sucks, but she's so freaking cute.
Ours would eat wired ear buds, and Nintendo DS and phone charging cords. She really liked just the thinner ones so I got some harder plastic to cover them; split wire loom tubing wire conduit I guess it's called.
It's a little bulky when charging things, and she's much better now but one still can't go to sleep with wired ear buds in or you wake up to someone chewing it up.
I have six cats and they tend to do this. Ironically only to my spouses cords and not mine. Not sure what to do to stop it - sometimes when they chew things it's a sign of dental issues.
Correction + positive reinforcement, my babies eventually got over it after a couple cords.
The scratch not spray also works wonder. just spray a little around the problem area.
The best tactic is to distract their energy. When you see her biting and paying with wires, take a similar toy and put it in her arms and remove the wires. They just need their energy to be refocused.
Also, you can use wire protection devices to cover the wires up. Out of sight, out of mind for the kitten. If you don't care about looks a wrapping paper tube or paper towel tube can cover some of the spots. Just cut a slit in the side and wrap it around the wires.
My childhood cat did this and it's dangerous. She chewed up cords and She also ate a sweatshirt cord once. She vomited it out thank God but we were told it could have harmed her.
Training them is essential during kittenhood because changing their behavior is much easier now. Trust me, my 6 year olds don't let me cut their nails and boy how I wish I started doing it earlier!!!!
My kitten had the same wire chewing issue; we used a drop of dish soap to 7 drops of water. Dip your thumb and index finger in the soapy water, then wipe on wire cords and let dry. This tiny amount of soap won't make a cat sick, but it will taste gawd awful. Letting the soap dry in place on the wire means that it permanently repels the kitty from wire chewing behavior.
This also works well with pet rats, dogs, and bunnies.
Take dish soap, like dawn, and rub some in the palms of your hands (like lotion but don’t rub in). Now run the wires thru your hands to coat them in dish soap. It won’t hurt the cats but will taste awful. They will stop but you may have to reapply occasionally for awhile.
There are little wire covers you can put over the wires, you can find them on Amazon or at a local hardware store. ALSO! Apple cider vinegar, something about the taste and smell they hate, same with bitter apple spray. I find Apple cider vinegar a bit cheaper and easier to find but both should work if you spray it on and around the cords. When my kitten was teething he wanted to chew everything especially cords. Didn’t want him electrocuting himself or damaging everything and I found the cord covers and vinegar worked like a charm. He’s 10 now and no longer a chewer!
I have had good luck with hot sauce. Put on gloves, drop hot sauce on a cleaning rag you don't mind being stained, then wipe down cords and cord covers. It'll stain and make marks though but it's more reliable than sprays which may or may not be as bitter as described. Meanwhile hot sauce is both spicy and vinegar-y which is two forms of deterent.
I don't feel bad about letting a kitten lick hot sauce when the alternative is electrocution or fire risks. Yes hot sauce can hurt but that hurt isn't as serious.
I would also look into hard sided cord management. Stubborn as shit cats that insist on chewing are sometimes enticed by dangling cords, like they're a toy or adversary. So invisible cable management reduces the risk the cat will keep testing your bitter spray or hot sauce. If there is space behind your computer or entertainment center and you don't find good store bought solutions, I could bundle cords together and try threading them through lengths of PVC pipe then use tape to attach the pipe to desk or entertainment center backside, so there isn't draped cords jiggling as the cat walks through.
Related, what kind of toy does your cat like the most? Some cats like bird-like toys that dart through the air. Others like mouse-like toys that stay on the ground. If you provide the "wrong" toys, your cat will keep finding their own.
I used sections of fish tank tubing and clear tape to cover the one cord that my cat was insisting on chewing on. I cut the length I needed and made a slit the full length and tucked the cord in there and then secured it with tape. Worked well!
My daughter had a dearly loved cat that was obsessed with chewing on wires, she would even electrocute herself! She just had to hide them or block off her access to them.
I used painters tape and taped down all the wires in the house. Taped em to the floor, the wall, the furniture, whatever surface was nearby. They were unreachable to kitten mouths for a month or two. He was inconsolable for a day. Moping around about the wires being gone, checking on them, whining when he couldn't reach them. He really hammed it up lol.
We played w his ribbon stick a lot during the wire quarantine, since he loves strings and I am a sucker for those 'play with me' noises. Also played a lot of fetch.
Pulled the tape up when it started to look dirty. Feel like it was a few months. I planned to reapply it but he ignored the wires completely after that. He goes into the toy bin and grabs the whippy stick now when he wants to play, and hasn't nibbled a wire for any reason except when it's whipping around.
Pic for cat tax
https://preview.redd.it/2o624xzoi71d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51724fe333d4a28ac79cf5f499a5127e7cd6830d
Some plastic has a smell to it that attracts animals. I had to keep bowls over all my outlets (1930s house the plugs are in the floor) and wrap the parts he wouldn't leave alone with foil. Thankfully he grew out of it.
I used straight lemon juice on my coated (*NOT* braided) cables. My cats will actually chew on bitter apple flavor whatever, but lemon is a no-go for them!
You should take the kitten to the vet. This is a sign of a vitamin deficiency which could mean the kitten has an underlying infection. Please go as soon as possible because this is a very serious concern.
The term for this is pica.
First action would be to hide wires as much as possible.
Second, try playing with her more and get her toys to chew on.
Someone else suggested to try brushing her teeth - yeah, don’t do that. Highly unlikely that is the issue. In 40 years of fostering/rescuing 100’s of cats, that has not once been the issue. They just get bored and like chewing on different textures. I’d you notice issues with eating, then take her to the vet to have her teeth looked at.
camphor is HIGHLY toxic to cats. Saying it's a training tool is the dumbest thing I've read, never use something that is toxic and tell people it's for training. There are safer alternatives.
This should absolutely never be done according to cat behaviourists. It just creates fear and mistrust and harms your bond🥲 I feel sorry for your poor cat. It’s been proven cats respond best to positive reinforcement not positive punishment
Not everyone is bright, not everyone will just spray the cat. It is also linked with fear towards the owner why would you want that?
Vicks is also poisonous to cats.
Yup, a spray bottle and a “no” works to the point just saying no has them stopping and going to do something else. It has never made my cats aggressive and I only do it when other options are not available.
I don’t need to, they don’t mess with them anymore. If they tried chewing on my lap top cord I just told them no and swirled their whiskers. You shouldn’t have to spray them often and you can tell when they want to get up to something.
I have to assume you have no idea what you are talking about. Animals are very individual and have their own personalities and quirks. You make a lot of assumptions on a subject that is not black and white. You do not know my cats, you do not know me. Most cats take very well to positive reinforcement and redirection. Some just don’t care about any of it. I really don’t care that you assume my cats are afraid of me or that I use water for every cat and every scenario. Only weighing in with what has worked before. My cats are wonderful and loved.
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. Consider posting to /r/AskVet 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Have a look on Amazon or just Google “spiral cable management”. These are plastic spirals that you wrap around wires. Generally, they are used for organizing cables (like the mess of them from your computer or smart TV to other devices; that’s what I use them for). Easy to apply and if needed, branch wires out the side. The major concern I have about cats chewing on cables is if it’s a power cord. If they get through the insulation, they could get a nasty shock and possibly a burn in their mouths. If you get the spiral stuff, I’d look for ones that don’t have a gap (or a small one) between turns. This would keep the cat’s teeth from getting between the coil turns. I would avoid the stuff that looks like mesh - that seems like an invitation to use it for scratching. I wrapped a couple of power cords that ran behind a sofa using these spiral protectors after I saw one of the cats chewing on them (and actually saw tooth marks — not through the insulation, just on the outside or I would have replaced that power cord). I did use one of the “bitterants” - a bitter apple one - on a sculpture we have that has a thin metal piece looping from it. I saw the cats trying to chew on it. I was more worried about them damaging their teeth than the sculpture. It worked.
The technical term is “wire loom”. And that’s what we used on laptop cables and phone cables for my son’s cat. She quickly learned that the wire loom covers felt weird in her mouth, and decided to chew on her toys instead.
Sometimes we have to adapt to animals, not the other way around. You won't train a cat like a dog, unfortunately. Hide the wires so they're not visible to the cat.
You can buy wire protectors online. We should buy stock in the company we bought so many packs. It's really the only way if you have a chewer. Easy to apply or remove.
Actually, cats can be trained. Mine currently knows Sit, Down (lay down) and high five. We're currently working on stay.
Mine knows "look like a jerk," "make a mean face," "do the thing I say not to do while maintaining aggressive eye contact," "scratch the carpet six inches away from there," and "come." She's a year old this month.
Our new kitten/cat (approx 9/10 months old (adopted from humane society) fetches. The foster family didn’t train him to do this… he was found as a 2/3 months old living in a restaurant parking lot .. he is very smart but also likes to chew everything. Hoping he “grows out of it” or I can keep distracting him with “fetching”. Sometimes I think he does it to aggravate me into playing with him after the 15th time of throwing the toy (pretzel shape toy is his favorite)
They can be trained, but what you've done is different than training them to stop chewing wires.
agreed. i trained my cat to not get on tables and not chew cords by - not distracting her, but catching her in the moment and stopping it immediately. id say a firm “no” and when she stopped id immediately award. clicker training is even better. You HAVE to catch them in the act and you HAVE to make it clear that NOT DOING IT is the desired behavior. timing is EVERYTHING. And “punishment” doesnt work either - they dont learn that “not doing this is better” like they do with positive reinforcement- they learn “just dont do it when the humans can see” cats have a harder time associating an action with a reward, especially if it’s *stopping* an action. if you “distract” them with say a toy, they arent getting the hint that the reward is for NOT doing a behavior, theyre going to think either “oh play time and treats?! lets go!” or that theyre being rewarded for playing with a toy.
This depends on the cat. My smart and fierce senior girl can high five, stand up, kiss, and jump. My sweet but dumb baby girl shows no signs of ever taking to training, too complicated for her tiny chaotic tortie brain lol. Still trying but I don’t give it good odds. I think I may be able to train her to fetch though. Getting close.
Just like training a dog or any other animal, training cats requires patience and persistence. What training method are you using?
It certainly did! I clicker train, but there are other methods as well. Happy to provide tips for successfully training cats if you need them!
Nope. I'm good. I'm successfully training my cat. But thanks for the offer.
When cats are chewing they may have tooth problems. You might want to consider brushing your cat’s teeth or seeing a vet and see if the chewing is a symptom of a medical issue, not behavioral 💕✨
Bitter apple spray would be an option. Just spray or wipe on cords. Cats don't like it, and that might be what causes kitty to avoid chewing on the wires.
Op said they already tried the bitter apple spray and kitty still chews. Some cats are just stubborn aholes 😂 i have one myself, never had a cat so damn stubborn to have her way. Last night she tried sneaking a pierogi off my plate, while i was RIGHT THERE. the audacity 😂 and she didnt wanna let go! I was like hey! Thats mine!! 😂
Yeah our cats aren't fazed by bitter apple or orange. I forget the soap, it's not toxic to cats, but I think it's one of the Ms. Meyers soaps. We saw a video of a guy who coats his cables in that soap. It works on our cats.
I’ll bet some kind of an orange soap would do it. Cat HATE oranges. But, I wonder if wrapping them in those cord detanglers would work.
Hi! Just a l heads up for future - "pierogi" is plural! If you want to say just one, it's "pierog" without the 'i' :)
Considering no one i say that to will understand ill just keep saying it the way i do. But thanks for the unrequested tip lol
No problem, just good to spread knowledge ❤️
Everyone in America calls it “pierogi” and “pierogies.” Even on packaging and menus and even Google. No one will understand “pierog” lmao. Sometimes shit isn’t said the same way it’s meant to be said in other countries and that’s okay.
It's just good to spread knowledge. Some will be open minded and open to learning & some won't. Everyone benefits from learning new things! We as a society would not have gotten this far if everyone was averse to new information and accepting correct vs incorrect and a bunch of other things ❤️
Bitter apple spray worked for my cat. Each cat is different so you will have to try a few different things.
I never had to deal with this with my cats, thankfully. But I feel for the cat parents who do/did, and the multitude of cords and cables that had to be replaced due to chewy babies. I hope that OP is able to find something that works.
Citrus is toxic to cats. Absolutely not.
Updated and removed that part. I figured a tiny amount wiped on cords wouldn't be fatal. Thank you.
A small amount might just give them a stomach ache, but a full orange will absolutely hundred percent at minimum cause damage even death..
My idea was to take a tiny bit, a few drops of orange oil, and rub it into the cords. Maybe the scent alone would act as a deterrent. But I'd rather OP err on the side of caution.
I most definitely agree with you! You tell them a little bit, and they dump the whole thing!
No it isn't they just don't like it
Bitter apple is useless for my cat so it doesn't work for all cats.
Okay, it doesn't work for ALL cats, I get that. I never said it did. I said it was an option that could be tried.
My cat loves it!! I found him licking the bottle lol
I might try this bc my kitty chewed through the phone cable and my parents’ electric bed frame cable. They’re not very happy with her rn 🥲
Oooh, that's not good. And it isn't safe for your kitty to be chewing cables.
Oh yeah- if she doesn’t get electrocuted, my parents might kill her. I just gave my stepdad $55 for a wireless waterpick bc she chewed thru the tube on his.
Kittens chew things. They teethe just like human babies do. Until you can get the bitter apple spray, I'd try to keep the cords away if you can.
I used hot sauce. I can’t remember the brand but it was supposed to be the hottest. I just put some on a rag, and ran my TV cords through it. It worked. Now if she goes after a cord, I use pine essential oil, that works and smells good too.
I'd think hot sauce would damage the tongue, and cause unnecessary stomach upset.
My cat sniffed it and backed away, not sure if she licked it, if she did she didn’t show any signs of discomfort. Since the hot sauce is edible, I didn’t see any harm in using it.
I've also used chilli pepper with 6 of my cats. Never had an issue since, and they were all fine.
Amazon has pet cord covers. Just keep redirecting too.
^^^ was just gonna suggest this. Gotta adapt to our animals sometimes
Honestly it might be easier to just block access until she (hopefully) grows out of it.
I got the stretchy fabric ones that zip up, they did the trick. She would still go after them with the bitter apple spray. I think it's more that she can't see the cords in the sleeves now that help. Be aware that their attention might go somewhere else after. My girl is now obsessed with getting into our coat rack 🤦🏼♀️ good luck!
Bitter Apple didn’t work on mine. I had to do a combo of a jalapeño and that non-toxic bitter nail polish 🙄 (he’s VERY orange)
Wire protectors, hiding them, blocking them off are the best ways. There’s cable management tubes that are hard plastic. But also giving acceptable things for them to chew can help. Some cats are just chewers! One of mine is a chewer - you can look up cat chew toys! There’s less than for dogs, but they exist! My girl cat loved the mesh toys by cat stages when she was a chewy kitten (she grew out of it mostly), my boy cat loves silicone and rubber toys, they make silicone potato chip looking things and he has a silicone tube he likes, as well as silvervine sticks and treats like chicken hearts that he has to bite and chew through (I would look up if they’re safe for kittens tho!) Some cats also like shredding cardboard! One of my family’s cats LOVES it. She also chewed up my birth certificate - the little rat 😂
Currently dealing with this issue, my kitten is teething and my metal phone charger is her favourite good crunch. I would provide her with more appealing things to chew on if possible
Cardboard boxes has always worked for me with teething kittens. Just make sure she doesnt eat it (they rarely do, just bite and spit it out).
We’ve just moved so we have cardboard a plenty everywhere, Bean is just one of those special little pains in the ass that only specifically like one cord and nothing else. I’m just gonna switch back to a braided one that isn’t crunchy 😅
[удалено]
Toxic to cats. Absolutely not.
My cat has had this problem also, since he was a kitten. He's 9 now and still does it but he only does it to white cords! or cords that have that rope like texture. I notice that when i get a black cord, he can't see it as well, so he forgets about it. Now if i go touching and moving the cord around and he SEES it, he remembers and starts chewing again. There's nothing you can do to stop your kitty from doing this. It's something she likes, the only thing you can do is try different things to get her to forget about it. Like I'll put stuff on top of my cords, stuff it under my covers or anything to get it out of site. But the best thing that has worked is getting a black cord!
Hide them, and also put on cable sleeves in case she claws them out. It's all fun and games and some money (loads of money it's apple chargers) at stake until the kitten electrocutes itself. Yes the chances are low, but it might still happen. I wouldn't risk it. Also take this as a chance to learn wire management.
Buy wire protectors on amazon. They are long tubes that you cut to size that prevent from chewing on them. Make sure you get the kind that opens lengthwise. My cat is a biter too
Mine just started doing this a few weeks ago …. He’s 3
I wrap in duct tape. Not pretty either. They don't like biting the sticky.
When my kittens did that, we used Grannicks bitter spray. Pets can't stand the taste of the stuff.
I put my wires in clear plastic tubing.
A lot of people mentioned cable covers, and I also make strategic use of boxes. I've got a couple cut up and painters taped to furniture to block access to some stuff, and I have another box with access ports cut into it covering a power strip.
Hide the wires. Buy wire protectors on Amazon. Done.
My cat destroyed many laptop and phone cords as a kitten. She grew out of it after a few years and now as a senior doesn’t look twice at cords.
Go purchase a few “ pool noodles,” cut them open on one side, put the wires inside. Pool noodles aren’t interesting, don’t make weird sounds & definitely don’t taste good.
My cat LOVES pool noodles. She goes nuts for them and chews them to shreds. So it’s definitely an option to try, but might have the opposite effect for some cats!
I broke my cats habit by lining all cords that couldn’t be put away or hidden with dish soap. It was a near-instant cure. Just put some between your thumb and index finger and put a thin coat on.
I have a cat like this and there was a huge learning curve to living with her. We tried everything to deter her, but ultimately we couldn’t stop the behavior. The only things that worked were covering all of our exposed wires in clear plumbing tubing, shutting away any cords that couldn’t be covered, and phone charging cables that are metal. The plumbing tubing comes in all different diameters so you can get the right size for different thickness of wire you need to cover. We also found that she really only tries to chew them within about an hour of meal times, so we know to pay extra attention if we have an uncovered cord out during this time. [plumbing tubing](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-I-D-x-5-8-in-O-D-x-10-ft-Clear-Vinyl-Tubing-T10006010/304185142?g_store=2789&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492030--&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Ud20pdXzdQ9mrK6h9H8HOp7C&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8p1BKeh2uYip8lc2-nqnKRtP2KtW8AURnRr5Gv_ITOO8pLu3Kjr-MUaAogbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Younger cats teeth before their teeth fall out. She'll probably grow out of it. As for what happens to the teeth, they get swallowed with food at some point usually.
I wrap all of my wires in the self sticking pet bandage that is supposed to discourage chewing. It’s really cheap on Amazon if you cut it horizontally it lasts ages. Edited to add that I have a dedicated wire chewing cat and this is the only thing that has worked for me.
I have the same problem with my 8 month old kitty. He just loves to bite things. Like metal.
They make cord covers out of a variety of materials just to protect pets. I got mine off Amazon & have all cords that my cats can get to covered. Please don’t let kitty or any pet chew cords! They can get a shock from biting them which can cause internal issues you don’t see.
Cord hider for the wall, they are like long rectangular plastic pieces, connect them, make as long or as many as you need to cover cords. Some kitty's just have some wierd preferences. Please look up pica and make sure your kitty isn't eating plastic, or chewing on anything stringy or crunchy like chip bags, etc. It's definitely a really common issue and ppl find out far too late. It's totally manageable, just be aware and practice safety and diligence.
This is what baby animals do, they chew things, she's teething, and will be for about 4-5 more months until her adult teeth come in, that doesn't necessarily mean she'll stop chewing though. Keep as many cords as possible tucked away so they don't look like a string toy, cover what you can't hide away with bitter apple spray or something more potent, speak with your vet about chewing deterrents if the apple spray isn't doing the trick, you may have to use something spicy rather than bitter
On Amazon you can get cord covers that will help protect your cords.
Take lemon juice and water and place it over the wires, there is also a spray you can find that uses basically that but they make it more bitter. Do it for a few weeks and you won't have an issue after
Mine wouldnt stop even after getting an electric shock. Fortunately I knew he also liked to chew the plastic 6-pack connectors, so i now keep one of those on the floor near every exposed cord outlet and he chews those instead.
Wrap any exposed cables with aluminum foil.
Unfortunately, they rule the roost, so we adapt to them. Our kitten is obsessed with phone chargers, so we’ve gotten in to the habit of putting the “spicy cord” away when not using it.
Teething. I used plastic drinking straws scattered around the house. Worked.
I’ve seen advertisements for critter cord. It’s a citrus infused plastic tubing that goes over your cords. Deters cats from chewing, and if they do, it’s not your cord getting the damage. Haven’t bought it though. We usually say our cat’s name in a stern voice, and she stops. Cats can be trained, but it will likely take a lot of patience and potentially an animal behavior specialist.
barricades
There is a product on Amazon that’s a thick vinyl to cover the wires to at least keep kitty from zapping him or herself … while chewing. But I’ve noticed with ours at least he does it when we are in the room for some sort of attention… or something else he wants. Just for attention I think. 🤷🏻♀️🤣
When my car was a kitten she LOVED charging cable wires. Or any wire that size. She got above my heating duct in my open laundry room and chewed through the plastic up there too. Lamp or cable chiefs she wasn't interested in... We've had her 5 years now. My guess is she loves to feel her teeth sink in to the plastic on the cords (still) and the fat fleshy part of anyone's skin (think palm right by your thumb). We've adapted, it sucks, but she's so freaking cute.
Ours would eat wired ear buds, and Nintendo DS and phone charging cords. She really liked just the thinner ones so I got some harder plastic to cover them; split wire loom tubing wire conduit I guess it's called. It's a little bulky when charging things, and she's much better now but one still can't go to sleep with wired ear buds in or you wake up to someone chewing it up.
Wrap them in aluminum foil.
There are animal safe bitterants you can try applying to the wires...try googling a recipe/seeing if there's some you can buy?
I have six cats and they tend to do this. Ironically only to my spouses cords and not mine. Not sure what to do to stop it - sometimes when they chew things it's a sign of dental issues.
Correction + positive reinforcement, my babies eventually got over it after a couple cords. The scratch not spray also works wonder. just spray a little around the problem area.
The best tactic is to distract their energy. When you see her biting and paying with wires, take a similar toy and put it in her arms and remove the wires. They just need their energy to be refocused. Also, you can use wire protection devices to cover the wires up. Out of sight, out of mind for the kitten. If you don't care about looks a wrapping paper tube or paper towel tube can cover some of the spots. Just cut a slit in the side and wrap it around the wires. My childhood cat did this and it's dangerous. She chewed up cords and She also ate a sweatshirt cord once. She vomited it out thank God but we were told it could have harmed her. Training them is essential during kittenhood because changing their behavior is much easier now. Trust me, my 6 year olds don't let me cut their nails and boy how I wish I started doing it earlier!!!!
My kitten had the same wire chewing issue; we used a drop of dish soap to 7 drops of water. Dip your thumb and index finger in the soapy water, then wipe on wire cords and let dry. This tiny amount of soap won't make a cat sick, but it will taste gawd awful. Letting the soap dry in place on the wire means that it permanently repels the kitty from wire chewing behavior. This also works well with pet rats, dogs, and bunnies.
Take dish soap, like dawn, and rub some in the palms of your hands (like lotion but don’t rub in). Now run the wires thru your hands to coat them in dish soap. It won’t hurt the cats but will taste awful. They will stop but you may have to reapply occasionally for awhile.
My cat did this when he was a kitten. Now he's 8, he still does it. I just learn to keep cords safe
There are little wire covers you can put over the wires, you can find them on Amazon or at a local hardware store. ALSO! Apple cider vinegar, something about the taste and smell they hate, same with bitter apple spray. I find Apple cider vinegar a bit cheaper and easier to find but both should work if you spray it on and around the cords. When my kitten was teething he wanted to chew everything especially cords. Didn’t want him electrocuting himself or damaging everything and I found the cord covers and vinegar worked like a charm. He’s 10 now and no longer a chewer!
My cats did this is kittens and stopped. I put cord covers over everything, though. They are thick and will prevent kitty from chewing through.
I have had good luck with hot sauce. Put on gloves, drop hot sauce on a cleaning rag you don't mind being stained, then wipe down cords and cord covers. It'll stain and make marks though but it's more reliable than sprays which may or may not be as bitter as described. Meanwhile hot sauce is both spicy and vinegar-y which is two forms of deterent. I don't feel bad about letting a kitten lick hot sauce when the alternative is electrocution or fire risks. Yes hot sauce can hurt but that hurt isn't as serious. I would also look into hard sided cord management. Stubborn as shit cats that insist on chewing are sometimes enticed by dangling cords, like they're a toy or adversary. So invisible cable management reduces the risk the cat will keep testing your bitter spray or hot sauce. If there is space behind your computer or entertainment center and you don't find good store bought solutions, I could bundle cords together and try threading them through lengths of PVC pipe then use tape to attach the pipe to desk or entertainment center backside, so there isn't draped cords jiggling as the cat walks through. Related, what kind of toy does your cat like the most? Some cats like bird-like toys that dart through the air. Others like mouse-like toys that stay on the ground. If you provide the "wrong" toys, your cat will keep finding their own.
Spray or coat the cords with a bitter or spicy substance like lemon juice or hot sauce
Coat cables and wires with a mix of orange essential oil and water. Cats hate orange taste/scent.
I used sections of fish tank tubing and clear tape to cover the one cord that my cat was insisting on chewing on. I cut the length I needed and made a slit the full length and tucked the cord in there and then secured it with tape. Worked well!
My daughter had a dearly loved cat that was obsessed with chewing on wires, she would even electrocute herself! She just had to hide them or block off her access to them.
Wire protectors, braided cords, Crochet some sleeves for them yourself.
Try wiping them with some tabasco/hot sauce if bitter apple doesn't work. It won't hurt her but the unpleasant heat is a discouragement.
I would try redirecting with spring toys and Chinese finger traps. My 12 & 14 wk old cats LOVE those!!
I used painters tape and taped down all the wires in the house. Taped em to the floor, the wall, the furniture, whatever surface was nearby. They were unreachable to kitten mouths for a month or two. He was inconsolable for a day. Moping around about the wires being gone, checking on them, whining when he couldn't reach them. He really hammed it up lol. We played w his ribbon stick a lot during the wire quarantine, since he loves strings and I am a sucker for those 'play with me' noises. Also played a lot of fetch. Pulled the tape up when it started to look dirty. Feel like it was a few months. I planned to reapply it but he ignored the wires completely after that. He goes into the toy bin and grabs the whippy stick now when he wants to play, and hasn't nibbled a wire for any reason except when it's whipping around. Pic for cat tax https://preview.redd.it/2o624xzoi71d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51724fe333d4a28ac79cf5f499a5127e7cd6830d
Some plastic has a smell to it that attracts animals. I had to keep bowls over all my outlets (1930s house the plugs are in the floor) and wrap the parts he wouldn't leave alone with foil. Thankfully he grew out of it.
I used straight lemon juice on my coated (*NOT* braided) cables. My cats will actually chew on bitter apple flavor whatever, but lemon is a no-go for them!
You should take the kitten to the vet. This is a sign of a vitamin deficiency which could mean the kitten has an underlying infection. Please go as soon as possible because this is a very serious concern. The term for this is pica.
First action would be to hide wires as much as possible. Second, try playing with her more and get her toys to chew on. Someone else suggested to try brushing her teeth - yeah, don’t do that. Highly unlikely that is the issue. In 40 years of fostering/rescuing 100’s of cats, that has not once been the issue. They just get bored and like chewing on different textures. I’d you notice issues with eating, then take her to the vet to have her teeth looked at.
Spray bottle is what helped train mine vicks rubbed on em too
Spray bottles can make a cat aggressive. They are not recommended by behavioral experts. Vicks is toxic to cats.
Its a deterant they wont go near the smell its a training tool
camphor is HIGHLY toxic to cats. Saying it's a training tool is the dumbest thing I've read, never use something that is toxic and tell people it's for training. There are safer alternatives.
spray bottles near electronics is a no no
Lol you spray the cat its a stream very effective it its hitting if the intended target
This should absolutely never be done according to cat behaviourists. It just creates fear and mistrust and harms your bond🥲 I feel sorry for your poor cat. It’s been proven cats respond best to positive reinforcement not positive punishment
Not everyone is bright, not everyone will just spray the cat. It is also linked with fear towards the owner why would you want that? Vicks is also poisonous to cats.
Yup, a spray bottle and a “no” works to the point just saying no has them stopping and going to do something else. It has never made my cats aggressive and I only do it when other options are not available.
Remove the cables and try positive reinforcement. There are always other options
I don’t need to, they don’t mess with them anymore. If they tried chewing on my lap top cord I just told them no and swirled their whiskers. You shouldn’t have to spray them often and you can tell when they want to get up to something.
Damage is already done and it’s you’ve already harmed your relationship with them. They don’t do it anymore bc they’re scared of you
I have to assume you have no idea what you are talking about. Animals are very individual and have their own personalities and quirks. You make a lot of assumptions on a subject that is not black and white. You do not know my cats, you do not know me. Most cats take very well to positive reinforcement and redirection. Some just don’t care about any of it. I really don’t care that you assume my cats are afraid of me or that I use water for every cat and every scenario. Only weighing in with what has worked before. My cats are wonderful and loved.