Chewing wires!!!

ladybug6

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Messages
6
Purraise
0
Location
Eastern Pennsylvania
Hi all,

My two 4 year old tabbies chew our wires. All kinds of wires. Speaker wires, my ipod and cell phone charger wires!! I am at my wits end trying to keep all wires out of their way!

Any suggestion about why they do it or how I can get them to stop???

Thanks
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
You can buy cord covers, or try spraying the cords with bitter apple spray.

I know what you're going through, Punky chewed any & all cords despite all kinds of nasty tasting stuff put on them. He also fried himself 2x.
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by white cat lover

You can buy cord covers, or try spraying the cords with bitter apple spray.

I know what you're going through, Punky chewed any & all cords despite all kinds of nasty tasting stuff put on them. He also fried himself 2x.
2x!
are you sure he's still right in the head [assuming he ever was - what cat doesn't learn from the 1st frying?
]
 

pookie-poo

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 14, 2007
Messages
3,911
Purraise
6
Location
Middle-Of-No-Where Michigan
Good luck! Maggie is nearly 7 years old now, and can't resist chewing on wires. Very nearly all of the electrical cords in my house now are covered with CORRUGATED CORD COVERS. She's tripped the circuit breakers at least twice that I can specifically correlate to her chewing on cords. Bitter Apple, Ro-pel, and Tabasco Sauce does nothing to deter her. I've learned how to replace the cord on my livingroom table lamps in less than a half hour now. My vacuum will need to have the cord replaced soon, and I just noticed this evening that my the cord on my new steam iron has chew marks in it too. There's some days when I'd just like to get a pair of pliers, and pull all of her little teeth right out of her sweet (but not very bright) little head!!!
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Originally Posted by laureen227

2x!
are you sure he's still right in the head [assuming he ever was - what cat doesn't learn from the 1st frying?
]
He was never "right" since he fell off the bed @ like 9 weeks. He still isn't "right".....which is my basis for not flying him. He's a few sticks shy of a bundle, that's what we'll call him!
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by white cat lover

He was never "right" since he fell off the bed @ like 9 weeks. He still isn't "right".....which is my basis for not flying him. He's a few sticks shy of a bundle, that's what we'll call him!
well, at least he's pretty!
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Good luck! Maggie is nearly 7 years old now, and can't resist chewing on wires. Very nearly all of the electrical cords in my house now are covered with CORRUGATED CORD COVERS. She's tripped the circuit breakers at least twice that I can specifically correlate to her chewing on cords. Bitter Apple, Ro-pel, and Tabasco Sauce does nothing to deter her. I've learned how to replace the cord on my livingroom table lamps in less than a half hour now. My vacuum will need to have the cord replaced soon, and I just noticed this evening that my the cord on my new steam iron has chew marks in it too. There's some days when I'd just like to get a pair of pliers, and pull all of her little teeth right out of her sweet (but not very bright) little head!!!
Oh this makes me soooo glad Punky's going to live at someone else's house!


I think, thankfully, he's finally outgrown it. Now I give him supervision with various types of chews, like CET chews or sometimes even doggie rawhides (very close supervision with those).
 

captiva

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
10,312
Purraise
25
Location
Indiana
I hope they outgrow it. As unattractive as it is, I would suggest some cord covers (I used cheap foam pipe insulators) . George will still grab the cord and yank it out of the wall when I'm not paying attention to him (he knows that Meowmy will come running when he's playing with cords).
 

auchick

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
186
Purraise
10
Location
Tejas
When Mia was younger I used to catch her chewing on wires all the time! I went out and bought some electrical tape and hand wrapped a few wires then took a break. Shortly thereafter, she fried herself on a wire I hadn't got to yet. I felt awful. But ya...I like the electrical tape. It's pretty intense hand wrapping it over the entire cord but it's cheap and black and blends in and they haven't really chewed on the cords since.
 

pookie-poo

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 14, 2007
Messages
3,911
Purraise
6
Location
Middle-Of-No-Where Michigan
Here's an example of my little heathen's handiwork! This is an old picture...this cord has been replaced!



The dark spots around the bite marks were Tabasco Sauce...must have just made it that much more tasty for her!
 

catessa

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
38
Purraise
0
Someone needs to start an EARE program.

Electrical Abuse and Resistance Program


Kitties, Stay off the juice and save your brain cells.
 

kitten_smitten

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
175
Purraise
1
Location
Centeral Texas
I can try some of these and hope it detours Ferocious - she likes me mouse cord !!!!!



Someone needs to start an EARE program.

Electrical Abuse and Resistance Program


Kitties, Stay off the juice and save your brain cells
 

lucyfur007

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
28
Purraise
0
Location
Australia
Mika has also taken to electrical cords, good thing they are bring moved up into the roof when the next lot of renovations are done!

She only likes the ones in the lounge room so fingers crossed she doesn't begin to have an appetite for other rooms!
 

mistysmom

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Aug 2, 2007
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Location
U.S.
I have already replaced 4phone cords and one mouse cord! At this rate, I am afraid for their lives!! Does this corregated tube cover really work? Does it git all the way up to the point of where it plugs into an outlet? I was trying to think of what I could get at Home Depot that was flexible and would work.
 
Top