Chewing toys for cats?

cocoa cream · Aug 12, 2008

I hope this is the right forum for this, but if not, Mods, feel free to move it to a more appropriate place!

I have three kittens who are about 4 months old. They are very well behaved for the most part, except the normal kitty stuff like jumping on the counters.

However, they are going through this stage right now where they are chewing on anything they can put in their mouths! I understand that some cats chew more than others, but I've never had kittens that chewed on anything...so I'm kind of at a loss for what to do here. I am wondering if they could be teething. Is this possible?

Regardless, I have had to take away all toys that have any ribbon, string, fabric corners...anything that could be chewed off and swallowed...because Max especially will swallow everything he chews! I certainly don't want a kitty with a tummy full of string! Yikes! But now that they have only balls and toys they can't chew on, they are starting to chew on inappropriate things like my blinds, corners of pillows, pencils/pens, etc. I'm trying to provide them with plenty of play time, and of course, they play with each other alot, so I don't think it's boredom. But I am going crazy trying to keep them from chewing my house to bits!

Is there such a thing as a safe chew toy for kittens, sort of like rawhide chews for puppies? If they need to chew, then I want to be able to provide something safe and digestible for them, instead of my household items! Any info/links to where I could find such an item would be appreciated. I am in a small town and limited in pet supply stores (only Wal-mart and some small pet shops...no PetSmart or the like), but I don't mind ordering stuff online if necessary.

Thanks for any advice/help you can give!

laureen227 · Aug 12, 2008

mine like these: Petstages
i can get them at Petco or Petsmart. there are several different styles...

jack31 · Aug 12, 2008

plastic straws were and still are a favorite chew toy in our house.

Leslie

cocoa cream · Aug 12, 2008

Originally Posted by laureen227

mine like these: Petstages
i can get them at Petco or Petsmart. there are several different styles...

Ooooo! Those look like a possibilty...and they're on sale! Do the little "streamers" unravel at all, or do they hold up to lots of chewing?

cocoa cream · Aug 12, 2008

Originally Posted by Jack31

plastic straws were and still are a favorite chew toy in our house.

Leslie

I'd be afraid my kitties would chew off pieces of the plastic and swallow it. Isn't that a possibility with straws?

audiocat · Aug 12, 2008

Originally Posted by Cocoa Cream

Ooooo! Those look like a possibilty...and they're on sale! Do the little "streamers" unravel at all, or do they hold up to lots of chewing?

Forrest absolutely LOVES these chews. He still will chew them now at 16 months old. He ate the tails off all his mice and, unfortunately, a few of straps off some of my shirts but he has never been able to destroy the streamers on the chews. I've seen them for sale at Target too.

As for the straws, I also give Forrest straws. He loves to play with them. Just be sure to throw them away when they start to get holes in them (he needed a new straw every day for a while). I still give him straws all the time cause he runs around the house with them in his mouth and likes to throw them up in the air and catch them.

cruisermaiden · Aug 12, 2008

My kitten Mulder is just shy of 4 months and he too is going through this. My vet said he is teething his adult teeth and he should grow out of the chewing once that passes. (We hope! He likes shoes...)

I just moved so I have a lot of moving boxes around, and he's been chewing on the corners and seems to like that and it just ends up with puncture marks all over the edge of the box, no missing pieces.

I also left a softer twisted rawhide bone (one of the small ones) in their toy box and he'll chew on that, but hasn't done any damage but to scratch the outside of it and throw it around.

They sell those Petstages at Walmart too - but Mulder's sharp little kitten teeth ripped them to shreds! Not so much the streamers, but the mesh that covers the inside. I found the triangle one held up better than the fishy shaped one.

So far he is just leaving messes and not eating what he chews up.

Good luck with your three! I can't imagine having THREE at this age at one time! One is enough!

madara · Aug 12, 2008

I follow bengal breeders with plastic straws while teething. My stray is doing that alot now. He does bite off pieces but I only give it to him when I am by him and teaching him the difference between fingers and toys. I need look into more heavy duty ones.

laureen227 · Aug 12, 2008

Originally Posted by Cocoa Cream

Ooooo! Those look like a possibilty...and they're on sale! Do the little "streamers" unravel at all, or do they hold up to lots of chewing?

well... not yet!

missymotus · Aug 13, 2008

Mine loved chewing on a Kitty Kong when they were teething.

wingss2fly · Aug 13, 2008

My 4 chewed up my $200.00 bedspread.................they chew everything in site.
I found a dog teathing toy, its like rope floss. They like that. I saw in Pets mart yesterday, they make chilly chew toys, they are very small for little mouths, and the go in the fridg. I gave the kids (kittens) ice cubes to play with too. it helped some. But 2 still like to chew anything.
Good luck
K.

ashro · Aug 13, 2008

My Salem LOVES chewing the blinds until there's nothing left of them. There are chewing toys for cats and I have some- but if a cat wants to chew something specifically- they're going to chew it.

audiocat · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by ashro

My Salem LOVES chewing the blinds until there's nothing left of them. There are chewing toys for cats and I have some- but if a cat wants to chew something specifically- they're going to chew it.

Your Salem and my Forrest could be twins. Forrest likes to chew my wood blinds also. It's distressing cause the bottom of the blinds look like we have rats chewing on them. He chews on them in the middle of the night while I'm asleep - I think just to wake me up so I'll give him attention.

If he's not chewing the blinds he bangs them against the glass all the while looking at me to see if I'm waking up. If I don't open my eyes - he just hits them against the glass harder and harder until I do. Forrest works very hard at training his humans to behave as he wants them to.

ashro · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by AudioCat

Your Salem and my Forrest could be twins. Forrest likes to chew my wood blinds also. It's distressing cause the bottom of the blinds look like we have rats chewing on them. He chews on them in the middle of the night while I'm asleep - I think just to wake me up so I'll give him attention.

If he's not chewing the blinds he bangs them against the glass all the while looking at me to see if I'm waking up. If I don't open my eyes - he just hits them against the glass harder and harder until I do. Forrest works very hard at training his humans to behave as he wants them to.

Haha!

Salem does the banging thing too to get my attention. Our blinds are destroyed and we're not going to bother getting new ones because he's just going to destroy those too. Pictures of him at work-

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=173957

And the damage-

audiocat · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by ashro

Haha!

Salem does the banging thing too to get my attention. Our blinds are destroyed and we're not going to bother getting new ones because he's just going to destroy those too. Pictures of him at work-

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=173957

And the damage-

Oh dear Lord

those blinds are bad.

Our blinds are wood - so no perforation holes and chews, just the bottom corners are gnawed off with teeth marks. I keep forgetting to get the bitter apple stuff to try when I'm at the pet store. Maybe that would work on your blinds too. Nothing will stop the banging to get attention...well, other than just giving them attention. I give in too easy.

cocoa cream · Aug 13, 2008

Oh my...I'm glad my blinds haven't gotten that bad! We're trying to discourage the chewing on the blinds by just keeping one of two of them open around the house so they can get in and out of the windows to look outside without touching any blinds. That seems to be working so far.

Tomorrow I'll be at the store, so I'll pick up some straws while I'm there and see if that will help. I'll just have to make sure they don't have any when I'm not around. That seems be when things get swallowed...when I'm not watching!

I also sewed some new little soft fabric toys with loops of ribbon attatched to them for the 3M's today. They won't last long, but they're free!

Thanks for the link to the PetStages toys. I'll look for them in the stores around here, but if I can't find them here I'll order some online. They do look pretty durable!

Well, my dear Max is licking my chin and asking for some snuggles, so I'd better quit typing and pet him! (I have such spoiled babies, don't I?)

ashro · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by AudioCat

Oh dear Lord

those blinds are bad.

Our blinds are wood - so no perforation holes and chews, just the bottom corners are gnawed off with teeth marks. I keep forgetting to get the bitter apple stuff to try when I'm at the pet store. Maybe that would work on your blinds too. Nothing will stop the banging to get attention...well, other than just giving them attention. I give in too easy.

A while ago we were so excited to try the bitter apple- we spray it= HE LOVES IT! Salem absolutely LOVES the taste of the bitter apple, for some strange reason.

ashro · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by Cocoa Cream

Oh my...I'm glad my blinds haven't gotten that bad! We're trying to discourage the chewing on the blinds by just keeping one of two of them open around the house so they can get in and out of the windows to look outside without touching any blinds. That seems to be working so far.

You're very lucky about that!

I wish Salem didn't have this...obsession but he's my boy and he's just going to keep on doing it

audiocat · Aug 13, 2008

Originally Posted by ashro

A while ago we were so excited to try the bitter apple- we spray it= HE LOVES IT! Salem absolutely LOVES the taste of the bitter apple, for some strange reason.

Forrest would probably love it too. He seems to have a really strange idea of what cats should and should not like to eat.

A long time ago I had an old Maine Coon cat that would chew on cords. He also liked the taste of the bitter apple and would go after the cords we sprayed with the apple first. We stopped using it.

If I find something that works on Forrest to deter him from chewing I'll let you know.

luvmy2cats · Aug 13, 2008

Ooh I should get some of those petstages chews for Popsie. He's constantly chomping on things, mainly hard plastic stuff, I'm always afraid he's gonna break his teeth off one day.

Chewing toys for cats?

TCS Member

Thread starter

Darksome Duo!

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Darksome Duo!

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member