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wire chewing

post #1 of 13
1/25/10 at 10:32pm
Thread Starter 
hello everyone! i currently have 3 cats. elsie(tulip damage) baily, and riley. my fiancee, has an older cat (currently at an emergency animal clinic, no problems, home placement issues) named sampson (older cat, no probs), the only thing is he has, is. a tendency to chew wires. i, as probably most of us, have a lot of electrical wires (sampson was declawed) connecting tvs, comps, etc. it would break her heart for the cat's info to stay at the emc, and give the cat up. i'm not worried about them getting along, but the thought of electrocution, and or replacing wires is the issue. is there any recommendation? if i could bring this cat home for my significant other it would make her day. thoughts? i've read about the bitter apple stuff, but actually read its 50-50. antything?
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post #2 of 13
1/26/10 at 1:20am
I have had a really good experience with bitter apple. My little cat started chewing wires as soon a we brought her home so I wiped the wires with the bitter apple about once a week (sometimes more) until I noticed that she was no longer interested. Then I reduced the frequency of wiping the wires until I stopped completely.

Something else you can do is try to make the wires as inaccessible as possible.
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post #3 of 13
1/26/10 at 3:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN View Post
I have had a really good experience with bitter apple. My little cat started chewing wires as soon a we brought her home so I wiped the wires with the bitter apple about once a week (sometimes more) until I noticed that she was no longer interested. Then I reduced the frequency of wiping the wires until I stopped completely.

Something else you can do is try to make the wires as inaccessible as possible.
The liquid worked well for me as well.
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post #4 of 13
1/26/10 at 4:35am
cover the wires with pipe insulating covers:

http://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-RS51.../dp/B000CFJ42I

or something like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...=0025399000000


or pvc piping

http://www.clearpvcpipe.com/
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post #5 of 13
1/26/10 at 5:10am
We've been looking for solutions here as well as my poor boyfriend has been spending a fortune in new computer wires. Thank goodness he loves the cats as much as I do.
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post #6 of 13
1/31/10 at 1:10pm
I can't tell you how many telephone wires my cat has chewed.

Telephone wire are easy to repair, and they are pretty cheap too.
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post #7 of 13
2/1/10 at 1:06pm
I have a wire chewer also. He has gotten better though. I use a cord cover and make as many cords as possible inaccessible, but there is just so much you can do to make the cords inaccessible. He never touched the cords once I got cord covers though so where they were was no longer an issue. Mine were super cheap at walmart.

Make sure you keep the cords for your cell phone chargers in a place he can't get too. Those you can't really find covers for and it can become expensive to replace your chargers.

Hope all works out for you! Being a senior aged cat would make him hard to place in a new home so I hope whatever comes your way you'll be able to put up with or find resolutions for.
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post #8 of 13
2/1/10 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
I've used wire covering like these when our Batman was a kitten and they really helped for tv cords etc. He's basically outgrown wanting to chew that type of wire, but any thing like headphones wires needs to be hidden or else he will still get to it. We keep the small wires out of his reach/sight and wrap anything larger that may be intriguing to him with the wire covers. Good luck!!!!
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post #9 of 13
2/1/10 at 3:22pm
Can they actually get electrocuted?
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post #10 of 13
2/2/10 at 4:32pm
If they chew a wire that's plugged into an active outlet, of course they can get electrocuted!

I'm lucky that my girl has no interest in wires. I think the PVC piping is a good solution, not too expensive.
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post #11 of 13
2/2/10 at 5:39pm
HollyHeart does that. We got her a month ago, I think she's about 4 months. Not only does she chew wires- she digs in plants. At least she can't hurt herself digging in the plants (though I'm tired of having to clean up dirt everywhere).

I think the main reason she chews on the wires is b/c she wants attention. So what we've been doing is when she starts on it- we get her away from the computer wires (those are the main things she's chewing on) and play with her. "Fetch" (like what a dog does) is her favorite pastime LOL

I do have to laugh. Sneaky Pie- who's 9- watches her play "fetch" and has this expression on her face like "What on earth are you doing?"

I might try the bitter apple.

Cheryl
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post #12 of 13
2/2/10 at 7:13pm
When I first got Avalon at the age of three months, she was teething and chewing wires like our iPod headphones, my computer wires, my iPod charger, our cell phone chargers, and my speaker wires. After her teething ended, no more problems so I understand your worries and headaches.
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post #13 of 13
2/7/10 at 6:42pm
I had this same problem with two of my cats. Bitter apple helped, but I had to keep spraying it on. What worked for me was a product called CritterCord (I purchased mine through amazon). It's a clear plastic heavy tubing that is split on one side so you can wrap it around your cords. You cut it to the length you need. It comes in two sizes - one for the small cords like telephone and computer wires and a larger size that would fit something like the cord on surge protectors or heavy duty extension cords. It is scented with citrus that is supposed to repel pets. You will notice this odor for a few days, but this product worked for me. No more chewing.
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