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Chewing

post #1 of 9
12/30/10 at 12:03am
Thread Starter 
One of my cats, Simba, loves to chew. He always has. Not everything, just certain things, like my name tags, hard plastic combs, etc. He has no dental issues, and is doing well on an RX diet for urinary issues so I don't think it's nutritional. He's a very laid back cat with occasionally kitten energy (He's just over a year old). Could this just be recreational? What can I give him that would be appropriate for chewing that would satisfy his urges?
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post #2 of 9
12/30/10 at 7:19am
Some cats simply like to chew, unfortunately there few chew options compared to what dogs get for chew toys.

You can let him have plastic straws with supervision. Once a straw gets too shewed, replace it with a new one. There are a few cat safe chewy toys. At any pet store or walmart look for the net covered cloth dental chew rings. I have some thats have held up for several years without anything being chewed up/swallowed off them.
There are also some octopus looking toys, kong makes one, that cats can chew the legs on.
Another supervise only item is a cheap tooth brush. A cat will usually try to chew the handle, but if you can get him to chew the head of it while you hold it out you'll be halfway there to brushing his teeth.
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post #3 of 9
12/30/10 at 11:02am
Try giving him plastic straws. Luna and Midnight love chewing on them. Just make sure he doesn't start actually eating the straw.
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post #4 of 9
1/1/11 at 11:58am
Some cats chew because they're bored so get them toys to relieve their boredom.

Watch for plants that may be toxic for cats.

If the chewing gets too serious, consider using apply bitter apple spray, which is safe to use.
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post #5 of 9
1/1/11 at 2:01pm
The bendy straws are great. Also, have you tried giving him a box? Some cats love to chew them apart.
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post #6 of 9
1/1/11 at 2:09pm
^I have one that loves to chew up boxes, but she doesn't spit all of the cardboard out. This results in her vomiting later and even having to pass a little in her stools.. thankfully those were tiny pieces. We only allow tougher cardboard boxes down for the cats now as she doesn't chew those.

Not all cats will actually eat the cardboard, though, but it is a concern.
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post #7 of 9
1/2/11 at 3:12pm
Some cats just like to chew, and cats in general tend to have a thing for plastic in my experience. The chewing isn't necessarily a problem, but definitely keep your cat away from plastic (choking hazard).

Chew toys might work, or you could try convincing your cat to chew on cat grass.
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post #8 of 9
1/4/11 at 7:20am
My cat is a chewer as well. He has destroyed a lot of my things. I give him my dog's Nylabone and he can chew on it as hard as he wants to.

A lot of cat toys are soft and not very durable, luckily we can use whatever dog toys we have in the house to distract him.
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post #9 of 9
1/4/11 at 10:21am
Hi xcourtney3,

As ziegfeldgirl27 said dog toys are great for a cat that likes to chew. A toy that can be used for a cat that likes to chew is a Kong dog toy. Made for puppy strengths works fine in my experience.

Lastly what textures does your cat like to chew? If you can find appropriate items of that texture/consistency that will help.
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