Cord Chewing Killed My Bf's Cat Last Night

I'm trying not to cry as I write this. My boyfriend's 9 year old cat, Thomas, passed away last night and he didn't have to. Apparently, Thomas was a chewer of electrical cords, and he died from electrocution.

This didn't have to happen! It outrages me that so many people don't take this bad habit seriously! If they knew he was a cord chewer, there were simple steps to prevent this. I have a cord chewer - after I learned what kind of cords she prefers, I either put them out of reach (window blind cords), wrap them in tin foil, or put them in the special plastic covers that stink to cats so they won't go near them.

My boyfriend found Thomas as a stray kitten. He had been attacked by a dog and one of his back legs was severely injured. It healed fine, but he always had a bit of a limp. He was a huge, gentle, sweet tabby, and I still can't believe he's gone.

Please tell everyone you know with cats to take a few minutes and "cat-proof" their cords, just in case. People spend huge amounts of money "baby proofing," this is quicker and far less expensive. But it's just as necessary.  I can't even imagine the horror of coming home and finding your cat killed in such a way - and something that could have easily been prevented.

RIP Thomas. You were a very loved kitty, We will miss you dearly. I'm glad I had a chance to have you in my life, even if it was for just a short time.

I'm so sorry, RIP Thomas.

I'm so sorry for your loss. But we have a mild cord chewer, what plastic covers are you talking about?  It sounds like a good investment to save my kitty's life if he ever decides to chew a cord while no one is home.

The ones I purchased are called Critter Cord. They make two different sizes - the small is good for things like cell phone chargers. The large size is better for extension cord size stuff. It's a thick, flexible clear plastic sleeve that you just fit over whatever cord you need. You cut it to size.

A word of warning - it STINKS when you first use it. It's supposed to be citrus scented since cats don't like that smell. I don't know what kind of citrus trees they pick from, but it's one weird smell. It will dissipate shortly, at least enough you won't smell it, but the cat will.

I have 8 cats, and anywhere I put that Critter Cord, none of them want anything to do with it.

Oh my goodness, that's so tragic!.

My Jack is a chewer, so l have to make sure cables are out of sight like he was still a kitten

Have fun at the bridge Thomas

   It's painful to lose our babies to old age or illness, but accidents and their suddenness shock our minds and hearts and are truly heartrending. If anything good can come from this thread, let it make us aware of the dangers in our own house and take steps to protect the innocent.

   I lost my loved one to an accident and understand the guilt and pain that follows. I wish I could offer words of comfort, but in the beginning nothing helps but time. Please know you are not alone, we'll do what we can to lighten your burden by sharing and understanding your pain. By sharing your grief, healing can begin.

   ,Be gentle with your boyfriend, let him express his grief and try to comfort him with good memories, try not to dwell on the death.

   Thomas will live on in your hearts, you gave him 9 wonderful years of love and happiness. There will come a day when you'll remember him with smiles instead of tears, but for now you need to mourn the loss of his presence in your life. He'll wait for you at the Rainbow Bridge, safe and warm. Take care of yourselves, bless you for caring so much....... RIP beautiful Thomas!

Di and Bob said:

 
   It's painful to lose our babies to old age or illness, but accidents and their suddenness shock our minds and hearts and are truly heartrending. If anything good can come from this thread, let it make us aware of the dangers in our own house and take steps to protect the innocent.

   I lost my loved one to an accident and understand the guilt and pain that follows. I wish I could offer words of comfort, but in the beginning nothing helps but time. Please know you are not alone, we'll do what we can to lighten your burden by sharing and understanding your pain. By sharing your grief, healing can begin.

   ,Be gentle with your boyfriend, let him express his grief and try to comfort him with good memories, try not to dwell on the death.

   Thomas will live on in your hearts, you gave him 9 wonderful years of love and happiness. There will come a day when you'll remember him with smiles instead of tears, but for now you need to mourn the loss of his presence in your life. He'll wait for you at the Rainbow Bridge, safe and warm. Take care of yourselves, bless you for caring so much....... RIP beautiful Thomas!

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Di and Bob, thank you for such a warm, heartfelt response. You brought tears to my eyes (and I just put on my makeup, darnit! LOL). I don't live with my bf, and Thomas and the other animals are living with his mother because my bf's roommates don't want pets. But he lives close by and visits all the time. He would take video of all the animals on his phone and show them to me when we spend time together, so that I felt like I saw them almost as much as he did.

I agree that losing a family member like Thomas to a preventable accident adds a painful and devastating layer to grieving. To know that something so simple as tucking the cords behind something or wrapping them in tin foil could have kept Thomas with us somehow makes it worse. How I wish I could turn back the clock and help make sure that was done. Thomas should have had many many years more with us! To make matters worse, this is my bf's second cat to pass away in less than 18 months (his other boy cat was 17, and it was definitely his time to travel to the bridge). The depth of his grief and guilt must be indescribable. I'm afraid to mention anything about cats in general (and as I have 8 and work from home, I could talk about them all day long!) while he is still trying to process this.

Thank you everyone here for your condolences. Please give your furry ones and extra hug today for Thomas. Double check your cords and wires, and anything else they might want to play with that they shouldn't. I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of my cats playing with something suspicious, and when I take it from them I wonder, "where in the world did you FIND this??"

May you all have many, many happy years with your furry babies!

rip sweet Thomas. How tragic.

Oh, no. I'm so sorry to hear about Thomas. That's a good reminder to people to be very careful to cat-proof the house as much as possible.

RIP, Thomas.

I'm so sorry.  Please extend my sympathy to your boyfriend, as well.  It's such a tragic story.  Bless you for posting to help others, even though you are suffering. 

I'm so sorry for your B.F.'s loss.Thank you for this information as I have a 9 yr old who chews on chords and do my best to hide them. I didn't know that they made things for this. R.I.P sweet baby Thomas!

Thomas  

Aww sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to you, your boyfriend and to little Thomas.    I have a cord chewer also and I am always afraid that this could happen. I bought some cord protectors from Ikea that stick to the wall and the cord hides inside. It does help but has no smell.

Accidents do happen unfortunately, but I am thankful that you posted this as it may help someone else that might have a cat who is attracted to cord chewing and know that it can be possible to prevent such a tragic incident. Again, my heart breaks for you guys.

OH my goodness, I am so sorry that is so terrible. Thank you for sharing your story. Maybe in time your bf can come on this site, it has helped me with my grief tremendously.

I had one cord chewer and he ruined a 90.00 MAC Book cable and that was enough to get me to be aware I cannot image if he had killed himself.

Again I am so sorry.

Thank you all for your kind words and sympathies. Although my bf isn't a "poster" or a forum follower, I know he would appreciate them too.

I apologize for the awful pun here, but I am still shocked that this could happen. I thought if a kitty chewed a cord they might get an unpleasant shock, but I had no idea it could actually be strong enough to electrocute them! I'm very thankful that my one cord chewer only seems to like small cords (like phone charger cords) or the strings on the blinds. Both are easy enough to keep away from her. I don't know what kind of cord Thomas was chewing on, but it must have been at least the size of an extension cord.

It's such an awful, sudden and preventable way to lose a loved one. If this thread helps anyone, prevents any more cats from dying this way, it will have been worth it. I know most people don't take this bad habit too seriously, probably because something like what happened to poor Thomas is unthinkable. But if everyone spreads the word that it really CAN kill a pet, and has, maybe people will take the extra step and make sure those cords are out of reach or covered with something.

I think Thomas would be pleased if he knew we were spreading the word about this to others. Let's do it in his honor.

Sorry for your Loss, Rest in Peace Thomas

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It is air conditioning season. besides all other cords, please make sure your AC is grounded and you use surge protectors and any other available measures to prevent any tragedies with AC's, computers, and everything else electrical if your cat likes cords....or might.