cat repellant?

Hi all

I have been reading about how cats love to chew on wires. Well, I have tons of them, behind my computer, the phone, the TV center. All these wires are a jungle, and not capable of being confined in a tube of any kind.

Now I don't have my kitty yet, but when I do, if this is a problem, does cat repellant sprayed on the wires work? If so, what brand is best, cause I am sure I will have to do that with some of my furniture, too. Do all cats chew on wires?

I would also like to add that all of you are such nice people, and I feel very fortunate to have found you. I am truly blessed.

Thanks,
Val

Well, I hate to say it but tubing of some sort is usually the best. I took all the wires behind the computer and blocked them off so they cant even get back there. Not all cats like to chew cords either. I only have one that even thought about it. Sometimes its just too tempting though. As for the sprays, the cats all seem to react to different tastes. The few that have worked here are bitter apple, chew guard and good old fashion tobasco. Of course with the furniture, I dont know about spraying. I am not sure if you meant to keep them off of it or from chewing on it. There are different methods for different problems with furniture.

Sandie says:
<<"Well, I hate to say it but tubing of some sort is usually the best. I took all the wires behind the computer and blocked them off so they cant even get back there."

<<Val, peering behind computer and gasping, trying to envision tubing all this mass of wires and chaos.....arrggggg.... >>

How can you block off the area so they can't get to it? Also, what kind of tubing is good?

Thank you Sandie ::smooch::

Val

Oh yeah, I went through the cursing and swearing along with the feeling of defeat coming over me. Looking at all those wires, wondering how I was going to tame them....thats when I looked at hubby
You can find a whole assortment of sizes at Radio Shack or Home Depot. They have slits in them to slide the wires in. The first step was to disconnect everything and make a nice tidy line. We brought everything straight up first and either wire tied them or if it was say a power cord, we just used a staple gun to put them up against the wall. As for blocking it off, he used various sizes of wood and wedged them in. Of course it really depends on how your desk is set up. It works well if the desk is up against a wall. This is how we have some of the wires we had to run across the room.

Thanks Sandie. I will take your advice if I get a cat with an appetite for wires. :faints: :LOL:

Val

I have found that cats hate the smell of citrus and it works very well as a repellant

Lorie, yes I think I will try that first, if my Danielle decides to chow down on my wires.

A friend suggested to me that Ducttape was the solution. I hope that this can be of some help to someone here.
She said no cat wants to chew through ducttape.

Val

Hi Val,

For what it's worth, I worried a lot about this too before I got my cat, but so far Ebony has shown absolutely no interest in chewing on wires (maybe it's more common for kittens, like puppies, to chew???). Well, I guess all that tying up of dangling cords has made the house less of a fire hazard! Ebony does, however, have a bad habit of trying to eat thin plastic bags or packaging. I even have to keep him out of the kitchen to keep him away from the garbage bin liner! I guess that you just have to watch them for a while to determine where the dangers may lie.

Regina

Hi Regina

My ten-year-old cat, Snowball also has the habit of chewing on thin plastic bags whenever he finds them. I was wondering why some cats do this and if it is related to wool sucking in any way ?

Regina...

Thanks.... Actually I don't know if it will work or not, but yesterday at the pet shop I found a spray that is supposed to taste terrible to cats when they chew on things(I have not bought it yet). I can't remember the name. It is not apple bitter.... I thought if I find a chewing problem on anything, I would try this. One application is supposed to last 4 weeks, and it is odorless.

At the shelter, they told me that older cats are less likely to chew wires. Kittens are more prone to that. I don't know. We will see. I guess evey kitty is different.!

Another tip I heard is putting double stick tape on the object to be avoided,,,.. the kitties hate that.

Val