Deodorant - My New Cat Deterrent, hehe

i opened up my deodorant bottle and let my kittens sniff it. they took a quick sniff and jumped back about a foot.

so today i tried applying a very small amount to a piece of string. just enough to apply the smell and not a coating.

then i tossed the string around for them to play with to see if it really worked. and boy it it ever work. each kitten jumped back and ran away like it was some kinda monster.

the deodorant name:

Degree - Clear Stick (solid) - Extreme Blast

i've applied it to almost every single electrical cord, my computer, webcam, monitor, mouse and keyboard cord, and other things that i did not want my kittens to touch.

it's clear. hardly sticky at all. and virtually invisible. i only used a very small amount of deodorant too.

anyways, just an idea.

I'm glad you've found something that keeps them away.

A word of caution:
Anything that says "Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."
should be kept well out of reach of pets, which the label on Degree says.

There are other deterrents for cats that are non-toxic, like bitter apple spray, that won't hurt your kits even if they do decide to gnaw on it / lick it.

I'm also going to say that if they react that strongly to the smell, they can smell it everywhere in the house and on you, and you might get behavior problems and they might stay away from you, too.

If I were you I'd throw it out, and get an unscented one, and wash everything you rubbed it on (without being electrocuted of course) before your cats start being really really stressed out or worse yet poisoned.

the package just said "keep out of reach of children"

i phoned their toll-free hotline and i was told that it was not recommended for that purpose at all and that it has not been tested on animals. i asked if it was toxic for human consumption and she said she didnt think so.

so i guess i'll wash this stuff off and get the bitter apple spray. better safe then sorry.

i thought i had a good idea

thanks Zissou'sMom * hugs *

Hmm... perhaps I wasn't looking at the exact right one when I pasted off the label. Still, I agree, better safe than sorry.

That's what TCS is for, I've had some great ideas until I came here and posted about it and someone thought about it differently and pointed out something I'd never thought of.

Someday you can do the same for me .

Bitter apple tends to work very well, and in most kittens the "chew on cords" stage doesn't last too long. Hopefully yours' won't either.

I used to have a cat that had a fixation for electrical cords. I was afraid to keep anything plugged in and would unplug everything but my freezer and fridge before leaving the apartment or going to bed. It was a real nuisance. She would chew on the cords, but never break them, but I didn't want to take the chance.

I'm very fortunate with the 2 cats I have now. Neither of them scratch furniture or carpets, and neither have a fixation for electrical cords. Though my 7 year old loves my back massager. It's one of those that has one of those copper plates on the end that warms up. Usually I'll start out massaging my shoulder/back/neck, and end up massaging my cat instead. She loves the humming sound and licks the cord (doesn't bite it) and she keeps bugging me until I eventually just give up and massage her head/neck/back for 10 minutes.

I do agree that you should probably use something less toxic on the cords. Try tabasco sauce, or rub an orange peel on them.

Does your cat go after the cords because they are moving (IE: computer mouse cord?)? If so, try using a cordless mouse and keyboard. There is one cord attached to a stationary module, and the keyboard and mouse communicate with it by radio waves. This eliminates to moving cords which probably seem like little worms or snakes or something fun to chase around.