Cat cutting through wire

[alycia12]

I have a friend that has a kitty, about a year old.. She got her in the resteraunt she works at.. The one habit the cat does that is very annoying is she cuts through wire, copper wiring with her teeth., does that a lot.. Cut the cord on the Xmas tree this year.. How can she get the kitty to stop this?? Happens often .. Any suggestions ??

 

[jcat]

There are all sorts of cord covers available, like Crittercord or Chewsafe, plus a number of DIY ideas like the ones here. Some people use the hoses for showers or washers to cover the cords, too.

 

[Columbine]

There are also non toxic nasty tasting sprays designed to put cats off chewing things, such as Bitter Apple and Bitter Cherry. They're often pretty effective, but do test on something first - I've heard of cats occasionally really enjoying their taste NOT what you want in this kind of situation :lol3:

 

[detroitcatlady]

I have a chewer in my house so I am VERY familiar with this problem. Definitely tell her to try to spray something ELSE with the bitter apple or similar deterrents first before using on cords or wires. My youngest kitty loves the taste of pretty much everything including bitter apple, learned the hard way when I sprayed all the cords with it and she began obsessively licking and biting everything, I just ended up making it more appealing to her. Some cats seem to never grow out of the chewing habit from teething and continue doing it when they are hyper, bored or attention seeking. The best thing to do is cover the cords with plastic tubing or similar covering or run them along the ceiling or somewhere the cat cannot get at them. I know some people run the christmas light cords this way so that the cats can't damage them or get electrocuted. Honestly that I what I worry about the most. It is frustrating having things get damaged and having to replace but I was always more concerned about my kitty hurting herself the way she was constantly chewing things while they were plugged in with electrical current running through.