How to deal with a cat with a chewing problem?

kc1223 · Apr 4, 2020

Hi everyone. I'm not at all a frequent poster on this site, but have gained a lot of useful info over the years by reading all of the archived posts. I'm hoping some of you might have some expertise in regards to what I assume is a somewhat common problem with one of our two cats, Fig.

So here's the problem - Fig is a big, big chewer. It all started off with a rope that once dangled off of his cat tree. Through time, he completely gnawed through the whole thing until it eventually fell to the floor. Once he finished with that, he started going to whatever else he could find - shoelaces, cables, clothing, plants... you name it. Our response was to hide everything we could find and to never leave toys out, but obviously this can only be taken so far. We have always been aware of the dangers of potential blockage of the GI tract, but really couldn't do much except be as watchful as possible. About six months ago, our fears were realized and he had to be rushed to the vet. He had a complete blockage in his small intestines, and we ended up shelling out quite a lot of money to save the little guy's life. He recovered just fine. As I'm sure some of you will ask - we explained the chewing issue to the vet and they didn't seem to think he has any underlying gum or teeth issues.

Flash forward to today, the chewing has never stopped, and it most likely never will. We know that if he keeps it up, another trip to the vet is almost guaranteed. Our hope has been to find some "safer" things to chew, but he is uninterested in bones and most cat "chew" toys would actually be quite dangerous for him as he would over time likely ingest the whole thing. One odd thing he LOVES is the top, leafy parts of pineapples. So he will continue to chew that as long as we keep buying pineapples. He also loves vegetables, especially spinach, carrot and sweet potato. But to all of the experts here - have any of you had a cat with such an insatiable chewing addiction? If so, have you found any safe chew toys or other ways to cope?

kittenmittens84 · Apr 4, 2020

My cat is a chewer, not quite to the extent that yours is but he loves nothing more than to rip a cardboard box to shreds before he falls asleep. It’s mostly paper and cardboard that he destroys but if he’s bored he’ll start chewing on wooden things too like the backs of kitchen chairs and corners of tables. A “safe” chew toy we’ve found that works well for him is a tiny Kong (I think it’s made for puppies?) with a squeezable treat like churu smeared on the inside. It entertains him for a while and he can chew on it without breaking chunks of it off. He also likes the Greenies chew treats made for petite dogs, the ones that look like toothbrushes. His vet suggested them when I said I was worried about him eating bits of toys and causing an obstruction, I guess the greenies are formulated to be digested easily.

I do know that compulsive/destructive chewing can be an OCD or anxiety related behavior in cats, have you explored that avenue at all? It’s probably worth talking to a vet about it if nothing else curbs the chewing - I have no personal experience with it, but my parents’ cat had a longtime problem with overgrooming and pacing and he did very well on a low dose of prozac. The anxious behaviors basically completely went away.

Jcatbird · Apr 4, 2020

The previous advice is very good. Kitties do like a playtime challenge. The hunt and challenge toys that are available might help. Having to work for a treat helps work off energy and used the hunt instinct. Puzzle toys that reward with a treat are great tools to try. In nature the instinct to hunt is very strong and still carries through to our domesticated babies. My other thought is dietary. Your cat is eating a lot of things that makes me wonder if he craves some nutritional thing. You might inquire of your vet if there is a good vitamin supplement that you could try. Loving vegetables? I think that’s a strong indicator. Please do let us know if any of this helps and how kitty is doing. Very glad you came and posted!