kitten trying eating wires and other suff.

[huyi]

how to avoid my kitten from trying to eat them? i have tried to hide the wires as much as i can, i have put duck tape on the internet wires to cover them up, but the wires near the tv and games console he keeps on going for, i pick the kitten up and put him in his basket but he just goes for it again, what can i use to deter him from biting them? he also bites his litter tray or anything else that he has access too, is it a teething problem and something he will grow out of?

the kitten's name is Bast btw.

i play with him and his ball to try and tire him and keep him intrested in the ball and give him lots of attention but he still goes for the wires.

 

[strange_wings]

It's teething + mischievous kitten. They all do this to some extent, some worse than others.

You can use a product called bitter apple spray to make items taste terrible or you can go to the hardware store and get some corrugated tubing to cover the wires with. The latter option lasts for years and has the added benefit of organizing your cords.

And I don't suggest tape. Most cats love to chew on tape so it will only encourage a kitten.


You should try to find some stuff that he can chew on. Drink straws tend to be a good chew toy for kittens but you need to make sure he doesn't chew pieces off and eat them.

 

[huyi]

yeah, tape is no good, my kitten chews that aswell, i have just tried some vinegar and dabbed it on one of the wires and he seems to back away from it as soon as he smells it, if that doesn't work will try the covering wire thing.

 

[stephanietx]

You can cover them with plastic tubing or using the tubes from paper towels or toilet paper. Just slit them, wrap them around the wires, and tape back together. They might want to chew them, but at least it will show them down...some.

 

[madara]

Thankfully they will lose interest down the road when they are abit older. What I did was go to the hardward store, cut plastic tubing down the middle and squeeze the cords in. Works great. Even then I turned off the PC and power supply my main source of worry if I left the apartment. My little bugger did eat my nintendo ds power supply cord and $100 headphone wires so even when you thought of everything think of things with very thin wires that dont necessary get plugged into the wall or often.

 

[kkh]

Ku Ku used to do that a lot. I tried bitter apple but apparently she likes the flavor(yes...) it didn't work

Besides the plastic tubes & covers, the cheaper alternative I'd recommend trying is aluminum foil. Ku Ku still loves chewing codes and cables but she'd back off if I put aluminum foils on them.

 

[stephanietx]

Be careful with Bitter Apple. One of my cats barfs anytime I try to use it.

 

[huyi]

are you sure aluminum foils works? i would have thought he would chew through that also, the vinegar didn't work, he still tries to chew it, going to look around town and see what they have in the pet shop.

 

[madara]

Mine would eat aluminum for sure. Plastic tubing at hardware store, you get them cut by the length you want. This to me is the ultimate way to go for the first year of a kitten.

 

[huyi]

Originally Posted by madara

Mine would eat aluminum for sure. Plastic tubing at hardware store, you get them cut by the length you want. This to me is the ultimate way to go for the first year of a kitten.

i thought so, my kitten chews threw anything so i won't take any chances, i brought him more toys from the pet shop to keep him occupied and i will look out for the plastic tubing aswell.

 

[starryeyedtiger]

I've had a lot of success with Fooey and Bitter Apple in the past! http://reviews.petco.com/3554/6433/reviews.htm
http://www.google.com/products/catal...CAcQ8wIwADgA#p

I have also had foster kittens who would on a rare occassion enjoy the bittering agents, so I had to get creative. My solution? Wrap contact paper (sticky side facing outward) around the wires so that it overlaps....once your kitten gets fur and feet stuck to it, it will learn to leave it alone. (If you catch it going near the area, you can also take an empty soft drink can with a few pennies inside and place some tape on top of it- give it a little shake so that the kitty is distracted by the noise. When it goes away from that area, be ready with a kitty treat or a favorite toy so it gets rewarded for good behavior when it is in an appropriate area of your house and behaving.

 

[huyi]

what about a plastic coke bottle?, i don't have coke cans laying around, just bottles.

 

[jillie]

I am having the same exact problem

Fred also likes to go straight to the source and bite the plug itself while it's plugged into the wall. What this means for him is that at night and when I'm not home to watch him he needs to stay in his crate. I'm going to try some of these ideas and I will share my experience too!

 

[strange_wings]

^Fred the 5 week old kitten? If so, he has another ~5 weeks before it's safe to leave him running loose unattended. So you have some time to kitten proof.

Look into items used to baby proof outlets and cords plugged into them, there might be something that would work.

 

[kittymcg]

Bitter apple would work. It's really potent.

IKEA sells boxes that contain the wires (you could easily fashion something like this) http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00138309 I found that it's the loose wires that move around a lot that my little guy was most interested in. Once all these were contained he lost interest.