My Cat Is Chewing The Corners Off My Stair Case

[expertbooks]

The corners at the top and bottom of the stair case now have holes chewed in them and he hasn't stopped yet! The material is painted plaster, and I don't know if it is toxic - the house is about 24 years old. Does anyone know of any non-toxic substance I can put on the corners to deter him? It's a new behavior - he's one year old.

 

[susanm9006]

Ther are clear plastic corner guards that you can purchase at hardware stores for just a couple dollars.

 

[Kieka]

I've had luck with bitter apple spray to stop chewing. It can discolor, but if you have chew marks already that's probably not a problem. It doesn't work for all cats but it is worth a shot.

I'd be a little concerned about your cat deciding to chew somewhere else. Keep an eye out for any other chew spots. It could be a case of pica which would require careful cat proofing of your whole house.

 

[vince]

Lead-based house paints were banned in 1978, if that's what you were worrying about. You should be free from that problem, since your house is considerably newer. Can't say about anything else in the paint, though.

 

[expertbooks]

I've had luck with bitter apple spray to stop chewing. It can discolor, but if you have chew marks already that's probably not a problem. It doesn't work for all cats but it is worth a shot.

I'd be a little concerned about your cat deciding to chew somewhere else. Keep an eye out for any other chew spots. It could be a case of pica which would require careful cat proofing of your whole house.

I think I will try the bitter apple. I noticed him sniffing at the base of my wood coffee table, but no chews so far. Plastic guards sound good, but not if he starts to chew other things. I don't know what pica is, but I will look it up.

 

[Kieka]

This site has a good overview of pica, Wool sucking behavior, cats sucking fabric, cloth and socks. It's essentially the urge to eat non-edible items. Humans can have it too where they want to eat dirt or ice. It can be a sign of a problem or simply an innate inner drive that can't easily be controlled. Cats with it might chew up blankets, furniture or other items around the house.

Chewing on the step doesn't indicate pica on it's own. It could just be something about that specific step. But you do want to keep an eye around the house to make sure the chewing doesn't transfer elsewhere. If after eliminating the step your cat starts going after something else you'd want to do a vet exam. Specifically blood work to make sure there isn't something wrong. Humans who can't stop chewing ice tend to be anemic as an example. If nothing shows up on the blood work, then try behavior modification to engage your cat more and eliminate the common outlets. If that still doesn't work then possibly partner with a vet for minor anti anxiety medications, possibly.

But this is all getting ahead of the situation right now. Right now focus on stopping the behavior at the one spot and be on the look out for it being redirected. If it's not redirected, then it really is just something about the specific spot which can happen.

 

[Kflowers]

Just a thought. Ask the vet to look at his teeth, particularly the back ones. Teeth can go bad or be damaged at any age and looking only takes a second. In the wild animals tend to 'chew' the bad tooth out because they have no choice.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'd try the deter stuff (bitter apple, etc.) and if he stops, great, if he takes to chewing something else, I'd definitely see a vet that's cat friendly, cat savvy and realizes that if it's pica, it needs to be dealt with medically as well as behaviorally and not written off as "cat doing a weird thing."
If he continues to do this despite deter, and you see a vet, don't accept "it's just something cats do" as an answer!
Also, agreed with the tooth thing. Some cats develop something called stomatitis, and some of those cats (ours) chewed on weird objects because his teeth (according to the vet) "itched". A good vet should be able to tell with a quick glance if stomatitis is a possibility during a routine exam.
Hopefully he's just being a nutty little thing and will stop and it's not health related at all!