Chewing on electrical cords can burn or shock your cat, causing respiratory problems, cardiac arrest and even death. Cat's sharp teeth and their inquisitive nature can put your cat at high risk. This is especially an issue with kittens.
Here's what to do to:
1. Tape cords to the wall with electrical tape to help prevent your pet from gaining access to them.
2. Stow excess lengths of cord behind furniture or appliances, hidden from your cat's view. Cats are attracted to dangling cords and may think they are toys.
3. Block access to visible cords by wrapping flexible safety cable (available at hardware stores) around them. Tin foil works well too, or even a thicker model or extension cord (that is too big for a cat to chew on)
4. Place contact paper, sticky side up, in the general area of electrical cords to discourage your pet from approaching them.
5. Apply unpleasant-tasting substances to exposed cords. These could include bitter apple spray, menthol, toothpaste, mouthwash or lemon juice. Experiment with different flavors, since cats' taste aversions vary. You can also use Crittercord... It's a cord cover with a deterrent infused in it. Be sure to use a product for Cats though- similar products are available for killing rats so be careful what you buy!
6. Have favorite toys available to distract your pet from the cords, and rotate toys every few days to prevent boredom.
7. Keep your pet out of any room with exposed electrical cords until your furry friend loses interest in chewing on them.
My favorite solution is rubbing the cords with a bar of soap.
Moisten the soap, it makes application easier. The soap will last longer than the Bitter Apple sprays and is more effective than hot sauce (even habanero, which incidentally can get in the cat's eyes and be really painful). This works so well that you will probably see a reluctance to even reach for untreated cords, like a mouse or keyboard cord, where the same cat consistently would bite these before.
You need to understand that cats are smart creatures though they are also creatures of instinct. If you have something dangling around, such as a cord for a fan, your cat will naturally want to swat at it. She may even chew on it as it moves (literally moving your cat around like in old cartoons, just a bit slower).
Every interaction with your cat trains her. If she does something you don't like, and you pick her up and tell her she's naughty and put her in another room etc she's actually learning that if she does that bad behavior, she'll get attention from you! Which means she'll do the bad behavior more and more.
It's far better to ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior. To stop bad behavior interrupt her pattern with a squirt of water or use the above methods to make the experience not as pleasant as she thought it would be. (For example, chewing on cords might look like fun, but if they taste terrible, she'll soon learn that it's better to chew other things).
You should also know that problem behavior in cats is often a sign of stress, boredom or bad socializing when they were a kitten. To deal with stress and boredom provide lots toys, perches and places she can get away and relax and remember that love is the best medicine so give her plenty of attention.
If your cat is out of control due to bad socializing when she was a kitten, you can fix her behavior, though it may take longer. For example, giving her attention needs to be on HER terms...you may only be able to pat her for a small amount of time in one go, though over a few months she'll gradually allow you to pat her more and more as she gets used to it.
It's better to give her some attention and leave her wanting more then over doing it and only stopping when she scratches you and runs away.
Cats are amazing creatures, and once you understand their psychology, you'll get along with them like never before, enjoying perfect behavior from them and an even deeper bond.
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» left by Dakotah from Yuma, AZ (241 days 22 hours ago.)
Ok my cat is insane. He loves to chew on cords, but I have tried the aluminum foil wrapped around the cords and well needless to say he loved chewing on the foil more then the cords. I think my cat has an addiction to electric shock or something. He only chews on cords that are plugged in and have something turned on. Like for instance the computer power cord. I leave it running all night long. He has chewed some wires and shoe laces and his leash and harness. I can't seem to get him to stop, I have tried everything from playing with him until he is panting and can't move to much, to spraying him with water. I have even tried the loud noise thing, I hiss at him and say no I even snap my fingers all he does is run and chew on something else. He has chewed through all his toys that have strings, and has even chewed my husbands boot laces for his uniform. And now he has resorted to urinating on my couch cushion where my husband sits. At first I thought it was because my husband hadn't been paying attention to him, but even when my husband would play with him and pet him and love on him he would do it. I don't like cats that much and I have tried to show him some attention more then I used to and it doesn't work either, I am at my wits end. I don't know what to do other then get rid of the cat and get a dog or a hamster. Can anyone help me???
» left by zach from wisconsin (150 days 13 hours ago.)
i tried the crittercord with my little kitten and it worked amazingly. she hardly even glanced at a cord in days. i think she wanted attention because i was away to work for atleast 7 hours a day and ive had her when she was less then 3 months old. Anyways thanks for the tips and tricks
» left by Mallory (60 days 23 hours ago.)
LOI. My kitty is destructo-cat. She has 'killed' (permenantly) two pairs of head-phones, my telephone, and the powercable to my modem. She is a stealth-chewer, operating only under cover of darkness. I'll try the soap. Respond to this comment
» left by James from Sandy, UT (34 days 16 hours ago.)
My roommate's cat is ridiculous. It has chewed through 2 pairs of my headphones, an XBOX Live headset, a bass guitar cord, a USB cord, and an ethernet cord. All of these things are my property, not my roommates. The cat has only chewed through 1 pair of headphones that are owned by my roommate, thats it! We have tried spraying him with water, giving him attention, and coating a cord in Tabasco/hot sauce. The cat hasn't chewed anything in over a month, but I'm still skeptical. The biggest problem....we had never caught him in the act. He always does this at night it seems, while we are asleep. My roommate and I are parting ways in 2 months cause we will be done with college.
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