Chewing

**harrymc** · 27th February 2010, 11:12 AM

I don't know whether this is a common problem but for the second time this week Harry has chewed through two phone cables the second was my son's phone charger which he bit in half ! - Any suggestions guys ?

**Heather2mc** · 27th February 2010, 12:04 PM

Timmy my domestic cat chewed through a laptop cable when he was a kitten and it sparked and scared him and he never did it again. I dont know how you can stop them unless you catch them doing it but i would be hiding as many cables as I could. I am also very interested if anyone does knows a way to stop this.

**Karena** · 27th February 2010, 01:10 PM

When my dogs were puppies and they started chewing things they weren't supposed to I used to clap my hands and shout no - it scared them and they didn't do it again - not sure this would work with a cat though.

**Tomiam** · 27th February 2010, 01:43 PM

Ive lost (been bitten through):-
4 blind cords
3 electronic drum cables
2 audio leads

I found some "bitter apple spray" on amazon and tbh... Im not convinced its working.
I sprayed it all over the drum cables four times and left it to dry. Cats still seem very interested in them, although I havent yet got them plugged into the kit and seen if they will get bitten again.

Bitter apple spray: Bitter Apple Spray - Bitter pet healthcare

Im thinking that for the really important cables I will get a length of braided pvc hose, cut it down the middle and then lay the cable in it.

Braided hose: 8mm Clear Braided PVC Tubing Pipe Air Fuel Hose 5 Metre on eBay (end time 21-Mar-10 15:35:46 GMT)

**Scrapdragon** · 27th February 2010, 01:54 PM

I don't know... we used to have a dog that would eat the cables on the trailer... but the cats we've had have all been good...
Now I'm worried as I have lots of cables around....

**mcguy** · 27th February 2010, 02:33 PM

Kittens definitely teeth just like puppies, and this continues up to about 6mos. from my experience. I have read many cautions about electrical cables and kittens, and suggestions to get "cable organizers" to protect them (e.g., Hosa Cables, Corrugated Tubing, Hosa Cable, HOSA WHD-410, Split Loom Corrugated Tubing), which is what we did for almost all exposed electrical cables.

**Scrapdragon** · 27th February 2010, 02:39 PM

hmmm maybe a teething toy like for small dogs or puppies....

**missdiane** · 27th February 2010, 08:22 PM

I *think* mine only does it when we are around; for attention, usually the laptop wires whilst I am sat here, or my dock wire- whilst I am settling in bed.
I started shouting/clapping but also find diversion tactics to be more effective- toys are everywhere and there is always one to hand

**Jasper&Bailey** · 27th February 2010, 09:38 PM

Hiya, what a nightmare! Our two MC's Jasper & Bailey are now 6 months old and have always chewed cables and still do. From our experience (& I don't want to offend anyone) but cat's dont seem to learn like Dogs, I'm not saying you cant train them but it's not the same, we had a retriever and you could teach him anything with-in four or five attempts with a treat in your hand but cats arent greedy enough for this to motivate them. That is one of the 'main' reasons Im a cat man!! All our cables are in trunking fitted very neatly round the edge of the room as we have a home theatre kit, they still try and chew them from between the trunking and the TV but we just have to distract them, clapping works, or tapping their nose and moving them away but the best thing for us is a wrapper e.g. quality street screwed up and thrown on the floor. We are lucky as the only room with accessable cables is the lounge which they're only allowed in when we're in anyway. You're right to be cautious because before I did the trunking they chewed through the first layer of insulation on the 240v piece of cable before the transformer on the laptop.

Good theory about the teething, least that means it might stop, I thought it might just be because we all dangle things on the end of bits of string etc and so how and why would they know the difference between a cable and the toy you wind them up with. Fingers Crossed.......for us all.

**jckkerrison** · 27th February 2010, 09:53 PM

Six maine coons & not one a chewer,hubby reckons it is because whenever they went near anything like that when we first had them I would shout like a fishwife {whatever that is} & they would bypass any wires from that day on,when we have a new addition & it starts to go near something it shouldn't the others duck away & hide & you just see these little faces peeking out waiting, I am sure they would put their paws over their ears if they could but it works & all it costs is a good long drink afterwards to calm the throat.....