chewing cat?....?

Question

my cat Buster has a thing with chewing on materials such as socks, sweatshirts,and blankets...its really annoying and we may have to get rid of him if he doesnt stop....please help,
Cam

Answer 1

Chewing on fabric can sometimes be a sign of stress. Maybe something has changed to upset your cat.

Answer 2

As others have said, make sure that these items are not within Buster's reach. If he is merely chewing on them, provide toys that he will like to chew on instead. Pet Stages makes really good chew toys for cats.

If Buster is not just chewing but ingesting these materials, he has something called pica. It is believed that this is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Behavior. A chemical reaction takes place in the brain telling the cat to eat things which are not food. Sometimes medication can be used to control the behavior. My boss' cat has pica and she has successfully controlled the cat's behavior for 16 years; it was rough at first but is now second nature for her.

Answer 3

I can't believe that you would actually get rid of your cat because he chews socks, sweatshirts and blankets.
Then again if something as simple as that annoys you maybe he should be given to someone else who won't give him away at the drop of a hat.

We had a cat that did this all of her life...and she lived to be just shy of her 19th Birthday, I took her to the Vet to have her checked...which you should do with Buster.
The Vet found nothing wrong with her, but he did ask me how old she was when we got her...she was 4 weeks old...I know now that is far to young for a kitten to be taken from it's Mother.
He told me since she was healthy the reason she was chewing on things like blankets and sweaters was because of the fact she was taken from her Mother to soon and she associated the warm, fuzzy feeling of the blankets and sweaters with her Mother.

I'm sorry if you find my first paragraph harsh, but I work with rescueing stray and feral cats and it just burns me when a very, very, very minor problem comes up and the first thought that enters the humans mind is to get rid of the cat.

Answer 4

A cat can be persuaded not to chew certain objects. All you need to do is to make those objects that the cat likes to chew very aweful tasting or smelling to a cat. Spray or apply tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, Bitter Apple/Orange, orange peel or lemon peel on some socks or blankets or sweatshirts that you will leave somewhere conspicuous where your cat is sure to find them. When he experiences the distastfully "spiced" objects several times, he will learn to avoid them even when they are no longer "spiced." The idea is to break him of the habit and this can be done in as litle as a few days.

Answer 5

It is awful to think that you will get rid of the cat because he chews. Cats are alive, they are not stuffed toys. Put him in a room where he only has his own things to chew. Put the clothes in a closet. You are responsible for protecting your stuff, not the cat. What do you expect us to tell you over the net? Clove oil helps with detering the cat from a secific thing once you have covered it with clove oil, but you can't cover all your clothes with clove oil.

Answer 6

My cat likes to chew on shoes - I think he likes the scent. I suspect your cat is doing the same thing. The best thing to do is to put these things well out of his reach. Then tell him no! loudly and clap your hands when you catch him in the act. You can also try a penny can when you catch him doing it - throw a soda can with a few pennies in it and taped closed in his general direction (not right at him!) when you catch him in the act. These techniques only work when you catch him doing it - once the damage is done there is nothing you can do to punish him.