My cat has been destroying my stuff recently any ideas on how to make him stop?

Question

My cat seems to think wires are toys and im getting worried i mean he chewed through the wire fo charging my game boy while it was plugged in so im scared hell get hurt so ive started unpluging things not in use but that doesnt solve the wire eating so seriously some help please.

Ok i forgot to mention he already has been neutered and i couldnt declaw the little guy and that is where he lives mainly because we havent had him long and because i have some big dogs and he cant get onto the counters to get away from them yet

By that i mean my room

Answer 1

Wherever possible, keep wires and cables hidden away, or use cable trunking to conceal them on items that are plugged in to the electric.

Cats hate the smell of menthol or eucalyptus oil, which you can buy cheaply at the chemist. Rub a few drops of this over wires and cables and leave them out as "bait" pieces. The smell should be enough to deter him and can help break the habit. Whenever you catch him chewing cables, do not discipline him otherwise he may just resort to doing it in secret. Instead divert his attention on to hunting style games using toys that dangle off the end of a wand stick, and let him "kill" those instead. If he's an indoor only cat, he needs at least 20 minutes of playing hunting games each day. This will keep him mentally active, and stop him from looking for ways to amuse himself, such as chewing wires.

If your cat is in the 4-6 month age range, he might simply be teething. It's a pretty painful experience and cats often begin biting things in an attempt to deal with the pain. If this is the case, take a clean face cloth, knot it, dampen it with water and put it in the freezer to chill. Chewing on that will help relieve painful gums.

If your cat continues to chew things and you suspect he may actually be eating these items, then you'll find an article entitled "Cats who eat strange things like cardboard" on the link below helpful.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html

Answer 2

Maybe you should invest in some Cat Toys. Your Cat is bored and wires are his only source of entertainment, by the sounds of it. Get him his very own toys to play with, including a scratching post as well, and I'll bet your Cat will stop destroying your things!!! Good Luck!! BrendaBee

Answer 3

I had a cat that did this, I tried buying him toys, that spray stuff that has hormones in it that keeps them away from certain places, and so many other things to get him to stop but he wouldn't. I eventually just had to get rid of him because he was tearing up my apartment and all of my things. He would literally shred the shoelaces in my shoes and even some of my clothes and my hair scrunchies and clippies. The thing that halfway worked for me was making sure that I left NOTHING out for him to even be curious about, because NOTHING worked to keep him from destroying things.

Answer 4

Find it something really interesting to chew. Or sell him. I had a dog that used to do this. I came in one night and she was tucked in a corner with the innocent look she only used when she had been told off. It was only later I noticed the tooth marks in the 240v power cable to an alarm clock. She never chewed another cable.

Answer 5

Please close the door to the room where you have your electrical units. I would hate to see your kitty zapped. Also ask the vet for some aversion therapy for the kitty. You may be able to squirt him with a water pistol to keep him away or maybe smear some foul tasting goo on the wires.

Good luck.

Cheers

Lisa

Answer 6

Ive got a dog that does that and there are these sprays that you can buy for cats and dogs that deter them away from whatever you spray it on... i think its called in yor case Cat Repellent

Answer 7

omg - my cat did the same thing - he chewed all the wires to my phone charges, camera charger, phone lines! we were withouth phones until i bought new lines! he eventually stopped after i pre-occupied him with feather toys and balls..........as far as the declawing thing - i use soft paws and they work great.

Answer 8

Get a squirt bottle and mix water and vinegar. They hate the smell of vinegar and usually stop whatever it is they were doing when you sprayed them. They learn pretty well that way and the vinegar won't hurt them.

Answer 9

Just put him in the garden for the night or day?
It works because then they can chew on the grass or something. It worked with mine! [=

Answer 10

You just have to hide those items which he tends to gravitate towards. I have two rooms which I call "hair free zones". My cats are not allowed to go in these restricted areas.