# My Cat is eating EVERYTHING.....



## allymesk (Jun 1, 2010)

Hello All,
Hopefully someone can help me find some relief or a solution to a problem I have been having with my cat Oliver...

Oliver is a very sweet and lovable 9 month old male neutered cat. My friend picked him up from a farm when he was maybe 2-3 month old. Ever since I got him he has increasingly been very destructive towards objects…..

First it was his toys... I would come home after a 10 hour shift to a softer toy that contained a rattle in it half eaten. Then he began to chew at my shoe laces... so now I keep my shoes in plastic bags since I live in an apartment and do not have a front hall closet. Recently he has been going into my bedroom closet and ingesting tank top straps and even the bottom of my shirts. Best of all, just the other day he began to chew on my lazy boy chair arm.... 

Things I have tried:
I keep my bedroom closet closed and do not leave any clothes at all out!
I have given him toys that he is not able to eat/ ingest. 
I have left the TV on and even the window open so he does not get bored. 
I have sprayed almost everything with bitter apple spray but am afraid to keep anything that he has chewed on
I even got another cat- male neutered and a few years older- which he loves to play with....

He must have an iron stomach since knock on wood, has not been obstructed yet. I have checked his teeth thinking maybe it was a dental issue, but gum health is good and all of his adult teeth are erupted. I also have 4 ferrets which he gets along with. He very occasionally will try to play with one of them but tends to be a bit too rough.

He just loves to CHEW!!! Will he ever stop this annoying behavior? I feel like I am living in a box. I really do not want find another home for him since he is so sweet but I have had enough.


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## Lymsleia (Mar 19, 2010)

Sounds kinda cute but i can understand your frustration. Ive never had problems quite to that extent. However male cats are generally extremely playful. And young ones are full of overwhelming energy. Your doing alot of the right things i.e. getting another cat for him to vent with. Id say for the chair it might be time to get a slip for it so that if he does chew it only hurts the cover and if you have company and want it to look good then remove the cover. You might want to put a lock on your closet. Your cat is still young and he will change over time. Please do not give up on him. Theres always a way around situations like this. The love they will give for a lifetime will far outlive the annoyance of a few damaged material objects.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Sounds like a kitten, LOL! Since Jonah got free run of the house at about 12 weeks (he's now 9 mos) I haven't been able to keep my closet door open, leave ANYTHING on the floor, leave earrings out, leave plastic bags sitting around, etc. It's been excellent for my housekeeping. There's really nothing else for it other than to lock everything up and get really good at keeping things picked up.

My cat Loki, many years ago, ate plastic items. I thought I had everything protected, but then he ate 3 (not 1, but 3) separate 2" pieces of the sproingy part of the spare (stored, not plugged in--why we didn't know at once) phone cord. Ended up at the UT vet school undergoing major GI tract surgery and he almost died. You've been lucky up to now, but consider yourself forewarned!


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