# Cat chews up blinds, shoe string and cables



## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi all,

our cat Pepper (will turn 1 year old in May) chews on the items mentioned in the title. Any idea how I can keep her from doing it? 
I already sprayed "Bitter Apple" on it, used Hot Sauce, the blinds are pulled up (half way), but she still manages to eat them. 
Shoes are normally put away in the closet, but our kids sometimes don't close the closet doors or leave them out and don't close the bedroom door.
I put cable protectors on the most of the cables. 
She even pulled the fur of of those toy mice and plays with the plastic-mouse-shape. Also she likes to play with bouncy balls. 

We play regularly with her (Laser pointer, DaBird, etc.)

Any ideas what else we could do?


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## Wannabe Catlady (Aug 6, 2012)

It almost sounds like pica or a behavioral disorder. What do you feed her? When was her last vet visit?


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

Right now I am changing from kitten to adult food. 
I fed her "Authority" dry & wet food. Started yesterday mixing her dry food with Nature's Variety Instinct grain free (dry). Still got some Authority canned food, which I will be changing gradually to Wellness Core grain free.

She doesn't chew on them daily, but about once a week or so. On the blinds she chews on the strings only. We have faux wood blinds and she did climb them when she was smaller. She hasn't done that in a while, and we got her 3 different sizes cat trees (one is beside our entertainment center, where she can jump up on and be much higher up, one in our "Dining room" aka PC-room and one in our bedroom near the window, but she can't reach the blind from there)

Edit: her last vet visit was in September and she is due in July for her Rabies shot. She got fixed in November.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I have to hide the strings or my girls will play with them. I tuck them up under a blind so they hang down behind them. 

For wires and cables, there are cable protectors you can buy.


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## rayrhonda (Jul 31, 2012)

I have to tuck the blinds cords up and away too or the kitties chew and play with them. I keep the blinds all the way up during the day when they are alone so they don't mess with them. My boy likes to chew on plastic bags so I have to make sure those are always out of reach. Have your kids keep their doors closed and things put up. Your cat sounds bored. I know they make toys that are puzzles for cats. You put treats in them and the cat has to work to get the treat out. I forget what they're called. That might help to keep her occupied. Good luck


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi MsPepper, I've got a similar problem with one of my cats. He is now 8 months so is able to leap onto window sills, making things a bit more challenging. My suggestion for blinds: Coil the strings, and use a twist tie to secure it up high and away from them their reach. Or purchasing one of those stick on plastic hooks and coil the strings up in a similar fashion away from their reach, but where I'll be able to get to for easier access.

My problem started when my cat started teething, but unfortunately he still continues to chew on inappropriate items such as cardboard (sometimes eats it), plastics (even hard plastic like his litterbox!), rubber backings of littermat, and just yesterday I saw him gnawing on the corner of my table, yikes! I think it's best to nip these problems in the bud ASAP before it becomes a bad habit like mine. I'm now rubbing scented dish soap on these hard surfaces & got rid of the litter mat (sigh), but not sure if using dish soap is the best deterrent. I've also heard of using tobasco sauce, but not sure if it'll stain some surfaces...I also keep cords away from their reach as much as possible; he perfers thinner cords like my phone charger.

I'm also trying to encourage him to chew on appropriate items instead when he's into his chewing, like turkey tendon (similar to beef jerky, but pet store clerk says it's ok for cats as long as I cut them smaller and I supervise his eating). Another item I try to get him to eat is chicken necks, but weirdly he needs major encouragement to chew on these items, much to my dismay.

If anyone else has other advice, I'm all ears!


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

Thanks for the replies.

The cords to pull up and lower the blinds are already up (tied in a knot), she chews the "string ladder" where each slat is laying on :-/ 
Recently we bought her this toy, but left the "tail" and "feather thingy" off of it, since she likes to chew them feathers. We also have other small toys (with and without catnip)

Eight Track - KONG cat toy

@TabbCatt: She liked cardboard too, but that has stopped. I really hope that is just a phase.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi MsPepper, I've got a similar problem with one of my cats. He is now 8 months so is able to leap onto window sills, making things a bit more challenging. My suggestion for blinds: Coil the strings, and use a twist tie to secure it up high and away from them their reach. Or purchasing one of those stick on plastic hooks and coil the strings up in a similar fashion away from their reach, but where I'll be able to get to for easier access.

My problem started when my cat started teething, but unfortunately he still continues to chew on inappropriate items such as cardboard (sometimes eats it), plastics (even hard plastic like his litterbox!), rubber backings of littermat, and just yesterday I saw him gnawing on the corner of my table, yikes! I think it's best to nip these problems in the bud ASAP before it becomes a bad habit like mine. I'm now rubbing scented dish soap on these hard surfaces & got rid of the litter mat (sigh), but not sure if using dish soap is the best deterrent. I've also heard of using tobasco sauce, but not sure if it'll stain some surfaces...I also keep cords away from their reach as much as possible; he perfers thinner cords like my phone charger.

I'm also trying to encourage him to chew on appropriate items instead when he's into his chewing, like turkey tendon (similar to beef jerky, but pet store clerk says it's ok for cats as long as I cut them smaller and I supervise his eating). Another item I try to get him to eat is chicken necks, but weirdly he needs major encouragement to chew on these items, much to my dismay.

If anyone else has other advice, I'm all ears!


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

She did good for a few days not chewing, but today she chewed on my husbands new shoes shoelaces. I told him to make sure to put them away so she can't get them and he didn't listen to me. Well I guess he learned his lesson ;-)


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## Blumpy710 (Feb 24, 2014)

I tuck my blind strings in too. My cat chews my speaker wires, hangs on my shower curtain, and scratches my furniture. I just try to play with her as much as I can to exhaust her before I go to work. She is about 3 now and a little better.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

And today she did it again :-/ She chewed a cable from our TV (luckily it wasn't a power cable; it was the IR Extender Cable that she got a hold of it). Now I have to reorder that part.


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Sounds like you have got to take some action to protect Ms. Pepper - she could have been seriously injured or even killed if that had been a different type of cable. If I were you I would get the cable protectors that were suggested earlier in this thread - you will feel terrible if something happens to her and you could have prevented it.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

@Heather72754, I already put cable protectors on them, but the cable she got a hold of it was not completely covered I guess. I noticed she likes only thin cable/strings (like from head phones) and I put Tabasco/Bitter Apple Spray on them.


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## OmegaCorns (Apr 19, 2014)

Wow that is one determined little cat. The clinic cat at the vet's office I work for has a thing for paper, cardboard, and metal. Does she try to eat these items or is she just chewing them?


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

All this is why I don't adopt babies or young adults anymore! We had a cat, Maggie (that girl was never right) that constantly chewed on cords. I kept telling her that one day she was going to regret that decision. I tried everything - hot sauce, bitter apple but she was able to do it anyway. She finally died suddenly of what we think was an aneurysm because we never found a chewed cord after she died, but it would not surprise me if she had electrocuted herself. 

I need to go through and kitten proof my cat room now that I think of it. Those foster kittens will be crawling and getting into mischief in no time!!


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

.. and Pepper finally did it and destroyed a blind completely. She chewed up the strings between the individual slats in the kids' bathroom :-/ I really don't know what to do anymore. I already pulled the blinds up, so she can lay/sit on the window sill so she can look outside, we play with her (my youngest is sometimes to rough with her and she attacks him after she had enough; and yes we always tell him to leave her alone or if he pets her to be gentle). 
Have to go to the store later and get a window cling for privacy, so I can cover the bottom half of the window. 
Any other ideas on how I can get her to stop chewing on the blind strings? Another cat as a playmate is not an option right now. Our HOA allows only 3 pets and both, my husband and I, want to wait til one of our old dogs makes the final journey over the rainbow bridge, which may be soon (our oldest dog (almost 15 years) is slowing down a lot and I think she will go in the next couple of month :'-( ....)


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

*What to do with Pepper*

You all know the issue we have with Pepper and cables and strings from the blind. I tried the bitter Apple spray, mixed vinegar and hot sauce and sprayed the on the cables and also I put cable protectors around the cables. Today I saw, that she tried to chew one of the cable protectors. I am playing with her a lot. Any other advise you can give me? A friend of mine said, that she needed a play buddy.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

I don't remember how old she is - a kitten still?

Since you're playing with her a lot, I'm not sure that getting her a playmate would solve this issue (though it would give you another adorable furball, and I'd never tell anyone not to get a second kitty! ). It sounds like you're going to need to find a toy that's just more attractive than cables and blind strings. 

Do you have a wand toy like the Cat Charmer? Wiggling this thing across the floor, or even against the wall, might get her to chase it rather than cords that you don't want her to play with. Cat Dancer Cat Charmer Toy


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

She is now 1 year and 1 month old. We got 3 different wand toys (one with feathers on a string, one with feathers w/o string, one with an octopus on a string, laser pointer, a few small toys with cat nip, her favorite toys are bouncy balls, or the balls with a bell in it; she also has a kong ball track (shaped like an 8 with 2 balls in it, but she doesn't seem to like it) and another toy that has holes in it and toys in it (mouse and a ball w. bell).

It seems she just "likes" the cables around our entertainment center. 

I wouldn't mind another cat, but we are only allowed (due to the HOA) to have 3 pets and we have besides Pepper 2 senior dogs and I wouldn't even know where to put a second kitty litter box in our house, if we got a second cat :-/


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

I'd try the cat charmer or replace the feather on the wand toy with some kind of string (though you'd have to make sure she doesn't try to eat it), since it's string that she wants to play with.

Maybe a dog chew toy, or something that has the texture of cable, would help? I don't know if cats go through a teething stage at one point or what, but my first cat went through a phase of chewing on stuff - ate half of a paperback book cover and left teeth marks in bunches of others. I think she was about 9 months and it went on for 3 or 4 months, though I don't remember exactly. It was pretty annoying, but it did end!


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi MsPepper-

I'm so sorry that Pepper is still chewing on things! It's been a few months now, hasn't it? My male kitty is still a chewer, but I notice he does this more often when he's bored.

Ok, so for Pepper, how about offering her things that are appropriate to chew on? Have you tried drinking straws (with supervision)? I used to throw mine away after a while they got overly chewed on, but it helped, I think. If Pepper likes catnip, the Yeowww Banana is great! They often bite at the tips and do bunny-kicks, too! That brand's catnip is strong stuff, but holds up well, too! Another thing that most kitties like are oat/wheat grass, often sold in smaller, neighborhood markets! Just note, however, that usually they will eat a bunch of it and throw it up later, so prepare yourself. It's a great way to eliminate hairballs for them, so it's not totally bad. I keep mine covered in a baggie and in the fridge at night or away from home for long periods so I'm don't have a green blob on my carpet when I return. 

In the meantime, to prevent Pepper from chewing cord strings, you could try placing a motion-activated air cannister called ssscat: Amazon.com : SSSCAT Cat Training Aid : Pet Deterrent Sprays : Pet Supplies You can watch one of the reviewer's video for a cat that loves to counter-surf, just to get an idea how it works. The bad? You'd need to keep buying refills which aren't cheap, but available at chewy.com as well. Other areas like cables, cords, where there's a potential for serious shock if she bites down hard, there's an item called scatmat, that would deliver a small static shock to a kitty that walks on the mat: Amazon.com : Battery Operated Scat Mat Lrg 48x20 In : Pet Deterrent Mats : Pet Supplies There are other sizes available too, and it offers some control on the intensity of a shock an invader will get. Put it on the lowest setting first! It's also more costly, but would definitely deter her away from troublesome spots. I don't condone shocking pets at all, but given how much she's attracted to cords and such, it's way better to get a mild static shock than one that is deadly!!

Hope this helps you to finally deter that stubborn kitty of yours! Gotta love cats regardless how naughty they can be!


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

Thanks... 
I will see what I can do :-/ I really think she just does it to get our attention.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

You have my sympathies. I've got one mischiveous fellow who will remain anonymous, but I think it's pretty evident based on my avatar, lol. Mine loves to puncture plastic bags like those that litter come in or even the heavy duty items that contain kibble! He's not hungry though, because I make sure he gets enough food. No kibble anymore, but I still have many, many, canine punctures on the edges to prove it! Just gotta to hide those bags! :-(


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

Oh btw our Pepper doesn't care for Catnip :-/


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Have you ever heard or tried the Honeysuckle spray or cushion from kitty kottage? What Is Honeysuckle

Supposedly non-catnip kitties go nuts for a particular honeysuckle wood...just an idea you might use later on for Pepper. A few of my neighborhood pet food stores sell them.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

spirite said:


> I'd try the cat charmer or replace the feather on the wand toy with some kind of string (though you'd have to make sure she doesn't try to eat it), since it's string that she wants to play with.
> 
> Maybe a dog chew toy, or something that has the texture of cable, would help? I don't know if cats go through a teething stage at one point or what, but my first cat went through a phase of chewing on stuff - ate half of a paperback book cover and left teeth marks in bunches of others. I think she was about 9 months and it went on for 3 or 4 months, though I don't remember exactly. It was pretty annoying, but it did end!



Sorry didn't see your reply @Spirite

Thanks. I really hope it is just a phase. Knock on wood she hasn't chewed on shoe laces lately. I got the feeling she does it, when she has a growth spurt. The chewing/biting things must happen at night, because I am home all day basically and play watch her. 
I bought her some rubber chew toys for small dogs for her. Her favorite toys are bouncy balls, DaBirdy and laser pointer.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

My Billy cat used to chew on the baby bottle nipples my daughter in law used to leave lying around after feeding my granddaughter. I told her to put them up but he was a slob. Yes, I said it, a slob - and left things lying around all the time. I secretly didn't mind that Billy chewed these up! Never liked that woman.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

lol @Marcia...


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Each cat has a different specialty. It sounds like you've got a chewer! Try to go thru your house with a cat's p.o.v. Look for targets, and get all chompables out of range!


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## G-PEG123 (Feb 20, 2014)

Is it possible to block off the back of the entertainment center? Just thinking… we used pool noodles and another thing that looks like a pool noodle but thinner to block off our washer dryer area so our kitten can't get back there. Then we laid a piece of white laminate type stuff over the top so she couldn't go over the top. 

When does teething start? I'm scared.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

I was thinking about it too, but she *knock on wood* didn't chew the cables that are on the floor. She chewed on them higher up, where they come from the TV and I can't block that :-/


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