plain jane Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) I've posted once before about my cat chewing my laptop cable. Dh was able to splice it back together (although now it is 1/2 the length it used to be :glare:) and we covered it in electrical tape. It's ugly, but works. Well, the problems haven't stopped there. Now the cat is chewing through all our cables. :( He chewed right through the cable for the kids' DSXL charger, dh's laptop (which he was able to splice and fix after some panicking) and most recently, dh's work issued laptop. This laptop is worth $5000 and is the property of his work. We will have to pay for a new charger. :glare::glare: If dh can't get it fixed he's without a laptop and that could cost him his job. :glare: :( :willy_nilly: The DS charger we noticed last Thursday, dh's work laptop was today when dh went to work and it was only half charged, and dh's home laptop was chewed on at some point during the day today as the charger no longer worked when I got home from running errands before supper. Needless to say, dh is livid. LIVID. I'm really upset because of the cost of all of this damage and I don't know how to stop it. I really need some tried and true, reliable advice to put an end to this. My kids LOVE their cat and it will break their hearts to have to get rid of him. Problem is, he's costing us a lot of money. I don't even want to think what the charger will be worth for dh's laptop. I'll eventually have to replace my Mac one as it is so short and almost useless to me now. Is there anything we can do or should we get the kids to start saying their goodbyes? I don't know what's going to be next? Ugh. ETA: One of the issues we have is that we charge the laptops in different locations. Dh's laptop is a PC and only has about an hour of battery life when the kids use it for school so I need it plugged in but they need to be able to use it in different locations. Same for the other laptops. I can't just put heavy duty cable guard on everything because that makes it more difficult to move. I guess in a busy house with 5 kids and a cat and dog, I really don't want to have to worry about my cords being eaten. There's already so much to have to think about. :glare: Also, there are just so. many. cords. in this house. To wrap them all in heavy duty plastic tubing would be a costly hassle. Edited January 17, 2012 by plain jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I would tell you to spray the cat with water, but if it's chewing through an electrical cord at the time, that could end badly... If it were me, the cat would go. I had to give up a cat in the past because it started peeing on dd's clothes and wouldn't stop. It's hard, but it's a relief after it's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 I would tell you to spray the cat with water, but if it's chewing through an electrical cord at the time, that could end badly... If it were me, the cat would go. I had to give up a cat in the past because it started peeing on dd's clothes and wouldn't stop. It's hard, but it's a relief after it's done. Problem is, I've only ever caught him doing it once- way back when with my laptop. The rest of the time he's chowing down either when we're sleeping or gone out. Or perhaps while I'm in another room. At any rate, we don't catch him in the act. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Can you wipe down the cords with something like Bitter Apple or some other pet repellant? If they smell or taste badly to the cat, maybe he'll get the hint and stop chewing on them. Also, ask your vet about this. Perhaps your cat has some sort of tooth-related infection and the chewing is soothing to him. If nothing else, your vet may have a suggestion about how to stop the behavior. I would be so worried that he'd pick something like the cord to a major appliance with some serious power going to it, and he'd end up electrocuting himself. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Our outdoor cat bed has a chew safe chord (this cat is a sprayer, so she now lives outside permanently. There are things you can do. Here is and article http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Cats-from-Chewing-on-Electric-Cords-and-Chargers I would ask your vet for advice. There might be something you can do. If not, find a good home and let them take the cat there with you. Give them time to say good bye. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Ugh. I'd be livid too. They make things to protect cords (and the cat from electrical burns or worse) like this and I know there are others. http://www.amazon.com/D-W-Innovations-crit-Crittercord/dp/B000EH2I5O You could possibly/probably make your own covers too if you think through materials. Coating the cords with something yucky tasting/smelling might do the trick but you'd have to reapply I think. I hope you can find something that will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Can you wipe down the cords with something like Bitter Apple or some other pet repellant? If they smell or taste badly to the cat, maybe he'll get the hint and stop chewing on them. Also, ask your vet about this. Perhaps your cat has some sort of tooth-related infection and the chewing is soothing to him. If nothing else, your vet may have a suggestion about how to stop the behavior. I would be so worried that he'd pick something like the cord to a major appliance with some serious power going to it, and he'd end up electrocuting himself. :( I don't know what to coat the wires with that would deter the cat. It seems that it would be trial and error and I won't know if something doesn't work until it's too late. :tongue_smilie: I'll try calling the vet and see what he says. Kitty hasn't been there much (neither has the dog) but perhaps they will have some advice. Thing is, I'm really attached to this cat. :( And my kids... :crying: A couple of them will be absolutely devastated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) If you want to try coating I'd try Icy Hot or similar product on the cords. All the cats I know really hate to even be near that smell. It's a cheap thing to try. I don't know how often you'd need to reapply but if it's often it might be less trouble to get covers instead. I really hope something works. We had to re-home our cats due to allergies and it was really hard. Edited January 17, 2012 by sbgrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 They make a ton of items that you can baby proof your house with, cords included. You can use pvc pipe, they sell thickened tubing to go around the cords. If you baby proof/animal proof you should not have to rehome the cat. You could close all devices in a room while charging and keep the cat out or if it is happening at night, you could kennel the cat instead of trying to rehome it. There are many things that you could do before finding the cat a home but if you are that unhappy with the cat make ads and posters for the cat and interview people trying to find the best for that you can. The cat is bored and trying to find things to do, does he have toys and know how to play with them? Also does he have a cat stand to be known as his safe area, play and resting time? Training him to those areas will probably help some as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Some do negative behaviors to get your attention to be fed. :glare: I haven't had this problem, so this isn't exactly what you asked for, but I'm wondering if taking a dollar store extension cord - don't plug it in - and coating it with some awful tasting stuff would help. You want the cat to associate chewing on the cord with a very nasty outcome. Cats hate sticky stuff so you could also wrap your cords in double sided tape. Not very practical, but may help while you're trying to train him out of the habit. Maybe cords could be wrapped in aluminum foil as a deterrent too? Just some ideas. Hope you find something that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Could you do a cage/crate while you figure things out? an animal shelter might also have advice (they often need to work to solve problem behaviors to help animals get adopted) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I have 5 indoor cats that range in age from 4 mos to 15 years old. Some chew...some don't. I have to keep cords up and out of sight. That is the only thing that works. There are certain cords they like to chew more than others. If you notice, they don't tend to chew the electrical cords that come from the lamps or from an extension cord. They love the ipod cord, Ipad cord, and computer chargers of any sort because the cords are very "chewy," round, and smooth. We have to be really careful to not plug in electronics where the cats can reach (again, I don't mean lamps and such). We have to pay close attention to them when they are plugged in lower - for instance, when the kids are charging them while we are all awake and in the room. The good news...cat generally stop this behavior after the age of 2 or so. It is more of a "kitten" behavior than an adult cat behavior. I really hope you can make some modifications and not have to toss kitty out. :( Believe it or not, cats can be trained. They are very smart animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Sounds like he is bored. Get him some cat nip (the real stuff not toys infused with) and some toys. Play with him some. A red light or a string will entertain a cat for quite some time if a person is holding the other end. We are going through boredom issues here too (too cold to go out side and stalk bugs) so I can relate. P.S. Make sure the cords are not where kitty can get them. Your dh's work laptop and cords should be in a case and ready to go to work when not in use. Edited January 17, 2012 by Parrothead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.