How to Get Rid of Cats' Destructive Chewing

Even while chewing on objects that are not intended for chewing is common for cats, occasionally the practice can become excessive. In addition to possibly harming the cat, it could also harm your possessions. 

Cats will, however, gnaw on items since they explore with their mouths. A few possible medical conditions, such as teething in kittens, can make cats chew excessively. However, boredom, which can be easily treated, is why house cats chew.

Reasons

Consider taking your cat to the doctor to rule out a medical condition before assuming boredom is to blame for its chewing habit.

• A cat with gum disease may gnaw on objects to relieve mouth discomfort, and a cat experiencing digestive distress may chew and drool on objects to alleviate motion sickness.
• Possible medical causes for chewing include obsessive-compulsive disorder, dietary deficits, and early weaning.
• Periodontal disease, an inflammation of the gums and tissues surrounding the teeth, is quite prevalent in cats and is typically treated with a thorough cleaning while your cat is under anesthesia to get rid of plaque and tartar that shelter the bacteria that cause periodontal disease.  Affected teeth may need to be extracted if periodontal disease is more advanced. A cat with a digestive condition may typically exhibit more symptoms than just chewing that it is ill; how your veterinarian treats a digestive illness will depend on the degree and form of the sickness.

If there isn't a medical reason for the cat's behavior, you probably have a bored cat on your hands. Even while it might not seem like a kitten could have too much issue chewing, there are some severe dangers in your home that you might be ignoring.

Future Steps

Wires and cords, houseplants, and fabric or leather furniture are the most often chewed items by kittens. 2 To stop the cat from chewing on each object, use a slightly different strategy.

Cords and Wires

Cats frequently chew on cords and wires, especially if they are left alone throughout the day. 

Try to provide your cat or kitten with a variety of "play alone" toys, such as toys that are mounted on walls or doors that they can bat or swat, cat towers that they can explore and that have toys attached for additional interest, or even a tunnel made out of cardboard boxes that have had the sides cut out. The best method to satiate their want to seek is with toys that deliver goodies.

You need to come up with a solution to hide the cords, prevent access to them, or render them unpleasant to chew on to address the core issue itself.

• Cover the cords: Many computer supply businesses sell kits for organizing computer cords as well as pre-split hollow tubes for covering cords and electrical wires. Most construction supply or hardware stores carry flexible poly tubing in a variety of diameters if you're handy with a tool knife. The tubing should be trimmed to the length of each cord after being slit on one side. If that works for you, you may also try using larger "corrugated" tubing to run numerous wires through.

• Try placing many rows of double-sided sticky tape on the floor around a huge cord tangle to prevent access to the cords (such as frequently happens with computers). Cats won't want to cross the tape easily.

• Make the Cords Taste Bad: Bitter apple spray is by far one of the best training aids for any type of destructive chewing. It will undoubtedly leave your cat with a terrible taste in his mouth that he won't soon forget. Be aware that you might need to reapply this to the place you want your cat to stay away from, particularly if you have a persistent cat.
• To protect cords, try using CritterCords Cord Protector.

Houseplants

Your live houseplants may become a target for your cat, who has a natural urge to nibble on vegetation. To protect your cat, you must learn to identify and remove some of these plants because they can be extremely harmful to cats.

If any of your indoor plants are on this list of poisonous plants, check to determine if they should be removed or made absolutely inaccessible to your cat.

Leather and Fabric Items

The easiest method to prevent this type of chewing activity is to provide your cat with other "legal" chewing objects, such as chewable soft toys. Wool chewing is considered an OCD behavior.

If you can't put away all the leather and fabric items your cat enjoys chewing, try some bitter apple spray on the area where it typically chews. However, ensure it won't leave a stain by testing it on a tiny, hidden seam first.

Kittens

Plastic drinking straws, especially the big ones used for milkshakes, are one thing that helps kitties that are teething a lot. They give kittens the crunchy contact they require and are fantastic interactive toys.

Adult cats may remember their straws, so it's not uncommon to see one of them batting one around the floor. You can get a lot of interactive play by teasing your kitten with the straw, then letting him "capture" it and watch him proudly carry around his "prey."

clicking exercises

Cats can benefit from clicker training, although dogs are the most frequently successful users. When the animal exhibits the desired behavior, the trainer or pet owner will click a small, hand-held gadget.

 The click must be promptly followed by a treat for the animal for clicker training to be successful so that it can learn to correlate the action and the click with a satisfying experience. The threat may eventually be phased away.

Never strike or yell.

Most animals find it ineffective, especially cats, who do not associate bad behavior with the intended negative reinforcement.