Almost 11 month old kitten, will not stop biting.

[Evan_]

At first I thought this was just a phase. We have five cats, all four of the others went through a more or less teething phase and then stopped. Dillinger however seems to just not stop, he bites cords, phones anything he can (or can't) get his teeth around. He bit my laptop case and left a huge scratch, this is just too much.

Maybe I screwed him up? I let him play with my hands when he was younger, but I don't anymore. We've given him toys to bite instead, he has a sheep and a goat that he likes to just maul.

Can anyone tell me how to make him stop biting, both for the sake of his safety and for our things?

[catlover2]

Some cats just have a thing for chewing cords or wires; they start chewing them when they're teething and then just get into the habit of it and find it enjoyable. One of my cats doesn't go after cords, but loves shoelaces.

Get some "Bitter Apple" spray from a pet store & spray all the cords, or you soap up your hands and rubit over the cords, or wipe them with vinegar. Hopefully some of these might work. A stern "No!" if you catch her in the act, and redirect with a toy. A lot of cats do it out of boredom, so it's important to only have a few toys out at a time, and change them from time to time. Often a simple cardboard box or shoe box and one of those plastic pull ties off frozen juice cans is a good substitute.

[14+kitties]

Onster has a kitty who likes to nom too. Hopefully she will come along soon and share some of her wisdom.
This is her thread she had on her kitty. Well, one of....... Maybe it will give you some ideas.

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=52218

Besides putting the protectors around the cords, saying a firm NO to the kitty, correcting him and removing the object he is chewing on there is not much you can do except hope he grows out of it.
If he loves his toys so much you can make sure they are always near by and give him one of them when he starts biting.

[onster]

Im here Im here lol

Ok my kitty bunduk ( we like to call him the nominator here on pets.ca ) will chew anything and everything so I feel your pain.

First of all, definately try the crittercord or the chewsafe (thanks 14+). Its a one time expense and Bunduk has not tried to chew on/damaged anything that has the cover on it.

I did try bitter apple and it is indeed horrible tasting ( got in my hands then tried to eat ) but it was kinda incovenient with a cat that is just soooo determined to chew. Bunduk would chew on wires anyway and having to apply on every single wire/cord in the house is a bit overwhelming (and having to reapply).

I don't think its something you did - that you screwed him up as you say - my vet says its a condition called pica. Essentially, obsessive chewing disorder. Your kitten may hopefully be not as bad as my guy but really it gets better.

To be honest, with some things its easier just to train yourself. What I mean by that is dont leave things like chargers laying around (charge your phone up high or on a shelf somewhere) then remove after use. For things that are permenantly on the floor or in reach use crittercord/chewsafe/bitterapple.

Do say no when they chew and try to redirect. Bunduk knows what no is now and he will try to sneak chewing things or will immediately stop if I say no. The problem with that is for a kitty who is really obsessed there will definately be times when your not there and they will chew.

One thing we have is a puppy kong. We put those treats in them and he chews away on the kong (it has so many holes in it now its ridiculous). Sometimes i give him the kong to redirect. We also have a few toys that bunduk likes to chew on and we periodically replace for him.

Bunduk still chews on things like wood (frames) or metal (the end of the shower door) but luckily it doesnt do any damage.

I do want to make it clear though that although it can be super frustrating it *does* get better. It takes some time but you find things that work for you, after your charger gets eaten you remember not to leave it about etc. His first year bunduk ruined numerous cables, electronics, chargers, game controllers etc. Now he may destroy something once in a blue moon and when he does its really due to a mistake on our part.

I know that was long and possibly rambly - sorry I kept getting interrupted by phone calls! Hope it somewhat helps tho

*I just remembered something. Did you get him checked out by the vet? You may want to ask them to check teeth/gums. Also soemtimes they chew inanimate objects due to vitamin deficiency...what food do you feed?*

[Kassiaethne]

Try electrical tape. they just dun like either the tape itself or the adhesive but yeah...they just will avoid it altogether. So no worries on toxicness. They just wont chew

[pattymac]

My Maine Coon, who I adopted a while back had a habit of chewing cords before I got him..he learned the hard way and got zapped. Knocked out one of his canines. He doesn't chew anymore!!! I don't recommend that method though!!

[Dee-O-Gee]

Fresh wedge of Lime (not lemon).

Keep a wedge within arms reach and when caught in the act (if you can catch him), squeeze the lime on the tip of his nose with a gentle rub.

Not sure if this works for cats but it sure did work for the dogs!

[Luvmypitgirls]

Originally Posted by Kassiaethne

Try electrical tape. they just dun like either the tape itself or the adhesive but yeah...they just will avoid it altogether. So no worries on toxicness. They just wont chew

With all due respect, I wouldn't suggest electrical tape, as it is full of carcinogens (sp) cancer causing agents.

[Kassiaethne]

hmmm ty for letting me know. Never saw a cat acctually bite it after the first try but good to know

[Sammy1303]

vinegar! it bothers their nose and makes them sneeze because they don't like the smell! if u spritz it on their nose, or dab it on their nose when they are chewing things they will stop and they will hesitate to do it again. Also if u get a spray bottle with just water in it and put it on "stream" instead of mist (or a small squirtgun) and spray the cat (give it a good couple squirts!) when it is doing something bad or going into a restricted area (eg. behind the TV, under your computer near the cords, etc) eventually it won't go there for fear of getting wet!

Good Luck!