Ack! Rothgar Is Chewing On The Wires!

[new kittenmom]

My roommate brought home his kitten Rothgar about a month ago. He's grown into a good natured, vocal and very rambunctious kitten that I have become very fond of. But! As you can see in the tag line, Rothgar has picked up a very dangerous habit. We clap and hiss and tell him no, but he seems to make a beeline for all the wires in our apartment unless we constantly distract him (and even that doesn't work sometimes). We've considered coating the wires in something that tastes bad to cats, but are not sure what. Any ideas?

 

[Ardina]

You can use bitter apple spray or cover the wires with heavy duty plastic covers/PVC pipes.

 

[new kittenmom]

Great idea! I saw apple spray at the store I buy food from! It doesn't smell too bad right? Rothgar may chew on wires, but my cat Rogue doesn't and she likes to patrol the living room late at night while I'm at work and the others are asleep.

 

[rubysmama]

Can you get something like this:

RABALDER Cable organizer - IKEA

 

[new kittenmom]

I am pretty sure I can. I can also venture a guess that might be cheaper than the apple spray though I will try to get both. It would not surprise me at all if Rothgar tried to chew through that just because he thought he could, but it would be easier to catch him in the act before he pulls a Griswold.

 

[Ardina]

Great idea! I saw apple spray at the store I buy food from! It doesn't smell too bad right? Rothgar may chew on wires, but my cat Rogue doesn't and she likes to patrol the living room late at night while I'm at work and the others are asleep.

This is the kind I use: www.amazon.com/Grannicks-Bitter-Apple-Bottle-Ounces/dp/B00028ZMEO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1515020651&sr=8-3&keywords=grannick+bitter+apple+spray

Doesn't smell like anything after you apply it.

 

[new kittenmom]

That's not too bad at all either. Thanks guys! I'll pass on the message to Rothgar's pet human and we'll kitten proof the place right away.

 

[LTS3]

Hardware store sell clear flexible plastic tubing in various thicknesses and diameters. You can usually ask the hardware store to cut a length of tubing for you so you don't have to buy a whole roll. Slit the tube lengthwise, and tuck the electrical cords inside. Optional, coat the outside of the tube with bitter apple spray or somethng really nasty tasting to a cat but still safe like Tobasco sauce.

Some cats chew on electrical cords out of boredom and loneliness. Make sure the kitten gets plenty of play time.

 

[new kittenmom]

Rothgar has now cleared the stage of chewing on wires after destroying some phone chargers. He has now graduated to fingers. Now I am teaching him "soft paws" and "soft jaws." He's catching on quick enough (He no longer scratches my hands too badly when we play) but he still needs to stop trying to bite my fingers with his back molars. I don't mind occasional nips from kitties (I love it when Rogue gives me love bites) but Rothgar wants to crunch my fingers and that's not okay.

 

[rubysmama]

You will want to break his biting habit, as it will only hurt more once he's older.

Ruby used to do this anxious biting of my fingers first thing in the morning when she wanted breakfast. One day she broke the skin with one tooth, and it really hurt. I yelped "owwwww" really loudly and it scared her. She actually scurried under the blankets to hide.

I later read that mama cats and sibling kittens meow at a kitten when it gets too rambunctious with its playing, so I think my, albeit spontaneous, reaction was the correct one for kitty training. Ruby rarely does the bitey thing now, but if she does, or if she scratches me with her claws I still yell "owwww" to let her know she hurting me.

So maybe try saying "owww" when Rothgar bites or scratches you.

And if you can, try to get him used to getting his claws trimmed. I wish whoever had Ruby for the first couple years of her life had done that. But not surprised, really, since they never even had her spayed.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Rothgar has now cleared the stage of chewing on wires after destroying some phone chargers. He has now graduated to fingers. ... but he still needs to stop trying to bite my fingers with his back molars. ...

How old is Rothgar? Is he teething?
How To Stop Problem Chewing In Cats
Search Results for Query: teething | TheCatSite
How To Deal With Cat "love Bites"?

 

[new kittenmom]

I think he might be teething a little. His back molars are not as prominent but his adult canines did just come in. When he does chew on my fingers, he does it as a routine before he falls asleep along with grooming himself. He's learning fast not to bite too hard. If he does, that is when I tell him no and put him down on the floor (he likes to sleep on warm laps). I think he fights sleep with his behaviors too. It's not as bad as it used to be. He used to groom himself then pace around crying then jump up on you, groom himself some more and then after doing this a couple more times finally fall asleep on your lap.

As for age, I would say he's about 5 months old.

 

[Neo_23]

I use cable organizers from Home Depot. Works like a charm.