Chewing

[mollie-boo]

Hi all! Mollie is eighteen months old and still chewing everything in sight...mainly wood, but boxes, toys and mommy's fingers do as well

Is this "normal" behavior? I've occasionally thought of pica but she doesn't ingest, rather simply chews. I don't think she's bored. I'm home most of the time and we have two children who adore her and play with her, and she also has our Silky Terrier as a companion (they play well and are a true Mutt and Jeff).
I've read somewhere that most cats settle down around the age of two, so I'm wondering if this is still a little kitten behavior shining through or if there is something else.
Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[huyi]

i have the same problem, my 5 month old kitten chew and eats through EVERYTHING wires, cd cases, wood, litter trays, my hands i have tried everything to make him stop but it dosn't work

 

[mollie-boo]

Yes, she is naughty but we love her

She's not aggressive at all, which is good, but she is destructive. I'm just not sure if this is a kitten phase still or something else. She has destroyed some of my chair molding (we have an open floor plan where rooms will go into other rooms and there is no door frame) and also my bedside table. She has dug a hole through each box spring set and will chew on the wood in the bed frame. She loves to chew! If I'm wearing a shirt with buttons on it, she will crawl into my lap and chew the buttons on my shirt! She even tries to chew my rings...very naughty!!!!
She's a mess! I just mainly wanted to know if this was normal or not.
Thanks again!

 

[cheylink]

Originally Posted by mollie-boo

Yes, she is naughty but we love her

She's not aggressive at all, which is good, but she is destructive. I'm just not sure if this is a kitten phase still or something else. She has destroyed some of my chair molding (we have an open floor plan where rooms will go into other rooms and there is no door frame) and also my bedside table. She has dug a hole through each box spring set and will chew on the wood in the bed frame. She loves to chew! If I'm wearing a shirt with buttons on it, she will crawl into my lap and chew the buttons on my shirt! She even tries to chew my rings...very naughty!!!!
She's a mess! I just mainly wanted to know if this was normal or not.
Thanks again!

I am not a vet, but I am confident in telling you this is not normal and definitely dangerous. You mentioned a Silky Terrier as a play mate, are you positive it is the kitty causing so much destruction? It would take a lot of time and energy for a cat to dig through box springs and destroy wood frames, chew on bedside tables and chairs.....

 

[huyi]

Originally Posted by mollie-boo

Yes, she is naughty but we love her

She's not aggressive at all, which is good, but she is destructive. I'm just not sure if this is a kitten phase still or something else. She has destroyed some of my chair molding (we have an open floor plan where rooms will go into other rooms and there is no door frame) and also my bedside table. She has dug a hole through each box spring set and will chew on the wood in the bed frame. She loves to chew! If I'm wearing a shirt with buttons on it, she will crawl into my lap and chew the buttons on my shirt! She even tries to chew my rings...very naughty!!!!
She's a mess! I just mainly wanted to know if this was normal or not.
Thanks again!

yes, according to my other topic i made, this behaviour is normal unfortunately, they will grow out of it though, try to get the kittens attention somewhere else instead of chewing your furniture, try a laser pen, my kitten loves it.

 

[tweetykiss]

When Avalon was a kitten, she chewed everything in sight. Mainly wires and our toes. Yes I think this is normal behavior.

 

[mollie-boo]

Thank you all!!!
Her behavior is not constant, which is why I don't think that pica is involved, but it is frustrating to come home and discover something in your house destroyed

I feel 100% confident that it's not our dog that has done the chewing. Mollie jumps up on tables and will chew on the chair rail, she sleeps on my bedside table a lot, and she loves to lay (and hide) inside the box spring. LOL...I think she just has some peculiar habits, some of which I'm ready for her to grow out of.
I just never realized that some cats have a strong chew instinct. And I guess she chose wood to be what she likes to chew.
I have to take her in soon for her yearly check-up and I'll see what the vet says!
Thanks again!!!

 

[burrro]

I have a year old cat and she's started chewing the edges of her cat tree.  Whilst I'm happy she's not chewing the furniture I'm concerned, reading the thread, that she's bored and therefore looking for attention.  She is an indoor cat, but she has a 2 metre tall cat tree and I play with her as much as possible.  Should I discourage the behaviour and/or should I worry that she doesn't feel stimulated enough?

 

[rad65]

I have a year old cat and she's started chewing the edges of her cat tree.  Whilst I'm happy she's not chewing the furniture I'm concerned, reading the thread, that she's bored and therefore looking for attention.  She is an indoor cat, but she has a 2 metre tall cat tree and I play with her as much as possible.  Should I discourage the behaviour and/or should I worry that she doesn't feel stimulated enough?

Chewing isn't necessarily because cats are bored. My cats will chew on most anything they can get their teeth into, and it's definitely not boredom since I play with them all the time and they have each other for company. Some cats just love to chew. Mine will go after cardboard boxes, just nibbling them down like my guinea pigs used to do, except they chew without eating any of it.

 

[txcatmom]

One of my three young cats is a chewer.  It's not gotten out of hand and he isn't destructive, but he does like to chew on things.  Since it hasn't gotten out of hand, I don't worry about it and I only correct him (gently, and directing him to something else) if he is chewing on a book or something that belongs to the humans.  Of course, he's allowed to chew on his toys and things.  (I make sure string toys aren't left out unsupervised.)  I'm not really sure if boredom is the cause.  He has people who are home with him all day, widow perches for birdwatching, scheduled interactive playtimes, and two young cats to play with.  So, even if he is bored there is not much more I could do.

 

[curiosityscat]

There is a product on the market called "Bitter Apple" they offer it in both Dog (seen most often) and Cat formulas. It is in a spray bottle and it advises you to test it on a patch of something before spraying (to prevent discoloration of furniture, cloth, etc). You can also spray it directly on your hands when playing with her (just wash your hands immediately afterwards --Trust me, you DO NOT want to taste it!).The premise is simple, it TASTE AWFUL!! The typical puppy/dog reaction is to do that backward tongue motion that is their equivalent of trying to spit it, whatever it is, out of their mouth to rid themselves of the bad taste. So it makes whatever you spray it one, taste awful too! You can't see it and it really doesn't smell like anything. So when an animal goes to chew on whatever it is not suppose to chew on, he/she gets a mouth full of awful! If you get the cat formula, it is safe for cats. I do not recommend using the dog formula for cats or vice versa, but especially cat using dog formula.I know for dogs it works VERY well, as I used it as a training device to once to teach a puppy that chewing on people's hands was a bad idea.So, I suggest you try it. But you should note that it doesn't work very effectively for/on anything that is absorbent, at least not that I've ever experienced. Because it needs to sit on/coat whatever you are treating, with absorbent material it soaks into it, so it rarely retains the awful flavor long enough to be effective when they go to chew it. The application of spray does not last forever, only a few hours, depending on what you are treating, so you need to reapply often enough for it to be effective. It is worth a try, especially for animals that chew on electric cords, which can turn into a very dangerous habit later on. You can probably achieve the same results with wet cayenne pepper or a bare sliced garlic clove, but some animals like the flavor of garlic, so you never know. The cayenne pepper can discolor (obviously as it is red) and dry and flake off, so keep both of those things in mind. The Bitter Apple spray is just very convenient. *winks*Good Luck!! With your baby!! From both me and my boys! *smiles*