Kitten will not stop chewing headphones

[tangie3199]

Our kitten Suki (9 mos) is a lovely cat, but she has a huge problem with headphones. Not any other cord around the house, just headphones. We cannot use headphones in her presence because the teeth automatically come out. At first it was if we left them out and she would snag them secretly. Now it's when we are in the room, or even in the middle of using them. I can't count the number of times I've been sitting on the couch or in bed listening to something and she'll just come over, lay on me, then start chomping away. It's ruined well over $100 worth of headphones now, which are pretty necessary for life during the pandemic, and would also just be nice to be able to have out in the presence of our cat without it compelling her to gnaw at them.
We've tried bitter apple on cords, but she doesn't seem to react to it. I'm not sure what's going on. We play with her on a regular basis, she's eating normally, and we try to provide stimulation and attention, but maybe she's bored? Maybe she needs attention (she's pretty clingy) and doesn't like that headphones take up our time? Maybe it just feels good on her teeth and she has some sort of fixation?
I'm just so confused why this is an issue with headphones, but zero other cords in the house. We could always move to wireless, but they're more expensive/require battery and it can be a hassle. Any tips on how to stop the behavior would be nice.

 

[Moka]

I feel your pain. My cat had killed at least 6 pairs of headphones before I started protecting the cord. I use plain aquarium air tubing (Plastic, not silicone), slice it down the side with a razor and then work each part of the cord into the cut. I cut three separate pieces of tubing, one for the bottom length and two for the ear bud wires. I will use micro zip ties and/ or a little duct tape every few inches to seal the tubing. The result is an annoyingly ridged "Y" shaped cord and it may not be super comfortable, but it is mostly cat proof. My cat has yet to destroy a set of headphones after I have kitty proofed them.
As far as stopping the behavior, I couldn't tell you. It is a cat thing to hunt and kill anything resembling string. I don't know if you can stop that behavior. The way I figure, it is easier and safer to just cat proof something or keep something dangerous out of reach of a cat vs trying to stop them.

 

[rubysmama]

I don't have any suggestions for you, however, Moka 's idea sounds like a possibility. That, or going the wireless route. Wireless might end up being cheaper than continually buying new headphones.

Things might get better once Suki is no longer a kitten, and doesn't look at everything as being a possible toy, but right now I don't see anyway to stop her behaviour.

Welcome to TCS, btw.

 

[susanm9006]

Look online for cord covers. They do make ones for thinner cords as well as thicker ones.

 

[Katie M]

Both of my cats have destroyed pair after pair of earbuds. I just put them away after I'm done using them.

 

[Ellis75]

In addition to trying cord covers, if she does it while you're using them, have you been consistently (gently) pushing her away or redirecting her to something else? My boy used to chew wires and headphones, so I had to always put them into a drawer when I wasn't using them. You could also try getting some cat chew toys if you haven't already. There's no guarantee she'll like them of course because cats are cats haha, but there are some chew toys with a rubbery texture that she might like. I know Kong has a cat sized one, and there's a PetStages dental chew ring I've seen recommended.