My cat chews on everything. What can I give her to redirect her?

[ColoradoCat]

Hello everyone. My most beautifulest and lovedest Cassiopeia has a bit of a chewing problem. She's chewed through my poor mom's wired earbuds at least twice, chewed through the cable for my Wii bar twice, chews on writing utensils (usually while I'm trying to use them, though she's outright stolen my Apple Pencil on a couple occasions), has chewed on my phone, tried to chew my laptop screen, and is now biting the Christmas tree (which is artificial, so no risk of pesticide poisoning). I'd really like to get her something a bit healthier to chew on, and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[Kris107]

How old is she? Is she teething?

 

[ColoradoCat]

How old is she? Is she teething?

She's about two and a half, so she's long past that point. She's also been to the vet recently, and they didn't raise any concerns about her teeth. She's also been chewing things for quite some time now, but doesn't seem in any way uncomfortable.

 

[Kris107]

Have you tried silvervine sticks? They also make some other chew sticks (almost like a hardened flavored chew). I had a cat who chewed but eventually she did outgrow it. I still have some teeth marks in the side of my couch. What about cardboard? A lot of cats find that satisfying.

 

[amethyst]

Some cats just like to chew on things, I have a couple that are 4 and still like to chew on things, nothing is wrong with them they just enjoy it. They actually do make chew toys for cats, if you do a quick search on websites like Amazon you can find natural things like silvervine, honeysuckle, and catnip sticks as well as stick and worm shaped rubber and plastic type toys, woven toys, and cloth toys. There are also dried animal parts like rabbit ears, chicken feet, chicken wing tips, and animal (like beef, bison, and lamb) tendons, which are often sold for dogs but some cats enjoy as well. For cheaper options straws are a favorite around here, if you can still find plastic straws were you live I know my cats really enjoy chewing and carrying them around. I will often stuff them with dried catnip and use a lighter to seal the ends to make them more interesting. Thick corrugated cardboard boxes can be another thing that some cats enjoy sinking their teeth into, probably since it mimics the feeling of sinking their teeth into prey.

It wont be a quick fix in many cases, so you will need to be mindful to put things away for a while when done using them, or with things like the wii cables, you can buy cord protector covers that are infused with no chew favor and scent to discourage chewing. You can also spray no chew spray like Grannick's Bitter Apple Liquid on things to discourage chewing. Every time you notice her chewing on something she isn't suppose to give her something she can. Chewing on things can also sometimes have nothing to do with wanting to chew and just be a way to say they want attention or you to play with them.

 

[ColoradoCat]

Have you tried silvervine sticks? They also make some other chew sticks (almost like a hardened flavored chew). I had a cat who chewed but eventually she did outgrow it. I still have some teeth marks in the side of my couch. What about cardboard? A lot of cats find that satisfying.

I think silvervine would be a great idea. I'll definitely be ordering some of those for her. She regularly has access to cardboard boxes, but doesn't seem interested in chewing them.

 

[ColoradoCat]

Some cats just like to chew on things, I have a couple that are 4 and still like to chew on things, nothing is wrong with them they just enjoy it. They actually do make chew toys for cats, if you do a quick search on websites like Amazon you can find natural things like silvervine, honeysuckle, and catnip sticks as well as stick and worm shaped rubber and plastic type toys, woven toys, and cloth toys. There are also dried animal parts like rabbit ears, chicken feet, chicken wing tips, and animal (like beef, bison, and lamb) tendons, which are often sold for dogs but some cats enjoy as well. For cheaper options straws are a favorite around here, if you can still find plastic straws were you live I know my cats really enjoy chewing and carrying them around. I will often stuff them with dried catnip and use a lighter to seal the ends to make them more interesting. Thick corrugated cardboard boxes can be another thing that some cats enjoy sinking their teeth into, probably since it mimics the feeling of sinking their teeth into prey.

It wont be a quick fix in many cases, so you will need to be mindful to put things away for a while when done using them, or with things like the wii cables, you can buy cord protector covers that are infused with no chew favor and scent to discourage chewing. You can also spray no chew spray like Grannick's Bitter Apple Liquid on things to discourage chewing. Every time you notice her chewing on something she isn't suppose to give her something she can. Chewing on things can also sometimes have nothing to do with wanting to chew and just be a way to say they want attention or you to play with them.

Thanks for all these suggestions! I'll definitely be looking into them. I suspect I'm going to be spending some time on Chewy and Petsmart.

 

[eevans3373]

Silverline sticks + cord protectors. My two kittens were godawful when they were teething. They managed to destroy SEVEN laptop chargers.

 

[stephanietx]

I have lots of straws in my house. I give my kitties straws to chew on. I also have one who chews paper when she's anxious, especially around feeding time, so she gets a box with packing paper in it for her to shred.