My Cat Likes To Eat Stringy Objects

[Rob81]

How can I prevent my cat from eating long stringy things like fibers, polyester, etc. that she finds occasionally? I vacuum regularly but she always seems to find something. I noticed some of them come from the bottom of the platform on her kitty condo, so I pay attention and cut them off when I notice them (she loves attacking that area for some reason). I've had to take her to the vet once because she had a G.I. blockage and became lethargic, but she passed it on her own and it was non-eventful, thankfully. I worry one of these days she will eat something that will really do some damage.

She also likes to chew on wires/cables, so I bought a squirt bottle to spray her with so that she associates chewing wires with being squirted with water, but I also worry about this because I don't want her to get electrocuted. I would be absolutely heartbroken if that happened.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mani]

The wire chewing is a big worry, with all the guitars that I saw in one of your posts. And it's a common one, so there are a few threads about it:

Wire Chewing
Ack! Rothgar Is Chewing On The Wires!
Bored Cat Chewing Wires

and an article on chewing in general:
How To Stop Problem Chewing In Cats

With things other than wires, you just need to be really vigilant. I think people who have cats who recognise the problem just remove anything likely from anywhere the cat is likely to go. It becomes second nature.

We don't encourage squirt bottles as a deterrent, and have a whole article about that too.

5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat

I'd be especially worried, as you mentioned, about electrocution!

 

[Rob81]

I just read the "5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat" article. It seems really... gray area and subjective. It didn't convince me either way. I telecommute 90% of the time (software dev), so I am home to keep an eye on things.

I also found some pretty handy looking cable sleeves on amazon, so that's definitely something I'm going to implement soon.

 

[Rob81]

Something in that article really stood out though... I'm paraphrasing, but it said something like "Break the bond between you and your cat". Nothing will ever break our bond. Freyja sleeps right on top of me every night, even when I pass out drunk on Friday nights. LOL I'll sleep for 10 hours, and when I wake up, she's right on top of me, purring and meowing in the cutest way imaginable. Then I'll gently grab the skin behind her shoulders and massage it. She loves that.

 

[war&wisdom]

Spraying water doesn't do much to deter a cat from whatever behavior they're trying to correct, and it can even reinforce it. Some cats see it as a game, while others just learn to ignore it. She will do as she will when you're at work anyway, so it's not a consistent correction. Plus, as you noted, it's dangerous to use water around electrical outlets.

Cord wraps are a much better solution to wire chewing is to get cord wraps. PetCords sells a couple different sizes on Amazon. There are other options too, some of which have a bitter flavor to deter your cat. You can also pick up PVC piping from a hardware store.

 

[Caspers Human]

Try getting a "Ponytail Palm."

Beaucarnea recurvata - Wikipedia
Pony Tail

They can be grown as indoor, houseplants and they are virtually indestructible. They are great houseplants for guys because they are desert plants and they don't need to be watered but once a month.

The idea, here, is distraction: give the cat something that is long and stringy that she CAN chew on.

We have one and Casper loves to "floss his teeth" on its long, leathery leaves.

In regard to preventing the cat from chewing on cords, the best solution I know of is to rub some Tobasco sauce on things you don't want the cat to chew.

You don't need "Carolina Reaper" or anything like that. We're not trying to set the cat's mouth on fire. We just want the cat to think, "Ick!"

Finally, one thing that people forget to consider is that cats often do things to get their humans' attention. They'll often scratch furniture, chew on stuff or do other things like sitting in front of the TV because they know that those things are important to humans.

If your cat is chewing cords it MIGHT mean that she just wants your attention.

One of Casper's favorite toys is a rope made out of braided yarn, about three feet long. We just drag it on the floor, near Casper, and he pounces on the end.

If your cat likes to play with "long" things, you could get some yarn and plait (braid) it into a rope about a half-inch thick. Tie a good, strong knot in the ends so it doesn't come unraveled but leave the ends fuzzy.

The tree principles, here, are distraction, deterrence and interaction.

1) Give the cat something that she can chew on instead of other things that you don't want her to chew. (Ponytail palm.)

2) Make the things that you don't want her to chew unpalatable. (Tobasco sauce.)

3) Play with her enough, doing constructive things, so she won't think about chewing on destructive or harmful things.

 

[danteshuman]

I’m going to look into the ponytail palm for my little trouble maker. My kitten pulled floss out of the bathroom trash once, the floss is now placed in the kitten trash that has a lid ....... every single time!

I agree with the extra playtime suggestion. Have you tried giving her things she can safely play with that are stringy? Now my guys didn’t like them as treats but they are safe to eat, I think Friskies or fancy feast makes these stringy ‘shoe string’ type of treats. Also I bought suede cord that the kittens love! So I braided it to make it extra strong and gave it to them. Also playing fetch while watching TV is a great way to relax while tiring them out.

My kittens favorite toys so far: rabbit fur poop balls & pet fit for life 3 feather dual. (Those rabbit poof balls he loves to play fetch with. The pet fit for life so far 5 cats love. My only ‘complaint’ is that fishing pole comes in two pieces .... and a bit of duct tape wrapped around the part of pole where they connect solves it. They love the feather dusters, the little tail toy they can’t get enough of and the little fur toy they loved so much that they play fetch with it without the pole (I’m buying them rabbit fur critters with nice poofy tails to see if they like it as much as the furry critter.)

 

[danteshuman]

The string treats are Purina Friskies pull and play. Hope it helps.

 

[Kflowers]

To help eliminate all the fabric strings in your house you need to turn all your upholstered furniture upside down to look at the underpinning. Most pieces will have strings unraveling underneath. You need to cut these as short as possible, then the easiest next step is to tape the area that was unraveling. Great a good quality duct tape from a hardware store not the grocery. Check the duct tape periodically, say once a year to be sure it isn't coming lose. You can do this by lying on the floor with a flash light. Upending the furniture is because the underneath fabric is usually black, navy, or dark brown.

Check under your bed springs, cats will tear the underneath fabric because they like to hide in the springs. Also check your curtain hems regularly. Be sure to keep your closets closed.

 

[stormyandklaus]

Everyone has already given good advice so I don't have much to add other than my cautionary tale.

My string obsessed cat had a to have surgery a few weeks ago because he ate the thin long strip of flannel string from a cat wand toy. I knew he had a problem with eating stringy things so was SUPER strict about making sure stuff was put away, but I never thought a cat toy would be a problem because we'll, it's for cats. WRONG. He has ate my hairties and other things in the past but thankfully passed them. I knew something was wrong when he was throwing up a lot and acting super lethargic (very unusual behavior for his hyper self). We took him to the vet and they recommended immediate surgery to save his life. I would have never thought a cat toy would be the culprit so basically my point is put those away too! I hope your kitty never has to have surgery like mine did.

I've also heard cats hate lemon juice so if you put that on stuff you don't want her getting into?

 

[danteshuman]

I have heard of giving cats with PICA dog chew toys to play with because they are pretty indestructible. For a very strong obsession I would ask my vet if there is a medication I could give my cat for his obsessive compulsive behavior. Because my kitten is still so young at 6 months (and after the floss incident) any loose thread from my clothing or anything like that goes in the trash can with the lid. Plus I check his toys for wear and tear. (Remember if they destroy it, they love it, buy another one )

 

[stormyandklaus]

I have heard of giving cats with PICA dog chew toys to play with because they are pretty indestructible. For a very strong obsession I would ask my vet if there is a medication I could give my cat for his obsessive compulsive behavior. Because my kitten is still so young at 6 months (and after the floss incident) any loose thread from my clothing or anything like that goes in the trash can with the lid. Plus I check his toys for wear and tear. (Remember if they destroy it, they love it, buy another one )

I've wondered if he has PICA. Meds are a good suggestion, I will look into that at his next vet visit, thanks!

 

[Rob81]

My kittens favorite toys so far: rabbit fur poop balls & pet fit for life 3 feather dual.

LOL

Great suggestions otherwise.

 

[Rob81]

I knew something was wrong when he was throwing up a lot and acting super lethargic.

That's exactly how my cat was acting when I took her to the vet. Poor baby.

 

[Rob81]

Try getting a "Ponytail Palm."

Beaucarnea recurvata - Wikipedia
Pony Tail

They can be grown as indoor, houseplants and they are virtually indestructible. They are great houseplants for guys because they are desert plants and they don't need to be watered but once a month.

The idea, here, is distraction: give the cat something that is long and stringy that she CAN chew on.

We have one and Casper loves to "floss his teeth" on its long, leathery leaves.

In regard to preventing the cat from chewing on cords, the best solution I know of is to rub some Tobasco sauce on things you don't want the cat to chew.

You don't need "Carolina Reaper" or anything like that. We're not trying to set the cat's mouth on fire. We just want the cat to think, "Ick!"

Finally, one thing that people forget to consider is that cats often do things to get their humans' attention. They'll often scratch furniture, chew on stuff or do other things like sitting in front of the TV because they know that those things are important to humans.

If your cat is chewing cords it MIGHT mean that she just wants your attention.

One of Casper's favorite toys is a rope made out of braided yarn, about three feet long. We just drag it on the floor, near Casper, and he pounces on the end.

If your cat likes to play with "long" things, you could get some yarn and plait (braid) it into a rope about a half-inch thick. Tie a good, strong knot in the ends so it doesn't come unraveled but leave the ends fuzzy.

The tree principles, here, are distraction, deterrence and interaction.

1) Give the cat something that she can chew on instead of other things that you don't want her to chew. (Ponytail palm.)

2) Make the things that you don't want her to chew unpalatable. (Tobasco sauce.)

3) Play with her enough, doing constructive things, so she won't think about chewing on destructive or harmful things.

Lots of great suggestions. Thank you! I'll definitely try pepper sauce and lemon. Cable wraps too, since I'm a bit of a neat freak anyway. LOL.