What to buy a kitten for safe chewing? (not food)

Renne

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My kitten really likes dangling ropes and such. I don't want to deprive her of favorite toys, but they really aren't safe.

Today she managed to bite off a huge piece of rope somehow, the one that I considered safe. She didn't eat it, but I'm horrified just to imagine that she would...

Any ideas? What kind of material would be safe?

I know there are treats to chew, but those are edible and would take her all of 5 mins to finish off! She needs something to chew on for a long time. Not necessarily anything commercial, either. I'd make it myself if I knew what to make it from.
 

Willow's Mom

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I didn't have much luck with commercial edible chews because of my dogs. :(

I did find a Kong for Kitties, which was a plastic chew toy, but she didn't really take to that either. What has worked has been chicken gizzards and chicken necks. I need to confine her while she chews on them, of course, because they are messy.

If you don't have dogs, you could see what she thinks of a small bully stick or something like this:

 
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Renne

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@ W Willow's Mom , do those take a long time to eat? (I don't have dogs)

Going to try a plastic bone, I guess. If I tie it up to something and let it dangle, that's going to catch her attention. As for chicken necks, I don't want to take risks, she might choke on them.
 

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Look for braided ropes that are meant to be dog chew/pull toys. They're generally more durable that cat toys.
 

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Leather toys here. Anything (everything) else gets eaten
 

Jemima Lucca

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I ordered this silicone “fish” that you can put catnip or anything they like (I put a dab of butter inside. It has a slit along the belly and is about 5 inches long. It’s soft but “chewy” at the same time. They can’t bite it apart. It’s advertised as a way to clean their teeth...
 

kittenmittens84

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You can try a large cardboard box. It’s hours of entertainment. Some cats only chew on them, others will chew off pieces and spit them out. But pretty rare to eat the pieces
Seconded, my cat loves nothing more than ripping a cardboard box to shreds. He doesn’t eat the pieces, just leaves nice little piles of soggy cardboard scattered around for me to pick up :)
 
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Renne

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Look for braided ropes that are meant to be dog chew/pull toys. They're generally more durable that cat toys.
Do you have a picture, please? I need to know what to look for, I don't think I've seen such dogs toys in shops.
Leather toys here. Anything (everything) else gets eaten
Any pictures? :) I'm not sure how to make one without having her bite through.
I ordered this silicone “fish” that you can put catnip or anything they like (I put a dab of butter inside. It has a slit along the belly and is about 5 inches long. It’s soft but “chewy” at the same time. They can’t bite it apart. It’s advertised as a way to clean their teeth...
And... I have to ask for a picture again :) I'm positive I haven't seen silicon fishes, but maybe I can find one online if I know what ot look for. So far this sound perfect.
 
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Renne

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As for cardboxes, I don't think they're safe for my kitten who was silly enough to eat a button recently. Ditto for washclothes. But other suggestions are interesting.
 

Jemima Lucca

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Do you have a picture, please? I need to know what to look for, I don't think I've seen such dogs toys in shops.

Any pictures? :) I'm not sure how to make one without having her bite through.

And... I have to ask for a picture again :) I'm positive I haven't seen silicon fishes, but maybe I can find one online if I know what ot look for. So far this sound perfect.
I-shunfa cat fish pet cat fish shape
On Amazon. I don’t know how to take a picture online. Sorry...just type it in and I’m sure it’ll pop up (Amazon)
 

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Do you have a picture, please? I need to know what to look for, I don't think I've seen such dogs toys in shops.

Any pictures? :) I'm not sure how to make one without having her bite through.

And... I have to ask for a picture again :) I'm positive I haven't seen silicon fishes, but maybe I can find one online if I know what ot look for. So far this sound perfect.
Natural Leather Dog Toys - Play
We have a little Fox that's similar to the Raccoon....Both cat's play with it. We got it for the "destroyer of toys". If I was going to get one for the smaller cat, I'd choose the smallest thing they have, and probably something with a rope/string attached.
 

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I-shunfa cat fish pet cat fish shape
On Amazon. I don’t know how to take a picture online. Sorry...just type it in and I’m sure it’ll pop up (Amazon)
Warning: I checked those toys on amazon and some people reported that they broke and the cat ingested big chunks of plastic.
 
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Renne

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Thanks everyone. I've been busy helping mom to prep for surgery, but I'm positive I won't find silicon fish toys locally, and with the warning above, I guess I'm not upset about it :)

I wonder about braided ropes. I think I can find those, although I'm unsure if my cat manages to bite through or not. I have something alike (a fat rope), and she has no trouble slowly biting through: first she chews through, making the rope all fuzzy-looking, and then thins it out enough to bite off. It takes quite a while, but she manages to do it. Dammit, what a wild kitten... and soon her teeth will be changing, she'll bite anything in sight :(

I'll look for leather toys, although I have doubts about those, too. But there should be something for dogs that even cats fully devoted to biting can't bite through, haha...

What about catnip sticks?
I'm sorry if I sound dumb, but what kind of sticks are those? Made of catnip? I know it's a grass that gets cats intoxicated, is it safe to digest?
 
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IndyJones

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Catnip has no effect on kittens from my experience so it may not even be interesting for her. It's relatively harmless if eaten in small amounts. May cause stomach problems if eaten in large amounts.

Maybe a child's toy or a teething ring might work.

I used to have a Kong toy that was a smaller version of the dog ones I think it was a puppy Kong and I would put some canned food or tuna in it and freeze it overnight when Indy was younger. She loved it but the Kong got swatted under something and I can't find it.
 

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I'm sorry if I sound dumb, but what kind of sticks are those? Made of catnip? I know it's a grass that gets cats intoxicated, is it safe to digest?
I'm not sure if it's the catnip plant - it's written Matatabi wood, and they popped out when i put the keywords for the plastic toy in Amazon.
They are like this:
and yes, the most rodent kitties would scratch some cortex and ingest it, but any toy should be used with human supervision.

My cat does not like catnip in general, but he likes to play fetch like a dog and I have always played with him using wooden sticks, of various sizes.
If your kitty is a biter, careful on computer and other electronic cables :)
 

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My kitten likes silvervine sticks. Apparently they dont have an effect on kittens, I bought them for my older cats ages ago but they didnt take to them, but the kitten just liked them as something to chew on.
 
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