How to Keep Kittens From Chewing Electrical Cords?

How to Keep Kittens From Chewing Electrical Cords?

The average home has many cords and cables that lead everywhere and are often out in plain sight for your new kitten to chew on. But, it’s inevitable that if it keeps chewing on the cords, it will get seriously injured due to the electrical surge.

How can you keep your new kitten from chewing on the electrical cords?

To keep your kitten from chewing on the electrical cords, place plastic covers over the cords so it can’t get to them. Provide your kitten with appropriate cat chewing toys and toy mice for it to play with. Or, at the very least, tie up excessive cords to keep your cat from focusing on just one cord.

Kittens don’t know any better and think that cords are mice tails. Help your cat learn the difference by following the advice in this article.

Why Do Kittens or Cats Chew Electrical Cords?

Kittens are still exploring their new world, especially if they just moved into a new home. And your electrical cords or internet cables are irresistible to your little furry friend because they look like mice tails or other prey that needs to be stopped. They are protecting your home from these “things” that invaded, or so they think.

Or your kitten might be stressed and need to chew on things that remind them of prey. Or your cat could be bored, and they need more mental stimulation. At any rate, your kitten could be seriously injured should it reach the inner wires. Learning why they do it is the first step in stopping the behavior.

The Cords Are Like Mice Tails

Because they are still learning about their world, and if mama cat did her job, kittens now know that anything with a tail might be good to eat. So when they see an electrical cord or a cable of sorts, they are ready to pounce on that prey and eat it. However, your poor kitten might be in for a surprise if it reaches the inner wires.

To keep your kitten away from your cords, try distracting it with mouse toys or any other cat toys that look and act like small prey.

Your Cat is Bored

Whenever cats or kittens play with cords, they are bored and need something else to do that doesn’t have an element of danger. When they are bored, they look for something to do that kills time until you get home from work.

The issue here is that if your cat is bored while you’re at work and start chewing on your electrical cords, you might come home to a disaster.

How to Keep Kittens From Chewing Electrical Cords?

There are some toys that you can buy that kittens can activate and play with on their own while you’re at work.

In particular, one toy has a round base, with a concave ridge and a ball inside. The kitten can push the ball around the ring, then chase it. The game can keep your kitten away from the cords, which would avert a disaster.

Your Kitten is Stressed and Needs to Chew On Things

Maybe your kitten just had a rough day and needs to chew or suck on things. Your fur baby needs an outlet for the stress and will sometimes chew on your cords or cables.

Normally, when kittens who are still with their mothers are stressed, they find her and start nursing and kneading their mama. This behavior is a stress reliever, and if they don’t have that, they will find something that reminds them of mom and start “nursing.”

You might want to buy some soft chew toys for your kitten to help it deal with stressful situations, such as a catnip-infused mouse toy or a string-like toy that won’t come apart when chewed on. Dangling feathers might also distract your kitten enough to stop it from chewing on the cords.

Make Sure Your Cat’s Dental Health Is Addressed

By the time a cat is three years old, they are 70% likely to have some sort of dental disease, which might explain why they are chewing on electrical cords. If they are experiencing pain, they will try to find some way to relieve the pain, including chewing on anything they can find. If you suspect your cat has dental pain, call your vet for a checkup.

A cat with dental disease that goes unchecked can create more problems, including not eating very much at a time.

Kittens might be chewing on cords because they are cutting new teeth, much like human babies chew on everything when teething. One way to steer your kitten to chewing on more appropriate items is to get them to chew toys and spray a little catnip spray on them to encourage your kitten to chew on it instead of your cords.

Use Plastic Covers Over Your Cords

If your kitten can’t see the cords or get to the cords, it won’t be able to chew on the cords. Try covering your cords with plastic or rubber covers or running them through PVC pipes.

You could also try rubbing hot sauce or other substances that cats don’t like over the cords and cables. Cats will get one taste of the sauce and run in the opposite direction. It will not try chewing the cords again.

Or try taping the cords to the walls or floor with some heavy-duty duct tape or electrical tape. Foil tape also keeps kitty off the cords because they don’t like the foil’s feel on their claws or teeth. However, this option might backfire on you because your cat could chew up the tape and make things worse.

Tie Up Excessive Cords and Cables

If you consistently have a thousand cords everywhere, get some tie wraps, tie the cords together and either thread them through PVC pipe or hang them on the wall to keep your kitten from chewing on them.

Cords tied together with tie-wraps are thicker and more difficult for your kitten to get its mouth around to chew an individual cord.

When there aren’t loose cords or cables, cats tend to leave them alone more often.

Signs That Your Kitten Got Zapped

If your kitten got zapped in the mouth, there would be some burn marks around their mouth. Your kitten might also start drooling more and a reluctance to eat because they might be in pain.

If your cat coughs or has difficulty breathing, it might be due to more serious damage from the cord. In that case, you need to take your cat to the vet immediately as it could indicate heart or lung damage.

Kittens, who got zapped, even just a little, might be more reluctant to chew on the cords in the future because they remember the pain from getting zapped. They also might run in the other direction when they see a cord or cable.

Conclusion

Kittens are naturally very curious and will put their mouths on just about everything, especially if it doesn’t smell weird. If their diet is missing something, they might chew on cords to replace what’s missing in their diet.

You can also use cat grass to provide something for your cats to chew on as an alternative to cords and cables. Ensure that your cords are not dangling from a high place, as your kitty will think that’s something to play with.

Lastly, place your furniture in front of the cords so your cat won’t be as tempted to chew your cords.

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