Mr. Pet of the Month is being a bad kitty!

[veggiegirl]

Oh my gosh, Oliver chewed through one of our phone lines last night! He chews on all the cords and we've had to put protective tubing over most of them. I'm so worried that he's going to get shocked one of these days! I've tried spraying him with the spray bottle and telling him no, but he just doesn't get it!

I know that you can rub bad-tasting stuff on things to keep animals from chewing them. Has anyone tried this, and if so what did you use?

[Plaidikins]

I'v heard some people say that this one product called "Bitter Apple" works good.

[veggiegirl]

Thanks, I've heard of that too. I'm wondering if there are any natural repellents, like something out of the fridge? He did it again last night! I was able to stop him before he chewed all the way through. Mike said he can't get shocked from a phone line, but it sure is a pain to have to keep fixing it!

[RareBreedExotic]

my lucy was a chewer. my husband was furious when he found his surround sound system cords chewed off! we just kept her away from cords until the baby teeth fell out and then she stopped on her own at about a year. how old is oliver?

[juanita]

How about Tabasco? My friend uses this to keep his cat from destroying his shoelaces. Perhaps you could filter out the paste (using a coffee filter?) so you don't end up with orange crusts on your phone lines

[veggiegirl]

Quote: Originally Posted by RareBreedExotic how old is oliver?

We think he's around a year old. He's still very playful!

[RareBreedExotic]

Quote: Originally Posted by veggiegirl We think he's around a year old. He's still very playful!

i would just wait it out a little while longer. a few months from now he should stop chewing. if not, the bitter apple is safe and is even used for children who chew. i wouldn't worry about it being toxic to oliver, but if you still don't like the idea of it you can always try tobasco sauce or chili powder. we had a dog that liked to lick the sliding glass door obsessively and the tobasco cleared that problem up. the only thing is that it could stain your carpets and furniture. you could lay a towel down under the cord and coat it with the chili powder or sauce? it would be a pain for a while but once oliver is broken the towel and hot sauce coating could be removed. once broken, he shouldn't chew anymore. alternately, oliver could have a toothache if this chewing just began?? he's pretty young to have tartar buildup, so i doubt it, but i'm no vet.

[veggiegirl]

His teeth are totally white and clean and he's been to vet three times in the last three months. He just likes to be mischevious and chew things. I'll try the chili powder. Thanks!

[Formula86]

i've used bitter apple with the dogs. and while they do hate it, my chaquita (used to chew a LOT) got used to it. but it does work for pets that aren't too obsessesive. keep us posted!

[RareBreedExotic]

Quote: Originally Posted by veggiegirl His teeth are totally white and clean and he's been to vet three times in the last three months. He just likes to be mischevious and chew things. I'll try the chili powder. Thanks!

i figured it was a chewing issue and not a dental one. good luck to you with oliver! maybe if you start chewing some of his things he'll see that it isn't such a good idea to chew

[Exotica]

Petsmart sells a product called "Bitter End" because some sicko dogs *like mine* ENJOY the bitter apple!

it works pretty well, you can get it in a cream lotion or a spray..and it works WONDERS

[veggiegirl]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm definitely going to try some things to stop the little brat!

[RondaNC]

If your kitty is like most cats and hates water,try filling a water gun with water and shoot him every time he trys to touch stuff he isnt sopose to.Ive trained cats to stay off counters and stay away from the bird cage this way.Kinda funny because for at first there like "where the heck did that come from",but they get the point and give up after you show em your not backing down" its worth a try.
(De je vu)I had my rats out two days ago in the computer room with the door shut to let them run free for a few hours and when i lost connection to the internet i saw little tails hangin under the bookcase where the hookup was,so i feel your pain... can be a major pain in the butt to have to keep fixing that,and its scary to think that any kinda electrical stuff is in an animals mouth.
Good luck!!!

[Denise]

Hehe Oliver knows he is a celebrity and thinks he can't do no wrong. I hope you find something that deters him from chewing.

[veggiegirl]

Quote: Originally Posted by RondaNC If your kitty is like most cats and hates water,try filling a water gun with water and shoot him every time he trys

Yeah, I mentioned in my first post that I've tried that. It works when I catch him, but the little brat does it when I'm not around. I think bad tasting stuff is the only thing to deter him. He's not afraid of anything!

LOL Denise!