by Gina M.
Member since:
April 24, 2007

I have a kitty question....

July 06, 2008 09:14 PM EDT
views: 97 | comments: 16

Ok, Oscar is my first kitten.  He's now 10 months old and I'm curious about kittens/cats and how long they teethe.  He absolutely chews on everything!  Staplers, boxes, bags, papers (oh, he eats that too), his toys, books, the corners of the furniture - you name it, he chews on it.  I thought that kittens only teethed for a few months.  So, my question is whether or not this is normal behavior for kittens at this age?  Has anyone ever heard of this before?  I'd like to know when this is going to stop because it is driving me nuts.  Or if you have any suggestions on behavorial training, I'm open to that too!

 
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Comments: 16

Lin G. Jul 6, 2008, 9:25pm EDT
I've had 5 cats and never had one who was a chewer. I don't know if this is unusual or not. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Stephanie S. Jul 6, 2008, 9:26pm EDT
Many cat just do that, it's how they play with the world around them. One thing you can do to try to stop the behavior is to squirt the cat with a water bottle when ever you see them chewing on something you don't want them to chew.. but provide toys they can chew on with catnip to catch their interest as it does clean their teeth and provide fun and exercise.
Brittney R. Jul 6, 2008, 9:34pm EDT
Stephanie beat me to it. I used a spray bottle to train my cats. Stops them from chewing, climbing curtains, jumping on kitchen counters...anything you don't want them doing.
Gina M. Jul 6, 2008, 9:39pm EDT
Do you have any other suggestions besides the squirt bottle? I've tried the squirt bottle to work on the training for the scratching and guess what? it doesn't bother him. It doesn't matter where I squirt him, he doesn't even care. He just looks at me like, "what? that's supposed to stop me!" This is a cat that jumps in the shower. He loves water.
KittyMommy2u W. Nov 15, 2009, 5:40am EST
Things that don't taste good to cats, like vinegar and citrus oils are good deterrents. Some people on a different site mentioned some special hard plastic tubes to run all the wires and cables and cords through, particularly in places where the cat has been found chewing on these things. Some have had success with hard cardboard tubes, but others said their cats chew that stuff, too. One had a weird cat that liked the smell of orange oil. That's a really weird thing for a cat to like. What ever you do, don't use anything with ammonia in it!

Gina M. Nov 15, 2009, 5:03pm EST
Fortunately, the one thing he does not chew on are wires. But everything else is pretty much fair game. One of his favorites is to chew on boxes. If I get a delivery, he is right there and as soon as that flap flips over, he goes to town chewing away on it.
Brittney R. Jul 6, 2008, 9:50pm EDT
There is something they make for dogs called Bitter Apple--it is a chewing deterrent. I have never used it, but my friend said it works for her dog. I would think they make something similar for cats.
ISABEL Y. Jul 6, 2008, 10:02pm EDT
Some do that. We have three cats, and one of them, Sean(10 months old also), loves to chew on cardboard and paper, We give him plenty of attention and he has tons of toys. When we catch him doing it we tell him "NO SEAN!", and remove him from the area. Lately he is much better. You need to shift his attention just like you would do for a small child.
Dan H. Jul 7, 2008, 1:34am EDT
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Gina M. Jul 19, 2008, 10:27pm EDT
Thanks Mona. I guess I'll ask her, although, everytime I ask her a question about Oscar she wants to give him anti-anxiety medicine. Now, she's really going to want to give him the medicine. I won't give it to him. I'm not doping up my baby.
KittyMommy2u W. Nov 15, 2009, 5:42am EST
I don't blame you, he's just exhibiting normal cat behavior. Redirecting his attention should help, like Isabel said.
Priscilla (wishing I was in Costa Rica) ~. Dec 19, 2008, 10:59pm EST
Ihope your kitty grew out of that stage!
Nancy Biri Dec 28, 2008, 11:37am EST
Here's a link you can go to and read about it. http://cats.about.com/
KittyMommy2u W. Nov 15, 2009, 5:43am EST
I just realized this is a pretty old post, but now he is focusing on your nose in the middle of the night. What a little stinker!
Gina M. Nov 15, 2009, 5:07pm EST
That's okay - he's still a chewer. I've just gotten used to it. I've tried all those things above but nothing really seems to help other than scaring him away, which isn't that easy. And, of course, he comes back anyway.

Just the other day I was paying bills and I do all that online, but I did need to write one check. So, my checkbook was out and I wasn't paying too much attention to him and the next thing you know he is chewing up all my checks!

That's why his nickname is Handsome Devil - he's cute, but oh so devilish.

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