Posted on: June 24th, 2022 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein

Tips for cats chewing electric cords

It may not sound appealing to you or I, but to your kitten, a loose or dangling electrical cord is a fun and exciting toy to play with. Chewing on toys is function of the activity for young cats, but cats chewing electrical cords is not something we want to encourage!

Buffy'south Story…
Buffy is my son'due south roommate's cat. I worried about a young true cat with three college undergraduates in an flat, but when y'all've been raised listening to: How many litter boxes do y'all accept? How ofttimes exercise you clean the litter boxes? What are y'all feeding the cat? When was your cat'south annual test? – I know that Buffy has gotten excellent care. And, with different schedules of the students, Buffy probably sees her homo housemates more than some of us more "mature" folks run across our own cats.

But, Buffy idea the best toys in the world were electric cords. And, in the modern world of phone chargers and reckoner cables, this rapidly became a very expensive, not to mention potentially very dangerous, addiction.

What are the signs of electric string injury?
Most commonly seen in young kittens under ii years old, injury from chewing on electrical cords usually causes burns to the mouth and surrounding areas. If you didn't observe your kitten while it was chewing, but notice sores in or around your young cat's mouth, drooling, or reluctance to eat, it could be from electric cord damage. Occasionally, more serious consequences can result, such as heart and lung impairment. Show of a more serious problem could include coughing or difficulty breathing. Mild or severe, you definitely need to seek veterinary attention if you detect whatever of these signs.

And then how can I stop my cat from chewing on electric cords?
Most of the time, we see our kitties chewing the cords before whatsoever damage is done to the true cat (although not always before the cord has to be replaced!). How can we stop them from chewing?

The solution in this example turned out to be "Biting Apple", which is a bitter but non-toxic spray sold in pet stores. Afterward tasting this a couple of times, the problem was solved (although re-applications were needed, and they had to make sure all cords, especially anything new, was besides treated).

Some other solutions I read nigh:

  • Encase the string in plastic wire wraps (i.e. from Dwelling Depot). Just brand certain the wrap covers the entire cord and that the cat doesn't similar the gustatory modality of the covering. In that location are specific cord covers made for protecting pets that are infused with a sense of taste pets shouldn't similar.
  • Rub the cablevision wires with Irish Spring soap. dish soap, citrus oil, hot sauce, or sports liniment. Any of these may work similar the Biting Apple and the cat won't similar the gustation. They do like salty things, so don't utilise anything with a high salt content.
  • Tie up excess cord lengths with velcro cord ties (bachelor from office supply or hardware stores). Attaching dangling cords to table legs or the wall reduces their attraction.
  • Use plastic cord management covers. These are good for roofing the cords completely where they run along a wall or across the floor.
  • Wrap cords with double-sided record. Cats exercise not like the stickiness of the tape, so they wouldn't desire to play with it.

Sadly, Buffy and her dad are relocating subsequently graduation, but my son still has visiting privileges! And fortunately, her owner hasn't had to go on replacing his computer and telephone cords.