Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

[blackcat4866]

So far they've eaten four network cables, four phone cords, two USB cables, two keyboard cables, the mouse cable looks like Swiss cheese but amazingly continues to work, two lamp cables, left speaker cable, two video and one audio cable to the DVD player, the low voltage power supply to the phone and cell charger and water fountain. They're working on the coaxial cable to the TV, but it's holding up pretty well.

I've considered cyanide ... but have chosen the non-lethal vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce. It smells pretty horrible to me, but I've never been tempted to eat the electrical cords.

It's really starting to piss me off, when I have to splice the keyboard cable back together two days in a row. =^..^=

[blaze2000]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

they make a product called bitter apple, supposed to taste like crap, but then I can't imagine a cord tasting good either?! Anyway, spray that on 'em it lasts longer than homemade stuff too. Also distract them with some toys. My cats love small balls with a bell in it. When they get board they go after the balls.

[KenB]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

I don't know if it works any better on cats, but bitter apple sure never worked for any of my dogs.

I could have sworn one of them once said: "Mmmmm, Apples! We LOVE apples!"

Maybe a taste called "The Vet's Office" would be more effective....

[blackcat4866]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

I don't know if it works any better on cats, but bitter apple sure never worked for any of my dogs.

I could have sworn one of them once said: "Mmmmm, Apples! We LOVE apples!"

Maybe a taste called "The Vet's Office" would be more effective....

Ditto that. Or "Dose of Revolution", they scatter for 2 hours after that.

Today's project is to route all the computer wiring through some cheap surface mount conduit. They'll have one more layer to chew through on the way to the wires.

I don't expect that it's true, but someone told me yesterday that wire insulation is made with catnip. That would explain the attraction. =^..^=

[blackcat4866]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

I just had an idea ... again, twice this week.

How about the fluid in the jar of jalapenas? That's how I cured Montague from stealing off my dinner plate. I let him steal a piece of jalapena. When he came back for the second the heat started to hit him. He never did snatch anything from my plate again, not without a thorough examination.

"Is this one of those nasty fire things?" =^oo^= ~~~~~

[Tonerbomb]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

I feel your pain. My son brought home a 12 wek old Australian sheppard. The little (NOT) mut chews on anything and everyone! Toes are a delicacy. I really don't want to wear bitter apple on my feet though.

[ZOOTECH]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

So far they've eaten four network cables, four phone cords, two USB cables, two keyboard cables, the mouse cable looks like Swiss cheese but amazingly continues to work, two lamp cables, left speaker cable, two video and one audio cable to the DVD player, the low voltage power supply to the phone and cell charger and water fountain. They're working on the coaxial cable to the TV, but it's holding up pretty well.

I've considered cyanide ... but have chosen the non-lethal vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce. It smells pretty horrible to me, but I've never been tempted to eat the electrical cords.

It's really starting to piss me off, when I have to splice the keyboard cable back together two days in a row. =^..^=

We have house rabbits that could chew through power cords and that would be lethal. So our house has been "bunny proofed"; we try to go wireless wherever we can. (however, our tv remotes have most of their button tops are chewed offs - it makes it hard to change channels or volumue- it's a guess with much frustration).

[fixthecopier]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Go sour. lemon juice extract. won't smell bad.

[blaze2000]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

You can try using double sided tape on the cords as well. might take time but I'm told by a family member the cats hate getting stuck to it and will leave the cords alone.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Here at our location of we have both cats and dogs. The pups are more problems than the kittens.

The pups usually grown to the 9 month old stage and take a liking to chewing up shoes. No particular brand of shoe is off limits. From $250 leather work boots, running Nikes, down to good old rubber thongs, any type of shoe tastes good to a nine month old pup.

So, after the initial bout of trying to catch and boot the pup up the backside for destroying your $150 pair of work shoes, you turn to something more vicitous like coating your shoes in hot chilli pepper. It usually only takes one dose and the problem is solved.

Although I must say I did have one neighbourhood pup that needed two doses of the stuff.

It also cures ,dogs, foxes,goannas and dingo pups from steeling egges out of the hens yard. My old man used to blow the egg yokes out of eggs shells and fill the empty egg shell full of red hot chilli oil. He would then place them back in the hen house. The old man has a few laughs to tell of his experiences with that exercise.

Any way without sounding to cold you might try something the warms up lightly for cats.
You could always try and coat the cable with the herb called wormwood. Whoa is that stuff bitter.

[Akitu]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Orange peels actually, rub the inside of an orange peel the length of the wire, you might lose one more cable in the process but I found that cats hate the taste of the orange peel as much as people do, so they'll eat it once and forget about it.

Speaking from past experience with my 5 cats, rubbed orange peels on the corners of the furniture they were clawing up. Once they started licking the paws they put 2 and 2 together. Didn't have much furniture issues after that...

[DWise]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Anti-freeze works wonders...

[Jules Winfield]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Anti-freeze works wonders...

I was just about to suggest that...

[HenryT2]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Anti-freeze works wonders...

Only the GREEN stuff .... the orange type is too eco-friendly ...

[nmfaxman]

Re: Any home remedies to discourage the kittens from chewing up cords?

Habanero chili sauce.
My dog got a hold of my habanero chili jerky and spit it out right away.
He would just stare at it and pant.