Cat Chew Cords: Why Cat Do This And How To Prevent It?

Posted by Grey Cat on December 30th, 2021

Every home is known to have cables and cords. From television to personal computers and telephone cords, every gadget has long cords easily accessible by your pet cat. These power cords are responsible for running all the necessary and basic electrical gadgets. However, all these power cords are useful to us but can threaten those cute little fur babies in your house. Some cats see these cables and cords as chew toys, which can expose them to the dangers of injury. Not only this, but this habit can also cause damage to your household gadgets.

If you ever see your pet cat getting attracted to the cables, then firstly, you need to understand the reason behind cord chewing. Once you can decode it, only then you will find the possible solutions that will be able to stop your cat from unpalatable behavior.

Why do cats chew cables?

The reasons behind cats chewing on cords are sometimes unexplainable, but we can always do our best to figure it out. However, one reason can be that the cord seems similar to the tail of another animal, which attracts them to attack the other animal. However, this logic fails when the cat continues to chew on the cord even after realizing that it is not the tail of another animal.

Some of the many reasons why a cat might love chewing on the cords are:

OCD: It is an abbreviation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is chewing behavior often seen in Oriental – heritage kitties like Burmese, Siamese oriental shorthair, and many others. These cats are known to have the capability to suck, ingest, chew inedible objects, which majorly comprises cord and other palatable items.

Dental Problems: One major reason behind cord chewing in cats can be attributed to dental problems. Dental problems in your pet cat can cause them pain, and to get relief from that pain, they tend to chew cords. Starting from age three, 70% of the cat population is likely to get periodontal disease. It is recommended that all pet parents get proactive in getting their pets\\' dental issues resolved. You need to be like a parent to your pet as you would have been to your child and take them to regular dental cleaning and other checkups.

Inactivity and boredom: It is common to find arthritis in older cats in various degrees. Due to this problem, when the cats cannot move freely, exercise, or explore this world with their full capacity, the inactivity creates boredom and makes them look for other things to keep them engaged, like chewing cords.

Medical issues: Old-age cats often have medical issues like metabolic impairments like hyperthyroidism. This might increase your cat\\'s activity level and make it chew away any accessible object in front of them, just like a cord.

Pica: The cases of nutritional deficiency like pica are rare in cats, but this issue is often related to ingesting odd objects. Researchers say that a kitty will seek a replacement for all those nutrients which are lacking in its daily diet. It is your responsibility then to check what they are eating as what they might choose can be inappropriate.

Anxiety or stress: Behind every odd activity in any living creature, the most common reason is stress or anxiety. The chewing activity clams down the cat in the process.

How to stop cats from chewing cords?

• Hide cords: One simple way to stop your cat from having access to those cords is to hide them away behind the furniture. Also, the electrical appliances can be put in the cupboards when they are not in use.

• Cover the cords: One way to do that is leveraging plastic wraps to cover the entire cord, and the taste of that plastic should be the one that repels the cat. Double-sided tapes are also useful as the cats like to stay away from stickiness. Lastly, the cord can be covered in split tubing. These can be adjusted to the size of your wish with the help of pair of scissors.

• Use of repellants: There are many repellants like hot sauce, citrus oil, dish soap, spring soap, or any other that can be rubbed around the cords to repel the cats as they do not like the taste of it. However, the catch here is to avoid using anything with salt, as cats love salt. If you are looking for a more humane and safe way to repel your cat from chewing on cords, then you can use bitter anti-chews. This will stop your cat from chewing, biting, licking on random things.

• Velcro/ Cable ties: It is an effective way of tying all those excessive lengths of cords. It is obvious that when the cords are not readily available to them, then they might not get tempted to chew it. Also, the dangling cords can be attached to the walls or legs of the table, which will reduce the attraction of the cat towards these cables.

• Provide alternate chewing items: This includes offering all those substitutes of a cord to your fur baby, which is not harmful. For this, you can also get a consultation from a vet for suggestions of some chew items and treats. This will be a win-win for both you and your cat. It will satisfy the innate instinct of chewing in your cat and will also keep them away from the power cords and cables.

• Increase the playtime with your cat: Your cat might only be chewing the cords due to boredom. If you increase the playtime with your cat, then your cat will become tired, and a tired cat will not be willing to seek cords for chewing them.

Conclusion:

Due to many reasons, your cat can develop a habit of chewing away on the cords. Being a pet parent, it is your responsibility to take care of these bad habits and assist them to stop doing such things. You can offer many other things to your cat to satisfy their craving to chew. This will save your cat from getting an electrical shock from those power cables.