Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Help! We adopted two kittens (brother and sister) in December. They are both spayed/neutered. Our girl is constantly chewing...wires, especially. She also likes to chew on baskets, string, plastic that she can find, etc. We have tried very hard to kitten-proof the house, but she still finds stuff to chew on. She chewed right through many wires in the house - furniture has been moved, and we've covered up all the other wires. Any suggestions on how to train her to stop chewing, or is this normal for her age (she is about 8 months old)? If this is normal for the age, when does the chewing normally stop?

Thanks for any suggestions!
~P

Chewing is normal, but yours might be a bit excessive. I'm not sure. I'd need to meet her in person to make a good assessment.

Here are a few suggestions. First, have her checked by the vet. Although chewing, especially in kittens, is very normal, it can sometimes also be a symptom of tooth or gum problems. Your vet should be able to tell you right away.

Second, try a product called Bitter Apple. You can find it at most pet stores and in some of the catalogues here at CatHobbyist. It's a bad tasting clear gel that you put directly on items to make it aversive for your kitten to chew on. Of course you won't be able to cover every wire in your house with Bitter Apple. However, if you put it on some wires, she may generalize that yucky taste to other wires. In other words, she'll learn that wires taste bad and keep away from them.

Finally, make sure you provide her with plenty of chewy toys and appropriate objects for her to gnaw away at. If she wants to chew, you're going to have to give her good things to chew on. You can't just remove the inappropriate items--you have to give her some substitutes.

Good luck with your kitten! Let us know what the vet says.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

Curious has given you some good suggestions. Another thing to rub on the wires in Cayenne pepper.

Hopefully she will outgrow this soon.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

You could also reward her (give her a treat, ear rub or something else she likes) when she chews on a toy, and never give her treats in connection with wire chewing. She will soon understand that she does not benefit from chewing the wires. Also tape the wires to the wall/floor so they do not hang loose (very tempting for a kitten).

Good luck from Anne and the cats Ronja and Johnny - both 8 months and not chewing wires any more.