We adopted a cat in June from the local shelter. She is a very loving and happy cat, affectionate and gets along very well with our two dogs. But her chewing is driving us mad!
She repeatedly chews on the plastic mini-blinds, plus ANY kind of plastic bag, some of the kids small toy pieces, cardboard boxes, any paper....plus she chewed a hole in the pocket of my overcoat, and anything else that strikes her fancy. You can imagine the trouble we are having in keeping her away from the Christmas tree and ornaments!
We've tried all sorts of cat repellents, hot pepper sauce lotions, bitter apple sprays to no avail. We try to catch her with a squirt gun which she hates (accompanied with harsh words) but as soon as we let our guard down, she's back at it. Short of spraying the ENTIRE house from top to bottom every couple of hours with chemicals, is there ANY other sort of correction that we can take?
We are desperate and don't want to give up this sweet cat. I think it's a good guess that this is why she was left at the shelter and honestly, she will never find a forever home if she continues chewing. We do love her, but we just can't take the behaviour any more.
Please, some suggestions needed ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LilBit
Cat chewing on EVERYTHING! HELP!
Re: Cat chewing on EVERYTHING! HELP!
refrain from the chemicals as they can be quite harmful. as soon as your cat enjoys chewing on something that is not allowed, immediately place the cat in a "time out" room with food/water/litter and not much else (dont wait even 15 seconds, the cat will get confused with the time out reasoning).
i would recommend about a 20-30 minute timeout and stick with it.
the only harsh word/phrase you need to use is "no no" and there is no need in yelling (just in case you are). cats are quite sensitive (even if they dont show it instantly) and their stress can have medical ramifications that niether you or the cat are interested in dealing with.
the key is consistant loving discipline along with unlimited patience, good luck and keep us informed.
last word here is to be sure to show this cat plenty of attention in form of play time, grooming and perhaps allowing her to make some muffins on you.
i would recommend about a 20-30 minute timeout and stick with it.
the only harsh word/phrase you need to use is "no no" and there is no need in yelling (just in case you are). cats are quite sensitive (even if they dont show it instantly) and their stress can have medical ramifications that niether you or the cat are interested in dealing with.
the key is consistant loving discipline along with unlimited patience, good luck and keep us informed.
last word here is to be sure to show this cat plenty of attention in form of play time, grooming and perhaps allowing her to make some muffins on you.