Have you noticed your pet cat nibbling and chewing on wires and cords? You have to act quickly as this poses a great risk of accidents like an injury to your cat, electrocution, or a fire.
How to protect cords from cats?
You can outsmart your cat and prevent him from nibbling on wires and cords forever but you have to invest time, effort, and some extra money, too. Here are five ways to protect cords from cats:
1. Locate and minimize the cords and wires.
Identify all the electrical items in your home as these are all potential dangers to your pet cat should he chew on it relentlessly. Cords and wires of appliances like TV, refrigerators, freezers, heaters, and electric fans are some of the common things that cats love to chew as well as wires of computers, printing machines, and seasonal electrical items like Christmas lights.
Be sure to place cord protection kits and keep the gap between the cord protection and termination point as little as possible so that your cat won’t be able to slip or get through it. Also, unplug appliances and electrical items that are not in use.
2. Hide the cords and wires.
Place or rearrange your furniture to conceal moveable and hanging cords and wires. One way to do this is by blocking the backs of tables and bookcases that have gaps between the wall and the back of electrical items like computers. Cats can be flexible and can slide through narrow openings just to reach those tempting wires and cords so be sure to hide them from your cat’s sight.
It’s also great to consider wireless electrical items to minimize the use of cords, examples would be a wireless keyboard and mouse. For small appliances and chargers, it’s best to put them in boxes or drawers with holes cut in the back to prevent your cat from nibbling at the wires.
Dangling cords should be taped securely to the wall or a table leg and make use of velcro attachments and reusable rubber ties. Invest in good and durable cable management sleeves to bundle cords and wires and protect them from being chewed and bitten by your pet cats.
3. Make them look and taste unappealing to cats.
Another way how to cat-proof wires and cords is by making them look and taste unappealing to them by wiping or spraying it with hot sauce, cayenne pepper, garlic, citrus, or vinegar paste, lime juice, or lavender oil which cats absolutely hate. Make sure the substance has dried completely before re-plugging the wire or cord. You can also cover cords with flexible protective cord covers that are transparent and infused with a citrus scent. Popular brands of such particular products include Chewsafe and Crittercord. Also, you can try wrapping the cords with foil tape which has an alkaline taste that cats dislike or double-sided tape which is sticky, although this latter option can be a tricky method. For more ideas see our article on smells that cats hate.
4. Distract and give your cat something to do.
Try to distract your cat by using rapid action or noise to scare him off if you notice him near wires and cords. A motion detector toy may also come in handy as its loud and sudden noise can scare cats away. Since most cats will resort to chewing cords and wires to while away time or beat the boredom, make sure that your pet has toys to play with, particularly chew toys, especially if you have a young cat and still going through the teething process.
Here are some recommended chew toys for your cats:
- Petstages Dental Health Cat Chews
- Petstages Catnip Rolls Cat Toy
- KONG Teddy Bear Catnip Toy for Kittens
While here are some recommended interactive toys for your furry pets:
- Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy
- PetSafe Bolt Interactive Laser Cat Toy
- SnugglyCat Ripple Rug
You could also give your cat other things to play with such as old cardboard boxes, paper bags, empty tissue rolls, or even wine corks. Cat grass is another option you can consider since cats also love to chew on grass.
You could also make your cats forget about all the cords and wires by having daily interactive playtime with them and taking them out for a walk on a leash regularly. By doing so, they’ll be able to explore the outside world under your watchful eyes. If you’re both stuck indoors because of bad weather you can let your pet watch videos for cats which you can find online and on YouTube. You may also consider getting another cat so your pet kitty will have a companion cat while you’re not at home.
Why do cats love to chew cords?
As worrisome as it may seem, cats love to chew cords and wires because of several reasons. Here are some of them:
- it could be because of an obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD
- it could be due to dental issues
- it’s a way for cats to relieve stress
- it could be a symptom of dietary insufficiency
- your cat may be bored
- your cat may have mistaken it for yarn or grass
Aside from licking which cats like to do, chewing and eating inedible objects are also on the top of their list especially if they don’t have anything much to do inside your home. But you don’t have to stress yourself out as there are ways how to protect cords from cats effectively.
Conclusion
You can safeguard your cat from pertinent dangers like injury and electrocution while ensuring the safety of your electrical items and your home in general by following the steps and measures mentioned above. Since cats also tend to chew because of dental issues, stress, or boredom, it’s also advisable to bring him to your vet at once for a thorough check-up.