My cat chews wires. What are safe, durable chew toys for cats?

There are plastic toys that are long/string like that may be a little more robust for Chevy to play with. Laser pointers may also simulate something on a string that he can safely chase. If he does like things with string on them, I would just make sure to monitor him while playing to ensure he doesn't eat any string and so you can discard the toy if he chews a piece off.

Great question! Kittens unfortunately like to chew cords, which isn't safe for them or good for you when you have to buy replacements. One way to stop Ginny from doing this is to cover the cords in pre-split hollow tubing. You can get this from computer stores or home improvement stores. Hide the cords under furniture, and keep them as short as possible. You can use cable ties to make them short. You can use a cat deterrent spray on them, but do not use a lot of it. Give her more toys to chew on, which will distract her from the cords and allow her to safely chew on something. Finally, if you notice her about to start chewing on a cord, distract her by playing with her.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is of course a severe case but there is always something to try which is the good news. The best thing and what I would recommend is contacting a pet trainer that can work with you and him in person. There are plenty of highly trained people around the country that can help with this. That would be the best approach as you have already tried toys and everything else. You can try using catnip which sometimes has a positive effect in these cases. There is a product called Feliway which can sometimes make them feel more at ease and that could also help. I hope that helps. Have a good night!

It's hard to say what may be causing Jazz to chew on wires. Even though he is missing his teeth since you've adopted him he could still have retained tooth roots below the gum line causing oral pain. The only way to check for retained roots is to do dental X-rays. It is also possible that this is just a play behavior for Jazz. It may be very difficult to stop him from wanting to chew on wires if this is the "toy" he has decided he enjoys. Instead you may have to cover the wires or make them inaccessible to Jazz to keep him safe. It sounds like you are doing a good job at setting aside time for Jazz to have attention. Searching for a toy that doesn't scare him may also help. Something like an Undercover Mouse toy may be worth trying. I'd suggest also using a Feliway diffuser to decrease some of Jazz's fear. A veterinary consultation may help to provide more ideas and details on why Jazz may be showing this behavior. I hope this is helpful! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I wish you and Jazz the best of luck!

I recommend to stick with toys meant for rodents. It's hard to know if toxicity is a potential concern but the small threads could become wrapped around his teeth. Many mice like to chew on cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls. They also make wooden toys for rodents. The clear exercise balls and a running wheel will also be fun for Frankie. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Wanting to bite on wires, shoelaces, strings, and other things is completely normal behavior in a kitten this age - this is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play :) You will not be able to stop this behavior, as it's hard-wired and very natural for them. Instead, you need to focus on redirecting Lucky to appropriate things for him to bite and chew on, and keep him safe by putting things away that might be dangerous. Make sure to provide a variety of different toys that you can use to play with him - it sounds like he would probably enjoy fishing pole type toys very much! He should also have a few good, solid scratching posts and a cat condo or tree to climb on. Put your shoes away when you aren't wearing them - if he tries to bite at the laces when you have them on, use one of his toys to redirect his attention so he can bite on that instead. Wires should be safely tucked away behind furniture whenever possible - you can also try using Bitter Apple spray on wires and cables to help make them taste bad, which should help to discourage Lucky from biting them. He will grow out of this behavior on his own as he gets older, so for now you need to be patient and consistent while he learns. I would not recommend using any type of punishment to try and discourage him, such as a spray bottle, hitting or smacking, etc. as cats usually respond very poorly to this and it doesn't tend to be effective. Instead, focus on proving appropriate things to bite and chew on, kitten-proofing the environment, and redirecting him to his own toys as needed.

I don't usually see kittens lose their appetite when they are teething. However, he may have hurt his mouth chewing on things he shouldn't. I would be very careful to keep him away from cords so that he doesn't get electrocuted or get an obstruction from eating pieces of the cords. I would try to find toys such as feathers on a string, little catnip mice, stuffed animals and even a laser pointer as these are things that cats usually love, but that the cats can't destroy and also won't do damage to their teeth when they chew them. They also make various toys that are attached to a platform by a long spring so that cats can pounce on them and they bounce around.