My two Maine Coons love to chew! Scoobie has gone through at least 10 pairs of headphones by chewing the cords, has chewed through my computer cords, mouse cord (how did he know it was a mouse???!!!) but thankfully he leaves electrical cords alone. I got a spray from my vet which deters him from the cords. Otie loves to chew on plastic bags. Does anyone have any suggestions for a chew toy that cats might enjoy? I've tried doggie rawhide and they won't touch it. It needs to be soft and pliable - like leather purse straps (which also don't last long in my house.)

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

Answers

DEAR MARIAN, WELCOME TO THE MAINE COON WORLD!! I HAVE A 4 MOS OLD LITTLE GIRL BROWN PATCH...SHE WILL CHEW ANYTHING INCLUDING FINGERS, CORDS, AND SHOE LACES BEING HER "SPECIALITY"! SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY AND USE A LIME TO DISCOURAGE FROM CHEWING. THIS WORKS QUITE WELL. THEY DO NOT LIKE THE BITTER TASTE OF THE LIME. JUST RUN IT ALONG ANY CORD YOU HAVE IN THEIR WAY!! AS FAR AS A CHEW TOY, GET A RAWHIDE STICK (ABOUT 4 INCHES LONG AND REAL THIN,1/4 INCH. YOU WILL FIND THEM IN THE PUPPY SECTION. THESE ARE SMALL ENOUGH FOR OUR KIDS AND THEY DO GNAW ON THEM. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THEM LAYING AROUND THE HOUSE FOR THEIR CONVENIENCE. I PUT ONE IN ALL HER FAVORITE SPOTS. SO FAR SO GOOD! IF FOR SOME REASON THEY DO NOT CHEW ON THEM TRY SOME CATNIP ON THEM OR SOME FISH OIL FROM THEIR FOOD OR FROM TUNA. GOOD LUCK! LET ME KNOW IF THIS HELPS!! NANCY (GIA'S MOM & "CHEW TOY")

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2000

Our 4 month old male MC also likes to chew -- at least he hasn't really started in on cords yet! We picked up some toys called Cat Crazies from Petco -- they are hard plastic ring type of toy that Ashman just goes crazy throwing around, but then he carries it around in his mouth and chews on it -- seems to help some. I thought he was just teething and would outgrow it????

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2000

Marian, Our baby "Ten" is also an avid chewer and will go to great lengths to exercise those powerful jaw muscles of his. His prey includes our hands, brown paper bags, baskets, plastic arm rests, window shades and bookshelves. Once, when he was feeling particularly powerful, he even tried chewing on a metal tube!! Something that has worked very well with him and which I recommend for your two MC babies is thick, corrugated cardboard boxes. We sometimes get these from the grocery store. Ten adores them and will spend days tearing them apart with his teeth. He also enjoys chewing the long feathers on his string toys. I don't recommend this solution though, since those feathers are expensive to replace! I'd be curious to see what others recommend since I'm always on the lookout for new chew toys.

Amy Clark

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2000

Our girl Sokie is a chewer (her twin Circe isn't). Sokie's favorite chew toy so far is a piece of a baby teething ring from a baby specialty store. This isn't the typical gummy chews, but rather a solid plastic string-type ring that has larger pieces of plastic spaced along it. She doesn't like the larger pieces, but enjoys the "string" part that connects the large pieces into a ring. I cut the ring into parts, each with a larger piece and about 3 inches of "string".

I'd also like to hear more about chewing. Does it hurt the teeth at all? Has anyone experienced having the cat swallowing the plastic or cardboard? She likes plastic bags, but I don't leave her alone with one, and am afraid to let her chew on them because it's hard to ensure that she doesn't break off a piece and eat it.

Linda

-- Anonymous, May 18, 2000

We've had very good luck with the little sparkle balls available at pet stores. However, you have to be willing to listen to the gnawing sound similar to a MC cracking bones in a mouse. Our MC loves to chew & fetch these balls!

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2001

I have two cats, Khiri is a Siamese, Kobe is an Ocicat. Both love to chew anything they can get their teeth on, particularly Kobe. He loves paper, cardboard, cloth venetian blinds, etc. Khiri will at least limit her chewing to appropriate things. Someone has to make chew toys for cats. I don't want to encourage chewing on materials that they may confuse with things I want them to leave alone.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001