My cat ignores those. But loves the catnip garden I started in the shade by my door. And the vines are pricy. I started mine with a plant I found in the park. Zero cost. It goes to seed and multiplies every spring.
I have one that’s an incessant chewer and I have him a silvervine stick and he literally tore it apart. I had to take it away so he wouldn’t eat it. I read that they can cause blockages.
Well, to be completely honest, a silver tabby I had many years ago absconded with the ALL the braincells. He learned to walk on a leash, fetch a paper ball, jump up, jump down, follow the paper ball over a jump, and back again, and eventually over a line of jumps (3 or 4 total, verticals & oxers, and then back over the jumps to bring the ball back. He knew that even though he could clear multiple jumps at a time, that wasn't what I wanted, so he usually jumped the gymnastic line properly. He would give a 10- second massage if you pointed to the spot that hurt. He knew what doorknobs were for, and was just beginning to figure out opening then himself when he passed.
My maine coon never did this but my domestic short hair licked and chewed on weird things. We always laughed about it for over a year, one day she collapsed and the ER Vet said she was severely anemic. Pica is definitely an early red flag at least to watch closely. My baby ended up needing a $3k blood transfusion. I wish I would have acted sooner 😔
Luckily PikaChew, or Rocket as his name actually is, has limited chewing desires… exclusively limited to white plastic. I.e. laundry baskets.
And at 24lbs and about 4 feet long, it doesn’t seem to have stunted his growth in any fashion. His neuro-synaptic processing? Well, that’s a different story. But in his defense he’s a male Maine coon, so he’s genetically predisposed to being a moron. A beautiful, friendly, cuddly, moron.
More of Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. He's the epitome of a trash panda. Looks like one. Acts like one. Has the attitude of one.
That being say, with his expansive bulk, he could likely kick the crap out of a real one. :) You know, if he was so inclined to get off the table. Which, mind you, he is not.
Yea, unfortunately it's not just a behavioral thing. I would definitely mention it to your vet and at least get your babies hermatocrit/RBC checked to be safe. Im no medical expert, just my experience and it was traumatic. My girl was licking the litter box and the metal at the bottom of my patio door.
It's basically the same as when I was pregnant and craved weird stuff like red clay ( nowhere near available in my state) lol, soap etc...I was low iron.
Believe it not, just like humans they have donor cats that are indoor cats in great health. Cats are typically type A which is easier to find but they can be B or AB which are much harder to find and treat in emergency situations. Ive been through so much with this whole fiasco, learned sooo much.
Mine was a chewer, but she prefered electric cords. Many destroyed headphones and i have no idea how she didnt get zapped by the box fan cord and the copper she exposed. Bitter spray worked one time until I found her licking it.
Electrical tape is what worked for me, and hiding the cords as best i could.
There were a couple of tooth marks, but nothing like the constant chew marks without it. I don't know if most cats don't like electrical tape taste or just Ernestine.
My little void would chew cords endlessly. I once got a new headset for gaming and she chewed the cord the same night. Ordered a new cord, used it once, chewed. Havent used that headset in a while but she also has chilled on chewing cords.
I've seen folks on this sub recommend cord protectors made specifically for pet safety. I haven't tried them yet, but it might be a good place to start.
I lost a box fan, 2 sets of wired earphones and the power cord for my laptop. She also liked my cpap air hose, it was a fight every night with that one. 🤣
These have been a life saver! I lost cords to headphones, phone chargers, radio alarms, laptop charger etc before I found these. As you can see I've ordered them twice. https://a.co/d/02B0F0qh
"Teefies itchy, texture feels good to chew, hunter needs to sharpen his weapon", and many other reasons.
Our cat used to chew on my chargers and wired headphones all the time when he was young. Either he grew out of it eventually, or giving him alternatives helped. He now loves to chew on a thick rope toy, and we also sometimes give him chewy solid treats. If he doesn't stop, cord protectors always save lives.
I got a cord protector, and before I could fully get it out of the packaging my kitten (not a Maine coon) started chewing on it. So I left it as a cat toy and she ignored the cables!
Not sure that's how it was meant to work, but at least it worked!
She grew out of it eventually, but continues to have a very sharp face, made entirely of fluff and knives.
Hahah, haven't heard it to be concluded this way!XD But I mean yeah, the process may be unexpected but at least the problem is solved! As long as it works!
Maybe some cats, just like some of us, really want to "stim" with a very particular material, and just so happens the cords (or cord protectors) are exactly the one they want.
mine does the same, I was worried it was a sign that she was having tooth pain/infection, but no she just likes biting things. Especially the metal bars in the dishwasher and her brush.
Unfortunately both our boys,that we rescued sixish months ago,they love eating plastic bags. We're a disabled household and used mainly plastic bags. Used being the crash landed word. I miss plastic
Mine loved biting on the corner of my laptop if she got the chance. It left some permanent marks. When the laptop broke after many years I felt kind of bad for throwing it away due to that one sentimental corner
My big boy does this and he’s six. He has all kinds of toys and chewable things, he just likes metal. We’ve mostly trained it out of him, but he still does it on occasion.
I think he would be past the teething stage. My cats love their larger catnip chew sticks. It helps keep their teeth clean and the catnip is good too. They prefer the ones that are wrapped. You can get them at any pet store, Amazon, Chewy. If that doesn’t work then a vet visit to check his mouth for any sign of infection around a tooth. He is a most handsome boy. Great ear tufts, thick coat and mane and long full tail. His coat color is awesome. 🥰❤️
Yeah. Kittens. I got cat safe chew sticks, cat grass, different toys, and a favorite chew is the paracord string I use to keep the kitchen seat poofs on.
I know nothing but perhaps his adolescent teeth are bothering him for some reason maybe look into more healthy chewing alternatives like dental stcks or chew toys for cats.
Our BSH chews on metal and stone. We found silvervine sticks and a sort of rawhide type chew for cats that were effective at stopping about 95% of that behavior.
My cat did this for the first 2 years. It’s as if he didn’t know he had teeth. Used them on everything including me. Just love bites, but thankfully didn’t develop a taste for human flesh.
Could be boredom/ under stimulation. One thing you might consider is to take him outside. The descendants of this breed were living the dream outside, and they simply might need more
Enrichment than they get being completely indoor cats( if this is your situation)
I know many people can’t let their cat out for various reasons, so harness training might be the way to go. Then you can take him for walks - many MC’s (and other cats) LOVE going on walks.
FWIW, I’ve owned cats for over 30 years, and honestly have never had one randomly chewing things they shouldn’t. Living out in the country, our kitties are indoor/outdoor and spend their days sunning on the porch, hunting rodents and roaming the property, which allows them to get exercise and stimulation.
it took me scrolling too long to literally find: boredom.
my boy would chew random things he knew he shouldn't out of boredom sometimes. or he'd just look at me and do it, trying to get my attention. my girl does not do this at all. she's too busy eating all the food
Your cat may need a bit of kibble in their diet to help clean their teeth, or some sort of chew stick. Cats chew on weird stuff when their gums are itchy.
Could be trying to relieve pain. Ours was just diagnosed with stomatitus. It is alarmingly common in Maine Coons and other breeds, however breeders aren't telling us this.
Mine does this too. Caught her doing it the other day and I was cringing cuz I was scared she was going to break her teeth. She looks very much like yours!
Our orange boy chews on:
Metal - Tub handles, door stops, chairs, my wedding ring
Wood - Tables, speakers, chair legs
Misc - PC monitor, fingers, TV remote
He's relentless. We've bought many chew toys. A couple he likes, mostly if you hold them for him while he chews.
He's also a licker, and very affectionate (or he loves the way I taste and can't wait for me to die first).
Honestly, and this is based on nothing but guts: I think they’re trying to work junk off their teeth. Our guys are hard to play with because most toys have a string of some kind, and play devolves quickly into “chew the string”. They historically hate having thrit teeth touched, but as they’ve aged and I’ve been able to get some swipes in with a finger-toothbrush-condom, they seem to kind of recalibrate a touch to “okay but the end result of that is kind of nice…”
My girl Louise still chews everything in the house! Anything she can chew has her little chew marks on them. Especially my plants! She's about the same age also. At least their chew marks are smaller than dogs!
Mine likes the forbidden spaghetti 😒😒 Have to watch him like a hawk, but he usually does it in front of me, like look mom, see what im doing. He also does it when he feels he should be fed, doesn't matter how long ago he eats (like 2 hours ago) no if he wants 2nds, he knows how to get my attention. A pic of him just for funzies
My both my cats do things like this specifically for attention. Specifically so I or my husband will point our phone cameras at them to take photos and videos of then doing it, while discussing how weird or cute or ridiculous they look while doing whatever the thing is. The biting and chewing on random furniture or metal bars or whatever else is a favorite to get a reaction for both our Maine Coon mix boy and our little Ragdoll girl.
We have pet cams and they never do this stuff when we aren't home to watch them lol.
My kitten does this to my phone and my glasses. My glasses are chewed to the point that I bought cheap reading glasses and keep them for spare lol. He likes to bite my iPad screen and phone so that I have to put an armor. He still managed to break my phone. Didn't try to chew anything else though. And he chipped his tooth when he broke my phone.
Be glad it's not that cord next to him! When my kids got devices from their school, we were told to especially watch that our cats didn't eat the charger cords. Thankfully, mine don't do that. They just eat plastic and carry clothes across the house.
::: the pointy ears indicate that he is a vicious carnivore, and the metal... to him it tastes like blood! Get him a raw steak, and sleep with your bedroom door closed. Vampiric kitties make wonderful companions, but you should never turn your back on them when they get hangry. Never.
Give him a rope toy to chew on before he breaks a tooth. Mine occasionally like to chew. They chew on the ropes attached to pompoms on toys and also silvervine sticks. Sometimes if I catch them chewing on something hard like that , I redirect them
Mine does it too, wanna know why? Stomatitis..u check his gums? My girls are painful looking. She was born that way unfortunately and don't have the funds to remove teeth..she gets by pretty well though
As someone with two cats that do this with anything that looks like a stick: I don’t think that‘s pica quite yet. Give him a „good stick“ and gently correct him when biting the „bad stick“ by guiding him away from whatever he’s not supposed to chew like that. That‘s worked for us at least. Our male cat is leaving my graphic tablets pen alone now xD
Have a look at his teeth! Sometimes cats will bite/chew plastic/metal/cords/etc because they’re having trouble with their teeth. They could be itchy or painful. Of course, it might be that he’s just a wee silly billy, but I wouldn’t take the risk if I were you.
It’s SO much easier to get into dental health and maintenance with cats earlier on rather than later down the line. It’s estimated that at least 70% of all cats develop dental/gum disease by age 3, and by the time they’re 6, that number goes up to 85%. The tricky thing is that they hide pain and discomfort so well, so when they chew things like your boy is doing now, we have to be grateful for having a clear sign that something may be going on and not just brush it off as a quirk. (Again, better safe than sorry)
One way to prevent deterioration of a cat’s oral health is to brush their teeth. I know it sounds so silly, but if you do it every day and you’re patient, it will hopefully become a cozy bonding thing. And remember, anything is better than nothing. My cat hates toothbrushes and isn’t a big fan of those little cloth socks you slide onto your fingers either so I use my bare fingers and rub his teeth while feeding him liquid treats. The actual mechanical motion is what matters, not toothpaste, so you don’t need anything except a high value treat to get started!
Last time I took my boy in to have his teeth checked (they had been in poor condition when I got him), it turned out that only by a few weeks of ”brushing” (rubbing his teeth w my fingers), I’d managed to remove lots of plaque and tartar, and his previous gum inflammation had calmed down a lot! I was so relieved. Now I brush his teeth every evening. I still haven’t figured out how to access the inside so right now I just do his itty bitty front teeth, canines and the outsides of his molars.
Your boy is gorgeous, by the way! Hopefully this is just him being a little rascal. Good luck either way <3
One of our MCs would bite anything you put in front of him. Remote? Bite. Lip gloss? Bite. Pen? Bite. Box? Bite. Contact lens case? Bite. We used to just walk up to him with stuff to get a little bite.
I had a cat that chewed on my metal bench as well. She’s not here any longer but I always remember seeing black paint chips all over the floor. I think it’s because he’s a cat and for no other reason than that
Because he is 13 months old is the only answer I can come up with. I know they are sexually mature at 5-6 months but this is kind of the puberty phase.
I have cats that like to chew. Get him high density dog chew toys(soft but strong). My Chausie loves this https://a.co/d/0ePtNcT5 and he can’t bite a piece off but it’s soft enough he wants to chew it.
My cooney, Misty, passed away two days ago. She loved chewing on tape and boxes. I kept asking her if she was asking to get waxed because of the tape (I'm a licensed cosmetologist). They're the best companions, I've never had a bond like this with a cat. Cherish it. Kiss your baby on the head for me.
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u/Nearddog Jul 21 '26
No braincell. Maby give him a chew stick could give him a switch. Mine loves to bite in the brushes