Welcome to Sphynxlair! Connect with Sphynx owners & enthusiasts around the world!

kitty proofing - esp wires

heather

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
1,242
Points
158
Just looking around the house thinking if kitty-proofing for the future and there are so many wires!

Does anyone have an issue with your cat getting to wires? Or just as a kitten?

I started looking into cord covers and most are made just for the floor or a box that doesnt cover the entire end to end. I'm most concerned with my entertainment center which is a mess of wires. I know sphynx kitties are attracted to the warmth of the electronics!
 

ElGatoLoco

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1,466
Points
188
Interesting topic. Butterball has never chewed or played with electrical wire. If it's not electrical wire, he'll chew and play with it all day long. I'm not sure exactly how he knows the difference. It never really occurred to me before.

There was a topic a few months ago about stoves. Some of us have the stovetops that have a smooth flat surface. Making it difficult to tell if the counter top is hot. Kitty could walk right over it and get scorched toes. You might wanna kitty proof your stove. I'm pretty lucky. Butterball pretty much stays off the kitchen counter tops. He gets on everything else though.
 

Brooke

Banned
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
Points
0
Just looking around the house thinking if kitty-proofing for the future and there are so many wires!

Does anyone have an issue with your cat getting to wires? Or just as a kitten?

I started looking into cord covers and most are made just for the floor or a box that doesnt cover the entire end to end. I'm most concerned with my entertainment center which is a mess of wires. I know sphynx kitties are attracted to the warmth of the electronics!

Nope, I've never had any problems with wires, either. Of course, there are cat toys all over the house that are more fun to play with - maybe that's why they never get into the wires.

My biggest kitty proofing problem has been trying to protect my poor couch from their nails. Now I've got double stick tape on all the spots they like to scratch and that works pretty well.
 

admin

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 13, 2009
Messages
23,721
Points
643
The heat from the components is what draws the kitties to the electronics, not the wires. They may play with wires some what but not usually. Unles you see them playing with the wires I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
Just for those that might be reading this and DO have kitties that play with wires:
If you have babies that chew on wires, invest in a product called YUK! and set them up for failure with the electronics OFF (so they don't get zapped). YUK! takes horrible and it will quickly teach them that cords taste bad.

Remember, even if your baby gets electrocuted and LOOKS okay...the majority of cases will actually get worse over 24 hours. It is highly recommended to have your companion examined directly after being electrocuted and to have him/her hospitalized for observation. Generally oral burns are only the tip of the iceburg. Some cats can have seizures, cardiac problems, etc. It's very important to have them close to help, if they need it.
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
My biggest kitty proofing problem has been trying to protect my poor couch from their nails. Now I've got double stick tape on all the spots they like to scratch and that works pretty well.

Tried Soft Paws? We only use them when we use the blowup mattress (even though we dremel their nails to a dull edge), but they're a life saver for furniture for those that like to scratch. Might also try Feliway on those spots, the spray might be better in this case than the diffuser.
 

Brooke

Banned
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
Points
0
Tried Soft Paws? We only use them when we use the blowup mattress (even though we dremel their nails to a dull edge), but they're a life saver for furniture for those that like to scratch. Might also try Feliway on those spots, the spray might be better in this case than the diffuser.

This might sound dumb, but I haven't used the Feliway spray on the couch because I was afraid it would keep them off the furniture completely! I still want them to get up on the couch and snuggle with me, I just don't want them to scratch it...am I wrong? If I just spray it on the areas they scratch (mostly the arms) will they still sit with me while I watch TV or will the smell totally keep them away?

ETA: I know a lot of people recommend using a spray bottle, but I don't like that idea either. I want the cats to enjoy the water since I have to put them in the bath every week, so I don't want to use water as punishment.
 

kalliee129

Senior Lairian
Senior Lairian
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
893
Points
88
I haven't had any wire problems but I have had a few close calls with the flat top stove. Now I make sure there is something on the stove where I cooked like a pot or something. I have tried the spray away stuff I can't remember the name. I needed the stuff to stop Meecho from pooping in the formal dining room after the potty training fiasco. It didn't work...well I guess it did because it sure cleared out the downstairs from all us humans for about an hour :LOL: In that hour Meecho pooped in the room and Suki pee'd in the other room that sprayed. :Hysterical:
 

PitRottMommy

Banned
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
860
Points
0
This might sound dumb, but I haven't used the Feliway spray on the couch because I was afraid it would keep them off the furniture completely! I still want them to get up on the couch and snuggle with me, I just don't want them to scratch it...am I wrong? If I just spray it on the areas they scratch (mostly the arms) will they still sit with me while I watch TV or will the smell totally keep them away?

ETA: I know a lot of people recommend using a spray bottle, but I don't like that idea either. I want the cats to enjoy the water since I have to put them in the bath every week, so I don't want to use water as punishment.


Feliway isn't a repellant. It's a chemical that mimics the cheek pheromones in cats. It basically tells them "don't do bad things in this place". Try it. I use it on my bed because I dont want the cats to stratch on the edges (Buck likes to do this...on my chenille sheets!!!!). Cats still sleep there, no scratching.

Also, I bath them weekly and still use the water bottle. No problems. I make a ERRRT! sound when I spray them. After about the 10th time, they start recognizing the sound instead of the bottle and I can stray away from the bottle. In most cases (99%) of the time, I can use my "buzzer sound" and the cats scatter.
 

lovinsphynx

Senior Lairian
Senior Lairian
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
335
Points
78
Actually Sanura chewed the wire that was connected to our Wii sensor and we had to pay 40 dollars to replace it, she loves chewing on cords i have to watch her and she isn't really a kitten anymore so i guess it depends on your cats personality.
 

heather

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
1,242
Points
158
Thank you all for the feedback. It seems like in most cases it is not a problem so that's good.

Feliway sounds like a good product so I will have to give it a try.
 
Back
Top