[marvin]

So one of my cat has gotten in the habit of eating cables. Anyone know of a good way to get it to stop? I've tried the usual disciplinary methods and spraying the cables with supposed cat repellant (active ingredient: methyl nonyl ketone), but it still gnaws on them.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

I'd just shoot it; probably will work the first time

Naw, just kidding! I've only had dogs in my time, but can't you train a cat? Like, if you see it touching the cables, smack its rump with a magazine?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

I'd just shoot it; probably will work the first time

A bit drastic don't you think? I've actually received that suggestion though. (Don't think the previous guy that said it was serious either.) Either way, I'll have to pass. I rather like the cats, and well, overpenetration would be a hassle for the neighbors, not to mention that cops rather dislike responding to gunshot reports.

Back to being serious. I've sprayed it in the face with water or smacked it on the rump every time I've seen it start chewing, but haven't been able to stop the behavior. Also the cat repellant claims to work for 24 hours, but my cats seem to be unaffected by it. Any suggestions for something more effective?

 

[Bob_McBob]

Either dispose of the cat or keep your cables safe, cats do not train very well. My cat likes to eat earbuds, so I have to be careful with my UM2s.

 

[Naris]

Hide them in locked, cat proof cabinets (harder to find than you'd think) when you're not listening and be vigilent for cats when you are.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Wait, I just got a brilliant (and real) idea. Put a wire screen or something in front of the area where your cables are?

I don't know what your house looks like though and how your cables are organized, so...YMMV.

 

[Fitz]

That sucks.

My cat tolerates my hobby very well, so she doesn't play with or chew on any of my cables, even if they're dangling off the edge of my desk and swinging back and forth.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Hey, be nice to the cat. They are loving and affectionate. They also love stuff that dangles, moves and seems interesting. You just have to accept their inherent catness and learn to plan around it. Think more of going through the mountain pass rather than directly over the the peak. There are some things you cannot change.

Instead of discipline, get the cables, as much as possible out of their way.

For a second line of defense, be more creative. Try giving the cat toys. That might be distracting enough. Leave out some cheap cables to be chewed on, or pick up some $1.99 ones at Radio Shack for chewing. Those might be good enough to ignore your good ones. Get some PVC at Home Depot and run the cables througth that. Also think about a second cat to keep it company and play with.

 

[kevin gilmore]

http://store.mycableshop.com/itemdes...IRALWRAPYL.htm

This stuff is completely dog and cat proof up to animals of about
20 lbs. I have 5 dogs, somehow they figured out which were the
most expensive cables and chewed on them only.

 

[swt61]

I had a cat that used to do that too. I used hot sauce. I put it on a rag and whiped the whole cable with it. Worked like a charm for me.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt61 I had a cat that used to do that too. I used hot sauce. I put it on a rag and whiped the whole cable with it. Worked like a charm for me.

I wouldn't do that with my headphone cables though. Nor to anything that will touch my body.

 

[Voodoochile]

Are you going to upgrade your cables, or your cat?

One of my co-workers has a cat that used to chew on various cables. The cat finally stopped after nibbling on his computer's power cord. The cat was okay, somehow, and it has never nibbled on anything resembling a cord since.

 

[clc220]

my dog just chewed right through my ksc-75's lucky dogs don't climb now i just keep everything on the table ... for some reason the dog aint interested in power cables or lan cables, lol maybe i got an audiophilic dog?

 

[ilikemonkeys]

There's a spray you can get at any petco, or animal supply shop that's called "bitter apple" It's not hot sauce and it works to repel. My cat HATES mint. I've used some peppermint oil to do the same with him.

 

[Samgotit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin So one of my cat has gotten in the habit of eating cables. Anyone know of a good way to get it to stop?

Are you insane? Listen again. The dielectric constant of cat spit is significantly below 1. There is no doubt the cables now sound better. A cat chewed cable exhibits stunning bass, has the black background of a coal mine, and will transmit the signal at 99.9999% the light speed of light giving you the dynamics of a lightning strike.

You call it a nuisance - I call it a tweak. A gnawed cable should be like night and day. Your whole system should now act as one. Your headphones should bloom. The synergy should be so synergistic your system may attain consciousness, launch itself into space, and attempt to take over the universe.

Do you realize the potential you have there? You could rake it in, charging thousands, for a single bite from Fluffy. Sir, you are on your way!