My 6-week-old kitten bites wires and shoelaces. How do I stop it?

Question

I have a six week old kitten. What woould be the best way to teach him not to bite shoelace's and wires? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 month and 18 days old

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

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.

My 6-week-old kitten bites wires and shoelaces. How do I stop it?

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