Sasha has decided that the stereo receiver is an ideal place for relaxation. It combines warmth, a small enclosed space, and the physical proximity needed for swiping at my head when I watch movies.
She has also decided that the cables coming out the back are her enemy, and has already completely destroyed the video feed from my GameCube. I have used the squirt gun method for feline control in the past to relatively good effect, but the problem here is that I don’t always see her do it. I didn’t even notice until the cable was partway gone, and saw her at it only once afterward. Yet, a few days later, no more video cable.
Is there something foul tasting or smelling (to a cat) that I can put on the cables to keep her away from them, but which won’t hurt her? Any other suggestions?
My cat did the same thing. Here’s how i stopped him for good. I took all of the wires out and hung them over a laundry rack. I then put a little tabasco sauce on my fingers and ran them down each wire. I let them dry overnight and put the whole thing back together. His frantic dash to the water bowl was strangely satisfying and he never did it again.
Try putting some form of capsaicin on the cords. Capsaicin is what makes hot peppers hot. Most animals won’t go back for a second mouthful of it.
On a cord, maybe try some kind of hot pepper oil, or paprika powder on a slightly damp cord.
[aside] Paprika also works to keep squirrels out of bird food. Sprinkle some in with the food. Birds don’t seem to taste it, but the squirrels do. [/aside]
I just took a sponge and soaped it up with warm water, and ran that all the way along the wires/cables. I guess pepper stuff would have been healthier for them, but the quickest of soap tastes was enough to get them to stop for good.
I once saw something in Bed, Bath and Beyond that I was going to try. It was mostly for holding cords neatly to reduce clutter but it may also keep them from getting chewed on. Basically it looked like a vacuum cleaner hose that had been slit lengthwise and you run the cords through it. I tried this with an old anesthesia machine circuit (which is similar to a vacuum cleaner hose) on my computer cords, however my computer ended up dying (unrelated to the cat chewing) so I did not get to use it very long but I did notice that the cat’s just chewed on the hose instead, which is better than chewing on the cords.
