my kitten chews...

Question
QUESTION: Charlie is now 7 months old. He is a tabby point Birman, who came to me as a kitten of 3 1/2 months. I also have an exotic shorthair/ chinchilla cross (Archie) of the same age, an 8 year old Persian (Barnaby) and an 18 month Amstaff dog (noisette).
When Charlie arrived he used to like to nibble fingers like a teething child and I have always tried to stop this with a firm No, a wagging of my finger and a little bop on the nose when he just wont let go! Unfortunately he had been allowed to do it with the breeder... He is also a very licky cat, and ties to suckle from my (spayed!) dog - much to her amazement and disgust!

As if that wasn't enough, Charlie also chews/eats wool! At first it was socks - kind of amusing to see a kitten walking around with a sock in his mouth! We had all the "he doesn't know if he is a kitten or a dog" jokes. Now, I cant leave a jumper on the sofa 5 mins before he has eaten a hole in it. He has wreaked two jumpers in a week and actually started chewing a jumper I was wearing at the time! I awoke yesterday to find my flannel in the bedroom (Charlie again) and the hot water bottle cover in the lounge - guess who? I went to put on my PJ bottoms (cotton) last night to find loads of teeth holes in those too...
Why does he do this? How do I stop it? I work from home at the moment (during the winter) so you can't say that it is because he misses me; and with the other 2 cats and the dog (who he adores), you can't say he is short of company...

ANSWER: Alie,

Normally, these symptoms are of a kitten which was weaned too early.  However, in this case, I am not sure.  At 7 months, my guess, without looking in his mouth, is that he may be teething.  I would take him to your vet and have his mouth checked for gingivitis or the like.  It could be he is doing the chewing to relieve any discomfort he may have in his mouth.

I would start be shutting him out of places where he might have access to wool and/or putting woolen items where he cannot get to them.

BTW, the wagging finger and bopping on the nose really does not work well with most cats.

Please let me know what you find.

Best regards... Norm.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So if bopping on the nose doesn't work, what does?

His gums look clean, but am due to take Archie to the vets tomorrow, so will drag Charlie along for the ride...

Answer
Allie,

In truth I have found nothing that really works with a chewer except to keep the kitten away from the things it is prone to chew.

You could try clicker training which is a successful behavior modification technique. You should be able to check Karen Pryor's web site (www.clickertrtaining.com).  This technique seems to have success because it uses positive reinforcement not negative reinforcement for behavior modification.

Best regards... Norm.