Kitten destroyed blind cord

greensalad

FreeBear said:

The kitten needs something else to play with and stimulate him - Catnip mice are one of my go-to toys. A feather on the end of a string/stick is also handy.

To dissuade a particular activity, a water pistol is effective - Used it on a previous cat that likes to claw furniture. A few squirts up the backside, and he found another hobby.

Oh my word, he has everything, trust me! Fancy toys, cheap toys, a cat tree to climb, scratching posts, multiple beds, so0 much mental stimulation (we WFH so we are playing with him constantly). He just loves the blinds, and is desperate to play with them specifically.

We bought a can of compressed air that goes off based on a motion sensor, problem was we put it on the kitchen counter that particularly moment to deter him from jumping up, and that was the one time he decided to go on a blind-cord chewing mission.

greensalad

bbat said:

I can't help answer the blind question. And totally unsolicited suggestions but If he's indoor cat provide lots of extra entertainment. Hide food in lots of places, puzzle feeders, anything to keep him occupied with something else! Tie some (short) bits of string to other things for him to chew? 

In all honesty my menace stopped being a menace the moment he was allowed outside. My houseplants are thankful. 

He's not been neutered yet so we're waiting until next month when he is before he'll be allowed outside. He has plenty to play with, he just loves blind destruction more than anything else (well except maybe the paper from an amazon box, his second favourite toy. Oh, or pulling old bags of flour out of the recycling bin so he can lick all the flour off the floor and then play in the bag).

greensalad

molerat said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3519243.m570.l1313&_nkw=venetian+ladder+string&_sacat=0

https://fixmyblinds.com/pages/how-to-replace-string-ladder-on-horizontal-blinds

Loads of guides on Youtube

Fairly straightforward if you are handy.

Thank you so much! When I was searching I was looking for blind tilt cords which was the cord you pull them to make them tilt. I couldn't figure out the term for the part that was broken... ladder string! Now I've got that search term I can order something and do the repair.

greensalad

twopenny said:

Wipe each cord with Cedar oil - or any strong smelling oil.

I put some at my front door to stop neighbours cat coming into the enclosed porch and peeing on the door.

Worked.

Orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit seem to be popular choices.

Some do use and don't use

https://www.litter-robot.com/blog/smells-cats-hate/

I'll try this too! Citrus is my favourite smell so I definitely don't mind having a house that smells of grapefruits.

ashe

Out of interest why are you waiting for him to hit 6 months before neutering? 

TripleH

@greensalad, can we have a photo of the miscreant please?

We didn't have blinds so can't offer advice on that, although when a kitten, our oldest bent the wires on a horizontal clothes airer using it as a climbing frame.

Re. Neutering, our newest edition was neutered the week before he came to us and he was a year and a half old (we don't know how old he is as is a rescue).

FreeBear

We want pictures of the kitten.

ashe

TripleH said:

@greensalad, can we have a photo of the miscreant please?

We didn't have blinds so can't offer advice on that, although when a kitten, our oldest bent the wires on a horizontal clothes airer using it as a climbing frame.

Re. Neutering, our newest edition was neutered the week before he came to us and he was a year and a half old (we don't know how old he is as is a rescue).

I asked because you can neuter kittens very early. Many breeders do it at 13 weeks (ours did) and vets neuter for the rspca at 13 weeks as standard.

by leaving it later you risk them sexually maturing which can happen around the 6 month mark and their behaviour changing (spraying, aggression etc). Isn't really a great reason to wait. 

Some people think they grow small if you get them done early. Our 4.8kg & growing 6 month old Bengal is evidence that isn't the case 😂

greensalad

ashe said:

Out of interest why are you waiting for him to hit 6 months before neutering? 

Vet recommendation. He weighs enough but we were told as he's likely to be a (mostly) indoor cat, that waiting a little longer will allow his urinary tract to develop better which can reduce chances of urinary infections in the future. 

tbh having had kittens before I don't think and of his actions are particularly "male aggression". He seems just as annoying as any of my other female, fixed kitties. 

greensalad

TripleH said:

@greensalad, can we have a photo of the miscreant please?

We didn't have blinds so can't offer advice on that, although when a kitten, our oldest bent the wires on a horizontal clothes airer using it as a climbing frame.

Re. Neutering, our newest edition was neutered the week before he came to us and he was a year and a half old (we don't know how old he is as is a rescue).

FreeBear said:

We want pictures of the kitten.

This is Goose.