I am so worried about Murray. He continues to consume things he’s not supposed to. Last week, right after I wrote about his recent chewing fiasco, I came to discover he’d eaten the straw off Emory’s drinking cup. It was out of my site for about 15 minutes. And he’d never touched it before.
Items Murray has chewed up or eaten recently. (The string was pulled out of his throat just in time.)
I don’t know what to do. I hope it passes through him. I’m really at a loss for ways to help him and keep him from ER visits. You all have been amazing when it comes to suggestions, and I have tried most of them, but nothing seems to be helping.
I love this man.
I am not trying to sound dramatic, but I worry that someday Murray is going to eat something that’s going to kill him. It’s either that, or the next visit to the ER is going to give him a heart attack. And I really, really love this cat.
Have you tried puppy chew toys? My friend swears by kong items & nylabones for his chew happy dogs. Try drsfostersmith.com – I’ve always had good luck finding things for my horde 0′ cats there. The kongs are at kongcompany.com.
I hope Murray doesn’t have to make any more ER trips – hugs to the little guy!
not sure if this will be helpful, but my husbands grandfather used irish spring soap to keep animals from getting at his apple trees and garden, the smell is very overpowering for animals( he would hang them with string, just small pieces). I am not sure if that would help you guard some items…or if Murray would just eat the soap. Animals wouldn’t go anywhere near them. Hope this is helpful.
Why don’t you try to re-program him into thinking non-food items like plastic are bad-tasting? You could spray some old nipples & other things he goes for with bitter apple (cats detest it.) Put them where he’s sure to find them and after a few tries, he may get the message. You may have to repeat this now and then–old, bad habits die hard. Another suggestion: If you catch him right after he’s eaten something bad, give him a dollop of Laxatone. I did that once with my cat after he’d chowed down on some string and he barfed it up shortly thereafter. Good luck!
I’m so sorry that Murray is having this issue. How frightening to have that worry and very real threat all the time!
I really think it is an inside cat thing. My littlest one chewed her way through a second power cord on my lap top which she hadn’t touched since the last one two years ago. She only chews my possessions…it is so odd.
Is Murray craving more attention? I know all my cats’ bad habits got worse after the baby was born!
Yeah, we had a cat like that once too. She used to chew up *everything*! She even ate my bra straps – literally, from end to end, she ate all of the elastic! One time we came home from a family outing to find her running frantically all around the house because she had eaten the string from a balloon that we got somewhere. Luckily we pulled out the string, and it was a long one, ick – I still remember the feeling of pulling that out – but it came out. Her last straw though, she decided to eat through one of my sweaters. Just started gnawing on it and got pretty much around the waistline area, then it bound up in her stomach and there was nothing they could do. I think it is a sort of disease that they have, kindof like those people who like to eat dirt or corn starch by the spoonfuls? They are totally mineral-deficient and they need to compensate some other way. So, sorry, no solutions here, just wanted to pass along my tragic story.
We’ve moved on to dogs – much heartier stomachs, but yuckier to clean up after.
:)
I’m sorry to hear that Murray has a fever for the plastic. I have no idea about this stuff, so I’m just throwing out crazy ideas: Maybe feed him treats/food at regular intervals? Try to keep him in certain parts of the house? Leave other distracting things—envelopes, paper bags (and then rotate?)—to occupy him? Poor Murray—and poor you, I know how much you love him and want him to keep healthy!
Oh Michele, I have no suggestions – none of our cats were ever chewers – but please, please know that all my thoughts are with you and your little guy! I am willing him to get through this chewing thing…
Cats are the most amazing creatures on the planet but for god’s sake they cause so much worry and heartache!
They are so independent that you just can’t get them to do anything you want them to do, but they are also so needy, when they want attention they want it, NOW!
When our cat Bennie was young he chewed on everything, rubber bands were his favourite and if you had a new pair of shoes he would lick the soles and rub his head all over them. He liked to eat plants as well and even put his whole mouth around a cactus!
We had to pull the little needles out if his lips, to our luck he isn’t the brightest button in the box so he didn’t feel a thing.
I’m sorry I don’t have any advice other to say that Bennie eventually grew out of it (apart from his shoe fetish!) he is 15 on Monday. Murrey is still young so maybe he will grow out of it too, I know thats not helpful now though.
Bennie has just been put on to special food because was diagnosed with Feline Renal Failure last month. Its only mild at the moment and the food should give him a few more years but it is still so worrying. I love him and I don’t want him to be ill.
Like I said worry and heartache. But cats are just so addictive!
Oops! I spelt Murray’s name wrong. Sorry Murray. x
I hadn’t even noticed! But he did and he’s PISSED!
My kitty chewed a lot also, except he usually puked it up afterwards. :)
He stopped chewing altogether when I started letting him outdoors every now and then, he just wanted some grass or dirt to lick. That doesn’t help you at all, but, just makes me think it’s diet related and not entertainment.
Does he eat houseplants also? Or just plastics?