Cables and cats and chewing, oh my!
Iris the Destroyer really likes those chewy Dell laptop AC adapter cables.
(Credit: Lori Grunin/CNET)As the opposable-thumb-sporting meal ticket for Iris the Destroyer, a cat for whom a Panasonic Toughbook wasn't quite tough enough, I've given a lot of thought to the cat-proofing of consumer electronics. She's especially fond of those delightfully chewy Dell laptop AC adapter cables--not the cheap electrical cord half, but the pricey side hardwired to the brick. I know I'm not alone. My friends' cat Flossie recently ate her way through their sons' HP adapter wire.
The safety concerns seem to be minimal. It looks like when the minute the insulation is breached, the power cuts off, saving the cat from a--some might say well-deserved--jolt. However, that means that the seemingly tiniest, most insignificant little puncture trashes your $60 power source.
DIY cat-friendly charging station
(Credit: Moderncat)This all came to mind today when I saw the latest entry in the fun Moderncat blog for a do-it-yourself device-charging station and cat bed. As a solution, it's an interesting idea; while it doesn't keep the wires away from the kitty (they run outside to the outlet), it does keep the extra-yummy end where the connector meets the wire in a reinforced bendy section away from sharp teeth.
These days, I use a much uglier but functional solution: the Cable Zipper. Plus, I stash my laptop in a cat-inaccessible location. It's not optimal, but she hasn't got her teeth into my adapter since I started.
The odd thing, though, is that she doesn't seem to crave other types of cables, like the easily replaced mini USB versions I have everywhere, or plain-old power cords. Are laptop manufacturers putting catnip in there or something?
I'm always on the lookout for ideas on keeping cats and cables safe. Do you have any foolproof methods you'd like to share?
Senior Editor Lori Grunin has been covering digital imaging for two decades, but her memory's kind of sketchy on the details. You can hear about it every week on Indecent Exposure, the podcast she co-hosts with Matt Fitzgerald. 
http://www.amazon.com/D-W-Innovations-crit-Crittercord/dp/B000EH2I5O/ref=pd_sim_dbs_hg_2
Might not work for everyone. ;^)
others theorize that the cat is merely telling you it is hungry - without endangering itself.
others, like myself, think that cats are just delightfully evil and do it to increase their total cost of ownership, thereby increasing their resale value.
Maybe people are accidentally spilling tasty stuff on them....
Bet ur cat or dog wont bother to touch them.
Maybe there is some cat plot here to take over our electronics.. that or just to get more human time.
After talking to her vet about it when I took her in for her rabies shot, the vet noticed that Olivia had a lot of gingivitis and some gum inflammation as a result. She theorized that she may be biting on cords in an attempt to alleviate pain from it. So, we switched to dry food (wet food is really only for older cats or cats that need more water in their diet) and had her teeth cleaned by the vet (a procedure where they actually have to put them under) and TADA! No more cord-biting! Some cats just have a tendency to have dirtier teeth. If that's the case for your *****, you might have some luck with this suggestion. :-)
Otherwise try charging things like computers and phones in rooms you can shut-off from kitty.
- by mistermuggs May 21, 2009 3:06 PM PDT
- ZOMG! I just bought three snake plants today, big enough for the floor. All of my other ones are hanging because of my neutered 9 year old cat wanting to chew them up! Then went out, and when I got back checked and they were all fine. :-) Then I turned on my computer and went to put on my $60.00 gaming headphones and just as I reached for them I saw that he had chewed the cord! He's done this to a phone cord and a mouse so this was it! I thought he was telling me something like, "No, I don't fancy your new plants, but I've been wanting to get at these for awhile." I just had to see if other people were having problems with this as well, and sure enough I am not alone, though my heart goes out to one and all. I will definitely not be splurging on my next set of headphones, because eventually they will be toast as well. I have a lot of inexpensive wires that he could have chosen as well, however from some of the previous posts, he was drawn to the most expensive one. AHHHHH!
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