I have a one year old British short hair male cat, and I wanted to ask if there’s a product that can deter him from chewing my wooden Venetian blinds? My vet advised me to try using citronella oil, in water, in a spray bottle, but it only worked for a few weeks. I also tried a repellent spray, that I read reviews on and bought online. Would you have any suggestions, that are neither harmful to my cat, nor the wooden venetians?
There are so many reasons as to why your boy could be doing this, the trick is to find out what the cause is. The first thing that comes to mind is there maybe something lacking in his diet, so be sure that he is on a good quality biscuit that is a complete diet.
The second thing is a behaviour issue… has there been any major changes in the household recently for example a new animal or family member maybe you have moved to a new home or maybe someone has left the home? These are all very good reasons to act out on the blinds, cats are very much creatures of habit and do not like change as it can make them insecure thus causing behaviour issues such as this.
Has he been doing this all of his life or has it just started recently? He may be bored if he left at home during the day by himself. If so make sure he has plenty of toys and things to amuse him. Maybe a wooden toy might deter him from the wooden blinds. You could try a wooden toy, which may satisfy his wood interest, you might have to look in the dog toy category for a wooden toy.
The last resort would be to plug in a pheromone diffuser. These are called Feliway diffusers. They have a very calming effect on the cat and also make them feel safe and secure so very good for the anxious or flighty cat.
There are also a number of repellents and deterrents that you could try spraying the area with to deter him.