How to Teach a Kitten to Not Chew

A kitten is a cuddly and adorable ball of fur that will work its way into your heart. A kitten may require a bit of training from you. When training your kitten, patience and kindness are necessary. Never harm or yell at a kitten to train them, because this will only frighten them. Using patience and a gentle approach will help you in teaching your kitten not to chew.

Things You'll Need

  • Spray bottle
  • Cat toys
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      When you see your kitten chewing on something she should not be chewing on, such as furniture, quickly spray her with a mist from a water bottle. One squirt should be sufficient. There is no need to soak your kitten. The key to this working is to spray your kitten immediately when she starts to chew on the object. If you wait or do it afterward, your kitten will be confused and will not be able to associate the water with chewing on the furniture.

    • 2

      Give your kitten a fun toy to play with. Make sure your kitten has lots of toys to keep her entertained. If you need to spray your kitten quickly, right after doing so, make sure she has a toy in front of her so she can have something to play with rather than chewing on something she should not. Kittens enjoy playing with plastic milk rings, cardboard toilet paper rings, toy mice and fishing pole toys. Keep scratch pads around for your kitten so she will scratch it instead of your furniture. Cats have an inherit need to scratch, so do not punish your kitten for doing so.

    • 3

      According to the website WVCats, a daily requirement of kittens is the need for daily interactive play. There are many toys that can help you to meet the play time needs of kittens. Streamer toys and fishing pole toys can be great fun for kittens, allowing them to jump and reach for the toy. Circular scratch pads that have a ball going along the outer edge of the scratch pad allow a kitten to bat the ball around. It is fun to watch and provides a lot of entertainment for your cuddly friend.

    • 4

      Get another kitten to keep your kitten company. Sometimes cats can become lonely. An extremely rambunctious and energetic kitten may benefit from the company of another kitten. It is natural for kittens to play roughly with one another at times. However, this does not mean that you should play rough with your kitten. Kittens can keep one another entertained during play time and possibly bond during nap time.