What to Do With a Kitten That Chews Socks

A kitten has a strong instinct to nurse and will try to nurse on items made of fabric, such as a sock, during the weaning process or if you wean it too soon from its mother. While the urge to chew on fabric items sometimes decreases over time as the cat matures, you can take steps to help resolve this behavior while your pet is still a kitten.

  1. Weaning

    • A kitten needs to stay with its mother and siblings until its 12th or 16th week of life. During this time, the mother will wean it from nursing on her milk to eating solid foods. If you take a kitten away from its mother too soon or wean it too quickly, its instinct to nurse may be redirected to other items, such as those made of wool or similar fabrics. Commonly known as wool-sucking, this behavior may worsen if the kitten is under stress and can recur later in life.

    Causes

    • Genetics play a role in the behavior of fabric sucking. Generally, oriental breeds such as the Siamese, Tonkinese, Balinese, Himalayan and Burmese tend to suffer from fabric sucking behaviors. These breeds tend to nurse longer than other breeds and normal weaning may be too soon for them, triggering fabric sucking. The stress of a move to a new home, a new owner or a lack of attention can also cause a kitten to chew on socks or other fabrics as can poor nutrition.

    Treatments

    • Feed your kitten a high-fiber diet of crunchy dry food to keep it occupied with chewing the food. Play with your kitten at least three times a day for 15 minutes at a time to keep it from becoming bored. If you see it chewing on a sock, distract it with a toy and take the sock away from the kitten; alternately, you can squirt the kitten quickly with a spray bottle of water if you see it chewing on a sock to discourage this behavior. Take the kitten to a veterinarian for a check-up to ensure that a medical condition is not causing the behavior. Depending on the kitten's age, ask him about prescription medication to help relieve anxiety.

    Warnings

    • Observe your kitten's behavior when it chews on socks. If the kitten does not actually ingest the item, giving it an old sock to chew on and preventing it from accessing your other socks may be an option. Kittens who chew on socks and actually ingest the fabric can develop an intestinal blockage, a potentially fatal condition that requires medical care from a veterinarian. Keep all socks and other fabrics away from your kitten if it tries to ingest the material; spray any draperies or upholstery with a taste deterrent to prevent chewing.