By Pia Silvani, Director, Pet Training and Behavior Counseling

Cats can develop an annoying habit of chewing and sucking on objects and people, which can result in the destruction of clothing, blankets, towels and furniture. No, your cat is not being destructive because he is mad at you and trying to get revenge. There are physiological and psychological reasons behind feline chewing and sucking.

There are two types of sucking/chewing problems. The first sometimes occurs when a kitten is weaned or orphaned at an early age. Usually the sucking is accompanied by kneading, which mimics pressing on the mother’s abdomen in order to receive milk. If the problem is occurring with a young kitten, the behavior often stops once the kitten has matured.

The other type of chewing problem is called wool-chewing. It seems to be prevalent in Siamese and Burmese cats. These cats find the lanolin in wool and other material products appealing to chew. That means your wool sweaters and other articles of clothing, along with your drapes, sofa or blankets might be likely targets for the wool-chewer. This behavior begins at an early age and sometimes progresses from merely sucking to chewing and/or eating the material. Some behaviorists believe the cat is ingesting wool because it is lacking fiber in its diet. Wool supplies additional fiber. Before changing your cat’s diet, consult your veterinarian.

Chewing and sucking can sometimes be a comfort-seeking behavior. Your cat may put an object (usually soft) in her mouth and lie for long periods of time chewing on it, looking quite content. Cats have also been known to suckle on their owner’s hair, hands and feet as well. There may be times when the cat ingests the article which she is chewing on which can pose other health risks.

Prevention is the best way to manage your cat’s undesired chewing and sucking. If your cat gets opportunities to chew or suckle on inappropriate items, she is being rewarded. Closing closet doors, picking up socks, or not allowing your cat in the bedroom are the simplest ways to manage the problem.

If the item is in a room where the cat cannot be restricted, then the object (sofa or cushions) must be made less desirable to chew on. Cover the area with plastic or foil to make it less attractive to the cat.

Unfortunately, bitter sprays such as Bitter Apple – an effective deterrent for dogs – do not work for cats since they do not react negatively to the bitter taste. Hot pepper sprays work better, but read the label to make sure they cannot damage material. For taste aversions to be successful, you must spray the area every time your cat gets an opportunity to go near the object until the habit is broken. If you are not consistent, the cat, using odor cues, can predict when to go near the article or area and when not to. Also, if the area is not sprayed every time, the cat is rewarded randomly, which actually reinforces the unwanted behavior. The animal continually goes to the area in hopes of receiving satisfaction.

Once you have made the area less appealing to the cat, you must give it an alternative item to chew on. If you don’t, the cat will find one on its own. I recommend giving your feline friend permission to chew on one old sweater or other article that she finds appealing. When the cat goes to chew on a different item, replace it immediately with that article.

I do not recommend punishment with cats. The result is that they begin to distrust you. The behavior is extinguished only in your presence. This is why many people think the cat is getting back at them because "he only does it when he is alone."