Cat Lovers, I Need Your Help!

My cat is attacking and biting my oxygen hose (30 feet). I'm patching it, but it's a mess and leaking.

I am using a squirt bottle with water, to try and deter Zorro. It's turned into a game for him. He is so fast, I hardly ever hit him with the water. Have to lead him like I was hunting partridge. Zorro is having a great time. I need all the air I can get, as the concentrator is running at max, to meet my needs. He also attacks it while I'm sleeping, which is a lot of the time these days. Have found holes in my face mask's line, which is pretty darned close.

I think the sound of the air in the line is attracting Zorro in the first place. You can see his ears focusing on the line, before he attacks it. He may also be jealous of the line, since it's attached to me all the time, and goes wherever I go. I need my buddy, and won't give him up. I've thought about adding concentrated lemon juice to the water in the bottle. Does anyone know of something I could put on the line itself, that would be a deterent?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

oldgrandpajack

There's a spray called Bitter Apple that was originally used to discourage puppies from chewing on things they shouldn't chew on. It works for cats as well, from what I've seen..

They make a commercial spray that you could spray on it that deters cats from things, you can find it at most well suppoed pet shops. But I think you could also probably make your own by making a paste of cayan pepper and water and rubbing it on the hose. That should deter him after the first time or two.

The hissing sound is probably what's attracting him to it in the first place. He likely thinks it's another cat threatening him which is why he attacks it. I'm no expert on animal psychology, but I'd say one way to get him to stop would be to find some way for the hose to establish itself as the alpha male. How to do this I have no idea (dress it up as a bigger cat, perhaps?). Granted, cats don't always submit to the dominent male as dogs do, but it might work. Come to think of it, cats don't really do anything that predictably.

Barring my suggestion, anything which smells bad to him might be a deterrent. I know some cats hate the smell of menthol, for example.

Wrap some tinfoil around the tubing. If he attacks it while you are sleeping or not moving, lay some wrinkled up paper around the approaches so it crinkles when he steps on it. Also take a mousetrap, set it and place it upside down under a sheet of paper. If he steps on it the trap will hamlessly snap at him and the noise will startle him. After a few bouts of this he will associate the tube with an unpleasant noise and avoid it.

Tinfoil will probably work best and not alienate him from the tube closer to you and by default you as well.

If you are careful you can flip his ears or other wise tweak him if he is close enough and you can do it just as he attacks. The key is to not let him see Mr. Hand come down on him at that time or he will associate it to you. A mystery thump from nowhere attached to his nibblings will deter him eventually.

Does he dislike electric razors? Mine did not like the sound at all. I used it to fish him out from under a corner table just by turning it on and setting it on the table so it resonated. The sound annoyed him so much he would shoot out from under the table. I only had to do that when I was leaving and did not want to keep him locked up in the house all day and he was feeling like staying. He was not litter box trainable and thought he was a dog because he was housebroken. He would ask in the most hideous meow to be let out to do his business. Otherwise he could have stayed in all day.

Cats are hard to train because they are not native lifeforms of this planet. I am most certain of this opinion.

P.S. Use the razor to annoy with the SOUND, not the SHAVING. (added for anyone who might think I am advocating animal shaving). You will get cut up worse if you try to give a cat a burr haircut than the cat will. Nair works better on cats. (Kidding)

The Bitter Apple spray sounds like the best option so far.

I'm not mobile enough to be physically going after the cat. That's the reason I'm using the squirt bottle with water.

The hose follows me around the house, and isn't in a static position. I don't think the paper or aluminum foil would work, or it would be too much work for me. I'd have to redo everything, every time I moved.

I considered the cayan pepper mixture myself, but then realized if I ever got it in my lungs, it could be deadly. Don't want it anywhere near my air line.

Please, keep the ideas coming.

oldgrandpajack

I think its like a plaything to your cat. Like a piece of string being dragged across the floor. and the hissing noise is attractive to cats also. Would one of those protective hose loams work on your oxygen lines I wonder? You know the automotive type that covers the hose etc. You can get these in different sizes/colors at an automotive parts supply shop. The ones made of hard type plastic may deter your cat.

Cover the tube with this: http://cableorganizer.com/wire-loom/colored.html

Like HighLight's post suggests. (saw his after I finished typing mine)

You don't want to discourage him from playing and if the hose is going to be moving around as you move it's their instinct to go after things like that.

This way he can play and you'll save the wear and tear on the hose.

Not saying to encourage the behaivor but it's a cat after all and it's going to play.

Take Care,

Eric

There are tubings that are "self healing". Essentially a thick nylon that will puncture and then reseal around the hole. I don't know if they are food grade.

As I recall from my late step dad, the tubing is 1/4 inch or so and probably runs up to 50 feet to the concentrator.

They make bitter weaning solutions to disuade babies from wanting to nurse (how cruel) and that may be an option too. If you call a local pet store they will probably have something in stock designed just for these cases.

Our kitty used to bite everything. He just liked to chew. We once bought cordless phones with internal antennas because he'd want to bite the antenna while we were using the phone. For some cats, it's just natural.

Daniel

Fire ants are attracted by electronic components. Sharks are attracted by electric fields around transoceanic cables. Rodents are also attracted by computer cables. I don't know what attracts the cat to oxygen tubes.



Maybe the manufacturer should be contacted. Possibly they would have a solution. You are not the only one to have a cat.



Otherwise this may do the trick.



You can buy one of those cold cathode light power supply (12 volt in, high voltage out) to trace along your oxygen tube. The cat will get a small non-lethal electric shock and learn in a couple or times not to play with it. It's like wireless fence for dogs and cattle.



Cold cathode lights are under $20.00 in computer stores, auto supply stores and eBay. A wall plug-in 12v dc to power the thing (Radioshack) should be less then $15 also. You should get one of those multi-volt DC supplies and start with the lowest volts. You want to get the job done with the minimum volts. A neon electric tester ($10 Home Depot?) will tell you if the system is working, if you don't want to test it with your finger.



Do not try to do this with a high voltage power supply from an insect zapper.

Do not do this unless you have some basic knowledge of electricity.

Do not do this if you are hooked up with other electronic devices.



Dcarch8

You need the most effective anti-feline weapon known to man...

http://www.zerotoys.com/newsite/airzooka.htm

Works great.

Another cat training method I use...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/Victor3/DSCF0277.jpg

How about a Surefire M6? That should warm him up a bit and convince him to leave the tubing alone. Next step is a USL!

Just kidding of course - I love cats and would never suggest hurting a pet.

Good Luck,
Tim

Another vote for Bitter Apple or Alum powder. If he associates a bite of the hose with a really yucky taste, he won't want to do it again.

Highlight hit on the right idea; get a length of ribbed split tubing and have some one install it around the air hose for you if you can't BUT PLEASE PLEASE DON'T SQUIRT HIM WITH THE WATER GUN.

Zorro may seem to be turning it into a game but there is a strong possibility he could be really resenting it. Some cats actually run away from home when their owners use a squirter on them. (I don't know if they hate having solid objects hurled at them any less)

The tubing wrap is the way to go, it has protected my out door wiring and propane hoses for years from mice and rats, etc.

..but i guess Zorro protects you from them

meow.

Called the company that supplies the concentrator and supplies, and was told it's the self healing hose. Zorro doesn't know that. He bitten halfway through the hose in several places.

I will try the bitter apple first. Second, looks like the plastic shielding, although it may make it difficult for the hose to follow me around corners.

I don't play with Zorro as much as I used to. He needs more playtime, for sure. He is hard wired as a cat. Good thing he has nine lives. Don't know what I'd do without him. Lately, he's been trying to get past me, when I go out. He succeeded once. Luckily, it was cold, snowy and blowing, and he was back at the door in about 5 minutes, begging to come in. Now that the weather has improved, I don't know if I'd ever see him again, if he got out. Zorro is a very large male, but doesn't have a clue about the world outside. He's smart enough to have trained me to be his servant.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Like the pic of the cat in the sink. Zorro used to do that, when he was a kitten.

oldgrandpajack

Good luck with your problem. Self healing tubing will only work to a certain point. I guess Zorro is going beyond that point.

It's not like you can train cats, the best you can do is get them interested in something else. Our kitties also have us fairly well trained. It seems once they discover something they like they will try it again and again. One of our kitties discovered that he'd wake us if he stepped on the clock-radio's buttons. While she was up, my wife would feed him. It took a year to break him of that trick. 1/2 of that was breaking her of the early AM feedings.

Please consider a collar or chip if you don't have some ID on your cat. It can make the difference bwteen getting him back and losing him forever. We have indoor cats too and they do sometime feel like going outside when you are not looking. Yikes!

Daniel

The apple bitter is a good idea, but also maybe give your cat something more interesting to play with. My cat loves those furry mice with the leather tails. Also give him some catnip. Just try to distract him from the hose in general. Good luck, and let us know what works for you and the kitty.

Also, a laser pointer acts like a remote control for most cats. It should get him away from your hose, and provide him with exercise and you with entertainment! Just be careful not to shine it in his eyes!

Tabasco sauce will do in a pinch, it dries relativly quick as well.. Spread it on a rag and wipe it down the length of the tube, it's over.
I would be willing to try almost anything, it has the potential to become a serious situation.. However, I am speaking from experience with the tabasco, keeps the biggest of chewers at bay, and I know chewers..

Tabasco sauce! Sounds like it may be the winner. Should be cheaper than the bitter apple. Thanks for that one.

oldgrandpajack


PS: Zorro does like chili though.

In my experience, some cats need to be conditioned not to do something. I've found that you need to catch them in the act and do something that's sufficiently "memorable" for the cat to expend some of its precious long-term memory on.

Hm, that's too oblique.

You may need to find something that will terrify the cat. Those experiences they remember. The cat need not necessarily fear the oxygen hose, but he needs to remember a, er, definining moment that will always stand out whenever he thinks about that hose.