Instilling the concept that humans wear clothing…?

[Wick & Fable]

Fable, my lovely Fable, is a chewer. I have baseboard, carpet, and wall corner casualties that I am sure to pay for when I move out of my current apartment, but I have worked to lessen those behaviors by redirecting her and blocking things off.

Something I haven’t made too much progress with is her chewing on clothes.

Fable frequently comes up to you when you’re sitting on the floor and begins heavily nudging you, which immediately escalates to finding a fold in your clothes and starting to nibble. Myself and my significant other have tried moving, redirecting her, etc., but she’s insistent on trying to chew at our clothes. I know the intent isn’t destructive, and I have even reframed that she’s trying to groom the clothes off me and trim it since she’s perceiving raised edges and such (a very rose-colored interpretation, haha), but the fact stands that she is relentless. When she interacts with skin, she nudges or does a single nip. The moment she realizes she’s near your clothes though, it’s a different story.

I’m wondering what tips or experience others may have to help reduce this behavior? Unlike Wick, she is not spooked by the emphatic “hiss” sound I make to indicate a behavior I disapprove of.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

Oh Fable!

Would the “eeeeek” noise work? Almost as if you make her think she’s biting you?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

What about a simple “no”?  😉

Hmm… when redirecting, have you tried a fleece blanket? Normally, it isn’t good to offer other “clothing” in place of the clothing… but considering she’s so insistent on chewing on your clothing, perhaps it’s better to just give her a stand-in.

[Bam]

I had that problem with my lovely Bam. The only solution that really worked was to wear bunny clothes, ie clothes that you dont mind if they get chew holes in them 😬 My mother was Bam’s major target, since she was his favorite person, and he loved sitting in her lap.

I also recommend the Japanese fabric mending-technique Sashiko-Boro to owners of adorable chewers. I’ve mended lots of stuff (clothes, bedsheets, blankets, bunny tunnels) using that technique, which is simple to learn.

[jerseygirl]

TimTim is like this. Clothing, my bedding. He gets in modes. Sometimes he’ll settle when I pet him. Other times he’ll continue to nibble while I pet him and he’s just gonna stay in that mode.  I do have some success with doing a short “brrrrt” noise. Basically like making a fart noise with your mouth. Sorry, lol. It’s the only way I can think to describe it!

[Author]

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