Why Does My Cat Chew on Corners?

Dogs, not cats, are notorious for chewing. They especially enjoy tearing apart your favorite shoes, rugs, and sofas when you least expect it. Now, when your feline friend picks up the chewing behavior, it can leave you with a lot of questions. However, don’t panic. Felines also chew although not as intensely as canines. Cats chew on plastic wires, plastic bags, fabric, and wood for various reasons including boredom, dental issues, and teething. Today, we will zoom in on cats that love to sink their teeth on corners? What causes the behavior? We’ll find out shortly…

Do Cats Chew Out Of Instinct?

Chewing is natural to cats. In the wild, they had to hunt, kill, and eat their prey. Chewing is central to the entire process. Sure, kibble and wet food don’t require much chewing but the instinct to chew lives on. Our feline friends explore their environment by chewing and smelling.

Why Does a Cat Chews On Corners?

From the corners or a staircase to the ends of a coffee table and even the edges of the phone, cats love chewing on corners. Without knowing why your fur baby loves to sink his teeth on any corner he comes across, you may wonder what is going on. So why would he chew on corners? Here are 6 possible reasons.

1. Teething

If you have a kitten at home whose permanent teeth just showed up, you are looking at a few tough months ahead for the both of you. As the new set of teeth pierce through the gums, the cat will experience discomfort, pain, soreness, irritation, and inflammation. You will likely see him nibbling, biting, and chewing on stuff around the house to ease the pain. These include toes, fingers, toes, leather upholstery, and the floor. Corners especially relax the aching gums. Since they are angled, the cat can reach inaccessible areas that other surfaces wouldn’t have.

2. Periodontal Disease

A cat’s mouth harbors all kinds of microorganisms. While some are harmless for the cat, others can stay long enough to infect the teeth and the gums. Periodontal disease is the overgrowth of bacteria causing infection and irritation of surrounding tissue. Food particles cause the accumulation of bacteria that ends up developing into plaque. If not removed by brushing frequently, the plaque can lead to periodontal disease.

The main symptoms of gum disease include sneezing, bleeding gums, discharge from the mouth, facial swelling, loss of appetite, bad breath, irritability, tooth grinding, excessive drooling, and loss of teeth. In a bid to ease the irritation and discomfort, your cat may rub her gums on corners. Again, the angle of the corner means he can manipulate it to soothe a wider area of his mouth.

3. Stomatitis

Stomatitis is another dental disease that causes inflammation in pretty much all the oral tissues including the tongue, gums, inner lip surfaces, and the roof/floor of the mouth. It is a very painful condition that can make the cat do anything to get the pain out. The back molar teeth are often affected more than the rest. Corners help the poor cat reach out to the back to rub the inflamed teeth with the surface and hopefully get relief.

4. Signs Of Pica

Although this doesn’t apply to all cats, your kitty could be suffering from pica if he chews on corners. In case you are unaware, pica is the intense urge to chew and eat non-edible materials. These include things like paper, cardboard, binders, and plastic. Victims of the syndrome often tear the same place over and over again along their molar teeth at the back before ingesting them. If the corners your cat loves have holes in them, it could be because the cat ate whatever should have been there. There are several things that can cause pica including stress, compulsive disorder, nutritional deficiencies, and early weaning. Pica is a serious condition but one that can be easily managed if you learn what to do.

5. Looking For Attention

Cat owners with phones claim that their kitties love to chew on the corners of their phones just to get their attention. If you spend too much time on the phone at the expense of petting your cat, he may resort to chewing it to wake you up. In that case, all you have to do is simply put the phone down and focus on the cat for a while.

6. Strong Scent

Another possible reason your cat loves chewing on certain corners around the house is that your scent or that of another family is stronger. There are reports of cats chewing on the corner of a book you love reading just to smell you. Some felines love licking and chewing the corner of the coffee table, especially when you are away because your scent is powerful.

Final Thoughts

There it is – 8 possible reasons why your cat loves to chew on corners. As usual, a visit to the vet might be necessary to get to the root cause of the behavior. If left untreated, some of the conditions can cause more problems for your kitty down the line.