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Earwax obsession Anonymous
Anyone know what might make a cat, in this case the the 3 months now 16 months fuzzball on the right obsessed with earwax and how to break that obsession? He's a really sweet cat, but items such as hearing aids and even plain earplugs cannot be left out because within hours, with the obsession of a terrier, he'll find 'em. He doesn't try to play with them, just tries to run off with them
>> Anonymous
no idea what causes it, but there's a pretty easy way to break it. Get yourself some hearing aids / earplugs you're never going to use again, rub something foul-tasting like onion on them. Cat will quickly learn that picking up these objects results in unfun taste.
>> Anonymous
Might it be a mineral deficiency? Cats can eat the weirdest things when they are desperately looking for minerals missing in their food.
>> Anonymous
>>203740

If the cat were licking rocks or something, i could see that. But earwax? Not sure how many minerals that contains.
>> Anonymous
lots of cats just love earwax for no reason. It's just one of their weirder quirks.

OP, you'll have to live with it. Sooner or later, they will start licking your ears for that special sauce.
>> Anonymous
>>203701
Uh, you do realize that if cats eat onions they DIE, right?

As for the OP, there really isn't much you can do other than maybe placing items such as those in something they cant access (little box with a latch on it or something of that nature).
>> Anonymous
>>203751
>Uh, you do realize that if cats eat onions they DIE, right?

They cause anaemia if eaten in sufficient quantities. I wasn't telling the OP to encase his hearing aids inside the middle of the onion and let the cat dig it out, just wiping a little bit of raw onion juice on the outside. Besides, you've missed the point entirely, it doesn't have to be onions, merely something the cat dislikes thoroughly.
>> cant touch this !AB5fTSvpY6
its the smell and the taste they go for.my bf used to gross me out saying how his cat would eat ear wax.pretty much any cat will go for it.they cant taste sweet apparently so strong smell/taste is what they like
>> Anonymous
>>203701
Good idea, thanx, I'll try that

>>203740
That could be a possibility, though he's fed the same Purina Indoor as the other cats who don't have the same obsession

>>203746
That would be a wierd way to wake up

>>203751
I am putting my earplugs in a unused Altoids tim for the time being
>> Anonymous
so my cat isn't the only one..
i've woken up to her licking my ear before.

i now clean my ears at least twice a day to avoid that again.
>> Anonymous
>>203701

I just now thought that doing that may not work because since it's the scent of earwax that attracts him, some other substance may cause him to lose interest in the baited stuff while not affecting interest in what I don't want him to get. Will have to wait and see what happens