I need catproof earbuds

February 24, 2008 7:28 PM

Does anyone have any suggestions for catproof earbuds? My cat seems to find the tender plastic to be extremely succulent.

She's eaten more than ten pairs. My boyfriend needs small earbuds because he can't sleep without listening to music and I'm hoping that some strong alternative to common earbuds exists. Last night she actually snuck up and ate them while he was asleep instead of waiting to find them since we've become clever about hiding them when not in use.

posted by jenfu to technology (11 comments total)

I'll say either quinine or a pillow-speaker.
posted by rhizome at 7:36 PM on February 24

I went through three sets of earbuds because my brown retarded cat finds them so delicious. What I ended up doing was spraying the earbuds nightly with the compressed air that I use to clean my keyboard -- the bitter stuff they put in there to keep teens from huffing it seems to taste terrible enough that TardCat was dissuaded.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:38 PM on February 24

While I haven't experienced this with my own cat, I've heard some people say that their cats love earwax. So, it may be possible that it's not the ear buds themselves, but the delicious waxy coating that your kitty cannot resist.

Have you tried hiding them in something like a tupperware container or a baby food jar, or something else that would be impossible for your cat to open?
posted by kitty teeth at 7:45 PM on February 24

If it won't be too loud for you, have him give this pillow speaker a try.
posted by shinynewnick at 7:52 PM on February 24

I went through three sets of earbuds because my brown retarded cat finds them so delicious.

My brown retarded cat ate three pairs too! And an Xbox headset!
posted by avocet at 8:07 PM on February 24

It's definitely the earwax. Some cats find it irresistible and those without access to earbuds do horrible things like fish used Q-tips out of the bathroom trash to suck dry. Gah.
posted by jamaro at 8:16 PM on February 24

From reading this thread it sounds like one possible solution is to start feeding used Q-Tips to your cat on purpose (or just nip off the waxy bits on the end if you don't want her eating that much paper) and maybe she'll leave your earbuds alone.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:13 PM on February 24

It's definitely the earwax; cats love it. My retarded Turkish Van cat will even eat his own earwax if you swab it.

If there's something you can use to clean the earbuds after each use without damaging them, especially something with a strong added fragrance, try it. Perfumed anything is a pretty good cat repellent.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:19 PM on February 24

Yep, it's gross, but cats really like the taste of ear wax. Mine will dig used Q-tips out of the trash, and I've seen my boyfriend's cat practically tear through his shirt pocket to get at his earplugs. I don't know how to solve the problem, but I did find what seems to be a plausible explanation as to why cats like ear wax.
posted by louche mustachio at 4:42 AM on February 25

Is the cat eating the part that goes IN the ear? My cat eats the soft rubbery plastic that wraps the wires. If your cat is eating the wire part, then get a sacrificial pair of earbuds, and coat them in something the kitty does not like. Say, that NoBite stuff you put on fingernails to stop biting? Or anything like hot chile oil, bitters (I think they make something called "bitter apple" that you can get at PetSmart or something). If the cat is going after earwax, then that's something else, but I can't imagine that the cat is eating the earbud itself if your cat ate them while he was sleeping.
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:56 PM on February 25

If it's the wires (as opposed to the buds), try CritterCord. One of my cats has an awful case of pica, and chews through every wire she can find (the thinner, the better); the CritterCord will hopefully save us from further hundreds of dollars in damage. ^_^
posted by korpios at 12:48 PM on April 22