Pomeranian teething with a cat stealing toys

A cat stealing your puppy's chew toys — that's a genuinely tricky situation, and with a 12-week-old Pomeranian still in the thick of teething, it's not just annoying, it's leaving your pup without the relief they really need right now. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood, and having the right chew available — firm enough to satisfy, safe for tiny developing teeth, and ideally something you can chill to soothe sore gums — makes a real difference to how much gets chewed that shouldn't be. Before I point you in a direction: is the cat batting the toys away and leaving them, or actually running off with them? And is your main worry keeping your Pom occupied, or are things in the home already taking damage?

That's classic cat behaviour — not aggressive, just territorial and a bit smug about it. The problem is your Pom is then left with nothing to redirect onto, and at 12 weeks her gums are genuinely sore, so she'll find the nearest hard surface. Makes complete sense she's going for the skirting board. Can I ask — has she shown any preference for texture so far? Does she go for soft things, hard edges, or does she seem to chew indiscriminately right now?

That tells me a lot. She wants resistance — something that pushes back a little against her gums. Soft toys won't cut it for her, which rules out a lot of the typical puppy options. Given her size, I'd go with the KONG Puppy toy in the extra small size. It's a natural rubber toy with a hollow centre, so you can pack it with something like a little wet food or soft cheese and freeze it — that combination of resistance plus cold is genuinely soothing for inflamed puppy gums. It's firm but not hard enough to damage baby teeth, which matters at 12 weeks. Crucially for your situation: cats tend to find rubber KONGs deeply uninteresting. There's no crinkle, no feather, nothing that triggers that bat-and-chase instinct. In most households with this kind of cat dynamic, the KONG gets left alone. You can stuff and freeze two or three at once so there's always a cold one ready, and keeping it tethered to something low with a short cord or placing it in a puppy pen she can access but the cat can't easily dominate gives her a safe zone to chew undisturbed.

Good question to ask. The KONG Puppy range is made from a softer, more flexible rubber than the adult versions precisely because puppy teeth aren't strong enough to chunk through it — but also because if a tiny piece did come away, it passes safely. That said, at 12 weeks and her size, I'd keep the extra small and check it every week or so for any wear. If she starts tearing visible chunks out rather than just gnawing the surface, that's your sign to size up or retire it. But for a 12-week Pomeranian, the extra small should last her well through the worst of teething. Once she hits around 16 to 20 weeks and the adult teeth start coming in, you can reassess.

Yes — once a puppy has chewed something, the scent of their own saliva draws them back. A pet-safe bitter apple spray on the affected spots works well as a deterrent, and it won't damage paint or wood. Reapply every day or two for a couple of weeks. Combined with having the KONG available and cold, you're redirecting rather than just blocking — that's what actually works. She's not being naughty, she's just sore and resourceful.