In some places we use the PVC-like flexible tubing that you can find at Fry's for wire management, but this also looks promising. He tends to stick to smaller cords where the tubing we have isn't very practical for, so I'll definitely give this a try. Thanks!

edit: though I should mention the only time we tried to put a collar on him we woke up to shredded black plastic all over the house. It was a hard plastic buckle at one point. Stupid cat just loves to chew plastic.

Been cogitating on your situation and I have had a few other thoughts. I know you have tried many things and if this info below is already been tried or thought of, please excuse me stating what may be obvious.

Much of the problem with wires is that they are often longer than really needed and unruly. Controlling the 'spaghetti mess' is a huge task. Some technology like keyboard connections and mice can be wireless now and that might help on the desk surface itself.

One of the problems is your feline has a good search image for what he is looking for and so "out of sight" is really a good strategy. For the longer runs and predictably constant routes I was thinking you could build some hard white PVC pipe routes. The white stuff used for plumbing is easy find and to work with (and fairly cheap). A standard size has room enough for lots of wires. You could actually build a length that goes from the back of your computer area across the desk down a leg of the furniture and across the floor to the outlet or other connection point. Securing it periodically where you can with large cable ties (like to the table leg) will make it secure in place or use some velcro fasteners or double stick tape, etc. Elbows and other connectors give you flexibility to build to suit and really no gluing is needed because they really press fit well (you could glue them if you wanted to, once the route is set). Run a piece of rope through the structure as you build it and then you can gently pull your wires through in a bundle or feed them through gradually as you put it together. You could use just cut ends or really get fancy and use end caps with a hole drilled through to just fit the wires (ultimately the end fitting as it needs to fit through first). Then you could use the scented clear stuff we talked about before, from the ends of that conduit to the plug in points. That keeps the more vulnerable points shorter.

The passive strategy is basically: Camouflage/Remove from Availability/Make it Unpalatable

(followed by the active methods of Supervision/Inaccessibility to the Rooms when that is not possible

Power plug in points (adapters and such) to power strips could be encased in a clear (or not) plastic shoe storage box (vented with holes for heat if necessary) so you can keep an eye on it and see power strip lights, etc. That way you only have one normal household line going out to the wall outlet.

I just discovered your edit of your comment above (I am unsure how I missed it before).

Now that you mention his attraction to plastic in general it brings to mind another alternative tact, to try to divert the activity from wires to some acceptable alternative. You may be able to find an equally attractive chew toy that he will be satisfied with. Plastic, in general, may not be terrible, if he is not ingesting any of it. There may be various qualities that attract him - smell, feel in mouth, appearance, etc. If you go with plastic chew toys try using something made from those types that are made for contact with human food (plastic cutlery, like IKEA kid sets) putting several pieces together with a sturdy ring so that it flops and moves and can be wrestled with might work.

Alternatively a twisted and tied hunk of vegetable tanned leather (scraps available for not to much money from Tandy leather shops) might be attractive. I have a parrot that loves to chew and cut up plastic and is equally happy with cutting up leather also. The necessary warning here is that if leather becomes favored you may have to be diligent about putting your shoes out of reach when you aren't wearing them.

If you find something that works, keep rotating different forms of it so that there is something to discover. If you find something isn't being played with, remove it and reintroduce it again in a week or so. A toy that a cat loses interest in may be welcomed back with enthusiasm after a hiatus. Favorite toys can be made even more attractive by making them harder to get at. Suspend on a rope so the cat has to sit up or stand to reach it, put it in a junk cardboard box with holes, etc. so he can see it, or just reach it, but with difficulty.

We've been talking about "cover the wiring" options since we saw your links. We've been told Chewsafe is a good product that works, but the pricing is kind of ridiculous: 6 feet for $10.

We had also thought about trying to find some metal tubing, cut a slit down the back of it, and run wires through those. If done well, metal tubing may even look half nice. We hadn't thought of leather scraps and I'll keep that in mind.

Here's an example of what we're working with:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/673212/Photo%20Jan%2021%2C%203%2039%2012%20PM%20%28HDR%29.jpg

He has never touched a wire behind the TV (yet) but that's the kind of bundling I'm doing right now, and then using a towel and bitter cherry stuff to coat the cables every couple weeks. The computers are done in the same way but with significantly less wires.

Now here's the fucked up part in my opinion: literally 3 nights in a row he ate 3 of my USB mice -- shredded them, bit the cord in half in 5+ places, chewed on it in 10 places. This cable was bundled alongside my keyboard cable (and network cable, and monitor cable), but he seemed to have gone very directly after only the mouse (which had been cleaned and then the entire bundle re-coated with bitter cherry). I have no idea how my keyboard survived this.

So I started just putting my mouse away at night and when we can't keep a general eye on him and we haven't lost a single cord all week.

This cat makes no sense.

Anyway, final note, we talked it over and decided we're such stupidly crazy cat people that we will move to a place that has a better layout and gives us the ability to close the door to the computer room before we get rid of the cat. Our lease is up in 5 months and we can deal with it. Plus, our other male cat is literally best friends with him, and we just can't do let him go.

Worst of all, stupid animal is photogenic: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6721747875_9cc166d2a7_z.jpg

Thanks for all your thought on this! It's obvious you understand an irrational love of cats, even the ones that make you hate them :)

Oh, and obviously, when we eventually decide to buy keyboards or mice that are not free or extremely cheap (<$5), they will be wireless :)