Does Spanking Work?

Hello everyone, let me start by saying hi and that i am new to this thread. I have a males cat names Lexington. He is 1y20d old and i just got him at the age of about 1y.

I am a new cat owner and have had no real experience with cats or any animal for that matter. I have read alot of the internet about positive reinforcement of good behaviors and alot of suggested methods. A few people say it is okay to use punishment, others say it is only if it is not direct, others say it doesnt work and not to do it.

I would really like to teach my cat not hang out inside of the fireplace and jump on my counters / computer desk. He does not do it often (that a catch) and usually only when he sees me doing somthing like preparing food or just milling around in general. I am sure that it is just curiosity, which i applaud, but it really bothers me. Hes has got to learn.

When i catch him, is it okay to swat his ass and send him running off to his hideout? should i just say NO! and put him down? the spray bottle theory does not seam practical.

Does spanking a cat work?

PS: How do you configure this forum for a signature image?

From everything I have learned, you should NEVER strike your cat. This will turn them aggressive and he may start attacking you because you have hurt him.

enough said. I will not spank him any more. Thanks you for the input. Does anyone care to show me how to make a neat signature of my cat?

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92326

Here's a link that will take you to the Request Thread- if you post your request there (photos, ect) someone will kindly make you one when they get time

Wow! thats awsome! What a cool forum. I am pretty good at photoshopping and have already made one to use. I just dont know where to put the code to link the image. I cant find anywhere in the settings that say signature or customer greeting.?

go to userCP and find the link edit signature and add it there.
As for the cat, do NOT spank him.As others have said, it will only cause him to fear you.You can use a pop can with pennies in it--taped to make sure the pennies do not come out and shake it when he does something that you don't like.

I've used an old peanut can full of pennies (you could use nails, washers, anything noisy) to scare them away from bad behavior. It scares them a bit, and they quit doing things--while I was around anyway .

You will not have the option to add a signature until you have a few more posts and have been a member for more than 24 hours.

Could you maybe buy a screen for the fireplace? Something that is heavy so Lexington can't move?

There is one thing that I found to be effective and that is a pet repellent spray. Be very careful using this...do not use it on living things (like Lexington) as it can kill them.
However, if you spray your counters with it and allow it to dry this will help deter Lexington from jumping up there. You probably don't have to spray the counters directly - since you may prepare food on it - just spray the cupboard doors. I found it to be quite efficient for whitey. He use to use EVERYTHING as a scratching post.

stupid signiture link won't work 4 me (won't come up )

Hi, neighbor! Nice to see another DFW-area person on here.

I'm going to try to organize a little gathering for local TCSers soon... hope you'll join us!

Originally Posted by fireblossom4

stupid signiture link won't work 4 me (won't come up

)

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Where are you linking it from, some hosting sites do not allow linking.

I find a water bottle is effective. I have it on mist rather than spray so it never actually gets them, but seeing the water is enough to stop them. And now they just have to see the water bottle and they stop what they're doing.

You can also use double sided tape and put it on areas where he's sscratching or you'd like him not to go. They don't like it on their paws, and learn pretty fast that spot isn't very pleasant

As for signatures, I think you need a certain number of posts before you can have a signature. It's not too many though, so post away, tell us all about yourself and Lexington, and within a couple of days you'll probably find the signature option is there.

Welcome to TCS!

I have to argue this one myself.  I am a huge animal person and as such can't really do well at administering any kind of punishment to my little friends.  Luckily, my girlfriend does not put up with any crap.  She has always disciplined her cat with spankings.  Cats have thick skin, if you need proof of that just take a bite or swat from one sometime so it really doesn't do any damage to them in my opinion.  Anyways, she has always disciplined her cat with spankings and he has turned into the sweetest, most well-behaved cat I have ever seen and I've been with him throughout his entire development.  He comes when called, never scratches furniture, displays very cute behavior and is not jumpy or scared of us in any way.  Conversely, we got a cat from a well-educated cat-lady who uses only a spray bottle at strictest and I must say the difference is huge.  Our cat is insanely sweet to the other and constantly gives her her space and puts up with all of her hissing and everything without so much as a growl, while the other one is constantly stand-offish and aggressive.  It can also be really difficult to get her to do things like getting off the table, stopping scratching the furniture and everything else.  I don't know, I just think as long as you honestly love your pet the disciplinary actions are up to you.  I mean let's face it, the recent generation quit spanking their children and look at the results.  

Spanking and physical discipline only serves to make the cat (or other animal) afraid of you.

Saying no and with continued re-inforcement of bad behaviour through redirection, works much better in animals.

I've never hit my cats, and not a single one scratches my furniture or jumps on the kitchen counters. I do let them lounge on the dining table because I don't use it anyway; it's there just because it's standard decorating to have a table in the dining room.
 

Striking an animal never works, from either a practical or emotional point of view. First the cat or dog does not associate the spanking with its behaviour, for this to happen the spanking would have to be simultaneous - 'it hurts when I do that' response, and in practical terms this is impossible. And all that happens is the animal wonders why its human is hurting it and will either start to hide, be extremely submissive in your presence, or turn aggressive.

You can discourage cats from things by making it unpleasant for them to do those things, and different things work for different cats. Sticky tape, unpleasant smells, aluminium foil can all work. And they do eventually learn what 'no' means, though cats will never be as obedient as dogs in that respect. But that is one thing most of us love about them!

This thread is from 2007. The OP, apart from saying they will never strike their cat again in their follow up post, hasn't posted on the site since around that time.

rad65 said:

This thread is from 2007. The OP, apart from saying they will never strike their cat again in their follow up post, hasn't posted on the site since around that time.

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I know. my post was directed to the new member immediately above my earlier response who advocated spanking as a method of training a cat and to anyone who believed what they said.

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Honestly, spanking is a useless method and will only make your cat afraid of you, as said above. Not only that, but depending on what you mean by spanking, striking your cat can be considered animal cruelty...

Say "no" in a firm voice. Always worked for me!