Teaching cats "manners"?

I work from home, and sinve I brought my cats home on Saturday they are already ALLL over me. probably because I'm always with them. While it's adorable, I also am having a hard time getting anything done !! They are all over my laptop, they love to see what I am doing and step all over it... Also when I am eating breakfast, they get on my lap and paw at my bowl, trying to get some. I dont want to yell at them, I dont want thm not to like me, but where do I draw the line?

Also they like to come my room in the wee hours of te morning and play on my bed. Sunggles would be fine, but not jumping around. Especially cause of those bell collars. Should I just close the door or is there a way to teach them...

Thanks!!

How old are they?

I play with my youngest Jack who's only 8 months old about an hour before bedtime so he gets tired out and that usually works.

With regards to climbing all over you especially when you eat, i usually give them their food before me, because then afterwards they give themselves a wash and they usually curl up for a nap on a full stomach

For dinner time, put them in another room and keep the door closed. For other times - maybe get some toys (catnip, furry mice, etc.) and throw them for them to play and chase.

Or you can stop and do a little interactive play with feathers, string toys for 5-10 mins to wear them out.

When I worked at home I had to close off the room (either one) or go crazy... but you're still going to be with them more than otherwise, just by not commuting, and they'll know you're right there.

You could close the door to have some time to get work done. You could try to teach your cats but that could take a little time. If you want to keep the door open, you could give them snacks before you work so they will want to nap instead of being all over you or you could do a play session to wear them down.
Hope you find something that helps so you can complete your work

I have found that they'll leave me alone if I go into my daughter's room... she has a full sized bed which is comfier then mine... And they leave me alone. I think they know that they'll get chased if they go in there...

Originally Posted by Ortal

Also when I am eating breakfast, they get on my lap and paw at my bowl, trying to get some.

Click to expand...

Say NO and put them on the floor, you'll do it several times (and depending on the cat, hundreds of times ) but that's what worked for me. Mine don't bother me at all when I'm eating.

Another good thing to use is talking to them in "cat language." For kitties on the counter or kitties on the table when we're eating, we blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in their face, say "NO" (not yell it, but say it firmly) and set them on the floor. When kittens learn from their moms, when they're doing something they shouldn't, mom hisses at them, or pushes their forehead with her paw (or both). They'll quickly learn what the word "NO" means (though whether or not they care you're saying it is a different issue! ) - and that puff of air in the face startles them - and they know what it means.

I don't ever have to say "NO" to Shelly on a counter any more. But I will often see a black tail flying through the air and a cat fleeing the kitchen (ours has two entrances) as I round the corner from the stairs into the kitchen.

Laurie