I know what NOT to do. But what DO I do? The reason I'm asking this is because of what happened about ten minutes ago...
So I'm sitting in bed doing crossword puzzles (like I often do around this time). I had a cup of milk sitting beside me on the table. My fur-ball gray tabby named Mr. Spock has decided he wants to know what's in the cup. He knows something's in there because "mommy's drinking out of it" (lol). So he hops up onto the table. I snap my fingers and say no in a firm voice. He just looks at me. He keeps getting closer to the cup. Occasionally he'll get brave enough to sniff it, but I touch his nose with my pen and he backs away. My husband, who's half asleep, hears the commotion and does the exact same 'snap-and-no' thing I did and Mr. Spock jumps down immediately. Whatever. Anyway, a few minutes later, he jumps back up. Again, I tell him no, but he just stares at me. By this time my husband is dead asleep, so no help from him. He gets closer and closer. I keep touching his nose and he stops. He decides to just perch there in a ball. So I don't worry about it. Next thing I know, I hear a major spillage. He has taken his paw and just simply tipped the cup over and spilled milk EVERYWHERE. He jumps down immediately and hides under the bed. He knows he's been bad. But all I can do is clean up the mess!
There has GOT to be a way to teach him that what he did was bad. He knows it was, I just need a way to reinforce it. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
No crying over spilt milk though, I guess.
So I'm sitting in bed doing crossword puzzles (like I often do around this time). I had a cup of milk sitting beside me on the table. My fur-ball gray tabby named Mr. Spock has decided he wants to know what's in the cup. He knows something's in there because "mommy's drinking out of it" (lol). So he hops up onto the table. I snap my fingers and say no in a firm voice. He just looks at me. He keeps getting closer to the cup. Occasionally he'll get brave enough to sniff it, but I touch his nose with my pen and he backs away. My husband, who's half asleep, hears the commotion and does the exact same 'snap-and-no' thing I did and Mr. Spock jumps down immediately. Whatever. Anyway, a few minutes later, he jumps back up. Again, I tell him no, but he just stares at me. By this time my husband is dead asleep, so no help from him. He gets closer and closer. I keep touching his nose and he stops. He decides to just perch there in a ball. So I don't worry about it. Next thing I know, I hear a major spillage. He has taken his paw and just simply tipped the cup over and spilled milk EVERYWHERE. He jumps down immediately and hides under the bed. He knows he's been bad. But all I can do is clean up the mess!
There has GOT to be a way to teach him that what he did was bad. He knows it was, I just need a way to reinforce it. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
No crying over spilt milk though, I guess.