Expert Villiage Video on Cat Training

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/5...ray-bottle.htm

According to this lady it is "okay to spray a cat in the face with a water bottle." and "it will not hurt them". I thought I read something somewhere that that's how cats can get ear infections. What do you guys think of this lady's video? She doesn't sound like a cat person to me

Spray bottles never work for me in disciplining my cats so I totally disagree with the lady.

First of all, water can introduce bacteria into the ear, which can lead to an ear infection. This is one reason why many knowledgeable people are against the use of spray bottles for disciplinary purposes. So for this "expert" to say that water in the face will not hurt a cat is grossly irresponsible.

Even proponents of the spray bottle recommend aiming at the cat's backside, not at the face. Personally, I find deliberately spraying water at an animal's face to be rather insulting.

Secondly, spray bottles tend to not work particularly well because they aren't necessarily around when you need them, the water stream is not easily controlled so one's aim can't be as accurate as it needs to be for the reasons mentioned above, and inevitably even the dumbest cat will (a) learn to associate you with the unpleasant sensation of being hit with water, thus possibly leading to worse behavioral issues, and (b) know that he/she is safe from punishment as long as you're not around.

Finally, there could very well come a time when your cat needs to be bathed immediately. Is it really a good idea to cause the cat to associate water with punishment or bad things? Most cats already have a disinclination towards water; why exacerbate it?

Expert Village my

Someone should post a comment under the video explaining how she is wrong

I think making a loud and sudden sound is a much better disciplin, because even if you're not around todo it, being naughty will sometimes lead to loud noises anyway. So your cat associates the noise with the bad thing rather than with you.

I don't think people should be encouraged to spray anything in anyones face. Maybe it is water and can't hurt them parsay, but it can cause problems that will hurt them plus it's not going to help you bond with your pet.