more discipline questions...

ut0pia

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Hi everyone ...Again, I have questions about how to get Jake to be good lol. He is old enough now to jump on chairs, and from there on tables
I usually just let him, lol I'm bad too...But I live with my dad and he is very grossed out by this, even though he has never jumped on the one table that we actually eat on..You know how it is, he is my baby and I would never be grossed out by anything he does, but it's not so with other people...So Jake is not allowed out of my room until a solution is found!
So- I read that it's best to put sticky tape on top of tables or aluminum foil. I am just about to put aluminum foil on, but I want to know: how long is it going to take for him to know not to get on top of the tables without foil??? I am asking because my dad might get ticked off that there is always foil on the table..It's not going to be a big deal, I just hope that a few months will teach him...
Also: I am getting him soft paws soon...when he gets old enough. How good are they at preventing scratched up rugs?? He is starting to scratch really badly on carpets. I have a scratching post for him but it's really hard to teach him because we have hardwood floors and rugs are in sort of random places, he likes to scratch all of them....Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!
 
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ut0pia

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O\\MG!! I just put foil on the table and it did not stop him
I don't know what to do now

\\
 

lmunsie

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Try the double sided tape. Some cats don't mind tin foil, but I haven't met a cat in the world that doesn't mind double sided tape. They hate it. You just have to be consistent with it, it shouldn't take more then a couple weeks of diligence for him to stop. You can also put double sided sticky tape on the areas of the carpet he scratches and offer him a horizontal cardboard scratch board (7-15$ at petsmart) in an area near the carpeted area, he will quickly learn that this is MUCH more fun to scratch!!!!

I would also reccomend getting a cat tree/cat condo. This will help solve ALL your problems. Give him an alternative to climb and jump on, and again something he will LOVE to scratch.
 

zane's pal

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How old are you?

I ask because you write like a child or a teenager, and if so it is your father's house and he has a right to set the rules. If he doesn't want a cat, then you need to find another home for your cat.

In the words of the late, great TS Elliot, the rule for cats is 'he will do as he will do, and there's no doing anything about it;' if you can't live with that, you shouldn't have a cat. If you want an animal that will be docile and subservient, get a dog.
 
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ut0pia

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lol no i'm not a child, I'm 20...i'm in college but I live at home..I'm not as immature as I sound, I was sort of kidding around with all the kid talk, sort of because my kitty is a baby now so I baby talk with him a lot...
Jake and I might be moving soon, actually...but for now we will be in my parents' house...I'm just trying to make my dad and Jake both comfortable together because I don't want them to not like each other...For that reason I want all the help I can get and all the tips I can get for training Jake right..
I think cats can learn...I have friends with cats and none of them go on tables and kitchen counters..It's just a matter of patience, and i will be patient with him...
 

brokenheart

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Originally Posted by ut0pia

.I have friends with cats and none of them go on tables and kitchen counters..It's just a matter of patience, and i will be patient with him...
Maybe they don't jump on them when someone's around...


Make sure your expectations of your cat are reasonable. Jumping onto stuff is in their nature. Could you put a tablecloth on the table? In my mind, you adapt the house to the cat more than vice versa.
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by Brokenheart

Maybe they don't jump on them when someone's around...
That is probably true


I allow my cats to go wherever they please, but they are not allowed on kitchen benches or the table when I'm cooking/eating. I just wipe everything down before getting any food out.

Agree with getting him a tall cat tree, and also you should clip his nails so he can't scratch anything.
 

jalindal

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Originally Posted by missymotus

That is probably true


I allow my cats to go wherever they please, but they are not allowed on kitchen benches or the table when I'm cooking/eating. I just wipe everything down before getting any food out.

Agree with getting him a tall cat tree, and also you should clip his nails so he can't scratch anything.
lol - I do the same thing. I've only caught her on the kitchen benches once, but now I wipe EVERYTHING down before I cook or put food on the surfaces.

I know where those kitty paws have been. :-S
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by ut0pia

.I'm just trying to make my dad and Jake both comfortable together because I don't want them to not like each other.
At twenty you may not have learned this, but you can't make someone feel other than how he feels. Your father is not going to change; he's old enough that he is who he is. Your cat isn't going to change; he's a cat, and cats are what they are.
 

katachtig

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You may want to look into the cardboard scratchers. They are good for cats who like to scratch horizontally. I have also found that trimming the nails helps with preventing damage to the rugs. And some people have had success with Soft Paws.

As to keeping them off the table. That takes longer. It means that every time you see your cat on the table put him on the floor gently. Be consistent and move him off the table any time you see him.

Also, you can look into cat deterrents like this. The biggest problem I had with the deterrent was that DH set it off more than the cats and it made him grouchy.
 
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ut0pia

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He has been doing really well!! I kept the aluminum foil, and he has not been on the table since then!!! I did used to put him down every time he got on top but he immediately got back on.... He already has a cat tree, but it's been in my car since i bought it a few weeks ago...It's about as tall as the table, maybe a little taller- I don't know if that's tall enough but I definitely will put it in the house..I just bought it and then realized that it will take too much space, so I kept it in my car, but it seems worth it to use it now
I ordered soft paws but he is too little for them to fit, so that will have to wait..His scratching has gotten worse, and I definitely will get him a horizontal scratching board, I just hope he actually uses it....
I don't understand how the cat deterrents work yet but I will look into that, thanks katachtig

There is a ew problem though- he jumps on the curtains and tries to climb up

I think one day the top metal that holds the curtain might fall on him
I hope not...but I need to teach him to stop that, and I guess with softpaws it might be a little better in stopping him from tearing the curtains..Help with that?????/
 

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by ut0pia

There is a ew problem though- he jumps on the curtains and tries to climb up

I think one day the top metal that holds the curtain might fall on him
I hope not...but I need to teach him to stop that, and I guess with softpaws it might be a little better in stopping him from tearing the curtains..Help with that?????/
The Soft Paws should help with that. We used them for our kitten the last month or 2 we were renting an apartment. After we bought the house I stopped using them. It's all hard floors and she's good about using her scratchers/posts.

I use squirt bottles for a cat deterrent. After a couple squirts all I have to do is shake the bottle and they stop. Mostly I use them for preventing door darting. My oldest cat likes to eat his dinner on the counter, and won't eat if it's on the floor. So I just clean my counters before cooking.
I understand the parent thing, my Mom is horrified that my sister and I let our cats on the counter.
I'm pretty sure hers cruise the counters while she's gone.
 

mai_kitties

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We are pretty lenient when it comes to cats on tables. I actually feed my girl on the table since the boys will eat her food if its within their sights.

Now when we are eating its a different story. The older ones know not to jump on the table when we are there. The kittens don't know this yet so we do the pick them up and put them on the floor. It's worked pretty good for our older three and so far Jack is picking up pretty fast.

Basically when they jump up on the table we pick them up with no eye contact, no vocal ques, no petting, nothing other than a unceremonious dump on the floor. Takes a few times but they give up.

And to avoid the "ew" factor we have two table clothes. Ours and theirs. When we get ready to eat we wipe the table down, put our table cloth on and when we are done we wipe the table down and put their table cloth down.
 
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