Having Big Problem

Hello There,

This is my first cat and all he does is knock over everything, jumps on top of kithen counters and claw on the furniture. I tell him no and he still does it. I put him in the room one time and he opened the door and got out. Sometimes I think that he is human. Can someone tell me if this is natural behavior or is he just being a bad cat.


Please Help

The simple answer is that is just natural behaviour. There are lots of threads here about how to try and curb some behaviours, but overall, that is what cats do.

You can try doing a search for specific problems (inappropriate scratching, cats on counter, and so on).

LOL

Yup, all normal but you can train him not to do those things.

There are plenty of suggestions in other threads.

Do you have scatching post provided for him to scratch? If so, does he use it?

How long have you had him for?

How old is he? Kittens have endless amounts of energy. Toys can help distract them from the kitchen counters. You can try using double sided tape. Tape it to the sides of your counters where your cat uses to get up on to the counter with his paws. Most cats don't like the feel of the tape on their paws.

Some members have used helium balloons taped to the counter with a fan blowing a gentle breeze on them creating movement. This is to create an imposing appearance and deter the cat from jumping onto the counter.

A water bottle can be used. But this should only be used to distract your cat. The water isn't sprayed at your cat, but rather next to your cat to distract it like potential prey would.

You could try rewarding him while he's off the counters but in the kitchen. And place him on the floor with a stern "No" when he does jump up on the counters.

Whatever you do decide to do, make sure that it is consistent and that all human members of the household do the same thing. And have patience. It takes time for your cat or kitten to learn what is acceptable and what isn't.

If you place him in time out, 30 seconds is needed. You don't need to place them in time out for 10 minutes or more to understand.

The water spray bottle worked for me ,Newman hates it. All I have to do is reach for it and he's down. They do like to explore And if you have a cat under a year old, you will have to train them, there like kids. But it does get better. And the love you get from your kitty is so worth it. They love you uncondtionally. p.s. toys are good. My cats love balled up waxpaper, chase it all over the place.

here is one of many threads about how to keep the cat off the counter. You can do your own search and find many other threads. Just click on the Search button near the top of the page. You will find threads on many topics this way.

Also...I am assuming that your cat is a kitten. Kittens are wild little critters. You have to kitten-proof your house the same way you toddler proof houses when you have a little human around. Kittens have endless energy and get into everything. Expect this wild and crazy behavior to last a year or more until the cat matures.

The more you play with the kitten, the less energy she will have to tear up the place on her own. Get little fur mice, balls, a Turbo Cat is also wonderful. Anything she can chase around will work wonders.

Click here for a thread on how to stop furniture scratching.