Cat Discipline

i have heard so many friends say they discipline their cat by squirting it with water, other people give their cat a smack.

nearly every cat i have seen that has received this type of treatment has held some form of resentment towards their human.

i have never and never will punish my cats, not only are they part of the family but cats just don't understand why they are being punished.

in return for the wonderful treatment i get the most placid, loving and happy cats i could ever want, all my cats have been like this, i think this is proof enough that discipline just doesn't work besides, even if it did work, i could never do that to one of my kitties

i'd like to hear other members opinions on this.



pandybear

You should never smack your cat, this is the best way to make your cat dislike you. The water trick really isn't good either. For one, some cats don't mind water. But, you can also cause an infection in the cats ear should you get the water directly inside. If you need to discipline, a firm no and a clap of your hands works well.

cats and discipline do not mix. Smacking a cat shows a weak individual that does not understand cats or that just likes being mean and showing authority. Not a good caliber of a person to be around. Squirt guns work when you don't squirt the cat, but you distract the cat with a spray of water in the corner to lead the cat away from what it is doing at the time. But squirting water on them is a NO in my book.

Personally, I have never had to and I feel very lucky. I have always smothered them in love and just talked it out......once in a very blue moon I will gently grab the scruff of the neck but I can think of only twice in 20 years of kitties I've done that. Saba our youngest and newest is starting to show her feisty little personality, but never, ever would I strike her in any way and water just would make her resent me and run away. I couldn't bear it! I"d rather spend my energy on quiet observation and intuition. I can't even think of what I'd do if I was witness to a person striking a kitty.

I've never squirted, i've never smacked, nor have i ever shouted at Rosie and Sophie.

And if i saw someone in the street doing any of those to an animal i'd smack them back even though they could have me for assault

Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

. If you need to discipline, a firm no...

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and a hiss.

Apart from anything else disciplines like water squirting simply don't work. I find that if I teach my cats early on what 'no' and 'down' mean by using a firm voice and removing them from the offending area/object/behaviour, then no other discipline is necessary. They will all react to me saying 'no' plus their name.

IMO, squirting and hitting are only effective at saying "no" to your cat. If you are trying to change a cat's behavior, you have to show them (e.g. redirect to) what is right, not just keep saying no to them. Having said that, I do keep a squirt bottle handy but only use it to distract them, and find that I only pick it up about once a year.

I smother mine with love and redirect them when they do something wrong. My definition of wrong is probably a lot more loose than others and we have very few hard rules in my household. I just try to let them be cats and do what they want as long as it doesn't harm them or harm others in the pride.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

Apart from anything else disciplines like water squirting simply don't work. I find that if I teach my cats early on what 'no' and 'down' mean by using a firm voice and removing them from the offending area/object/behaviour, then no other discipline is necessary. They will all react to me saying 'no' plus their name.

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Yes, I just use a firm "No" -- it's not really to discipline the cat as much as it is to indicate that it's something potentially bad for the cat, i.e., "You shouldn't eat any little thing you find on the floor" or "You shouldn't tip over the wastebasket and play with the dirty tissues inside!"

I can't even imagine striking my cats. The thought of it breaks my heart. I did try the water trip when I first got Gandalf but he thought it was a game (I always sprayed well away from his face and head.) Now I just raise my voice a little and point down if I want them to get off anything which is all they really do that is "bad".

Except both the boys have things they do to get attention. Gandalf will run his paws down the blinds in the bedroom in order to wake me up and pay attention to him. Once I figured him out, I simply ignore him and he'll stop after a few minutes. I'm hoping that he'll stop doing that some day though, to me it's like fingernails and a chalk board.

Samwise on the other hand, loves the trash can. I've hidden the one in the bathroom and the one in the kitchen has a lid that he can't get open so the only one left is the one in the bedroom. I'm still trying to find a place to hid it so he'll leave it alone. The other thing he'll do is start meowing really loud to get attention and again I try ignore it. I figured out he thinks it's a game to go hide behind the shower curtain and cry then when I move the shower curtain he attacks it.

I could never look into those pretty green eyes and punish Eponine. Cats will be cats and they are completely different from "discipline-able" dogs. Sometimes when she's being a bad kitty, Eponine is at her cutest!

Shinobi actually reacts as if I've said no to her when I gasp. I think because usually I do it when she bites me or does something I don't approve of. Though sometimes I do it whens he surprises me and she runs away, that always makes me feel bad. My friend's dog does the same thing, you don't even have to tell her she's in trouble, she's a border collie though, very smart.

There is occasional shouting, but usually as an attempt to get them to stop what they are doing until I can find something for them to play with. Oh and when she gets out of my apartment she usually gets a long lecture about what a naughty girl she is. But that's more for me than for her I think.

A quick psssst and then a distraction works on my cats.

I admit to using the squirt bottle to break up a tussle or 2. So now, I just pick up the bottle, and they break apart. I always aimed for their back legs when I shot tho. (I usually hit the floor between them) But for discipline, I just talk to them. I reason with them like a child. The first time my SO heard me asking Pipsqueek just what he thought he was doing on the table, he laughed so hard, he had to sit down!

Bakker is in his terrible 2's (even though he is only 6 months) He is that cutsie stage where you don't want to yell at him because he is so cute. For the others just a stare, hand clap or pointing works.

I dont know if it is possible to "discipline" a cat. My two are far from perfect but I tend to overlook most of what they do, unless its something that may harm them. For example in my back bedroom Toussaint was climbing the screen when the window was open like a lil howler monkey. Okay, I can tell him no, and the entire time I am saying no he could fall out the window. So I shut the window and that was that. I waited about a week and reopened it and he forgot all about his new adventure climbing up the screen. I still shut it when I am sleep and away though just in case.

And as for "smacking" a cat, to me its the same as "smacking" a child. What does it accomplish? I may be biased because my parents did not believe in spanking and this is just my personal opinion but I can see no positive results that can be hand from physically punishing a baby/child, furry or otherwise.

I agree smacking a cat is wrong. I have found actually that there are certain things I can do or make adjustments to in my house that keep my cats from misbehaving as much. For example, if I don't want them to jump on the counter as I'm fixing my dinner then I don't leave the food on the counter in there view. Any kind of breakable object or fragile piece I have in my house is put up and out of reach for kitties. The less you have out to entice them (afterall everything is a toy for them) the less problems are going to occur. On occassion when they do misbehave a firm No usually does the trick. I have also learn to let things go and not get so upset at them. When they cart off my makeup brushes and hair rubberbands that's mainly my fault for leaving them out. Should I blame them for my misjudgement? Absolutly not.

It took me a while to learn all this and I am very fortunate to have really good kitties. I also have toys out for them to distract them from getting into things. And to keep them from getting bored I rotate the toys. All these little tips by the way came from hours of researching on this very site. Just another one of the many reasons I love this site so much!

Hello everyone,
I am new to this site. My boyfriend has been very active here and sent me a copy of the thread about water spraying. I was wanting to reply to you all about this issue. We have a new cat named Buddy. He is very active and attacks our submissive cat Casey ALL the time. She lives in fear and only comes out when he is locked behind closed doors. He attacks her when she is moving, or just sitting there. He also attacks her when she is already hiding. I am feeling like I want to spray him to stop the behavior. My boyfriend has strong feelings about NOT doing this because of the posts here. We have tried the "NO", the redirecting him and putting him in the bathroom for 5 minutes to stop the behavior. We are clearly at a loss. It is so bad that we are considering finding him a new home! HELP!!!! So many people I know have suggested using the water. I feel like it should be considered if it means the alternative is finding him a new home. Needless to say, I dont know who would want him if he cries all the time, attacks other cats and bites and claws. I rescued him myself from the street and it breaks my heart to think of him in any unpleasant situation! I am open to any suggestions and want you all to know that I love both my cats very much. I hate that Casey is living in fear. She is a sweetie and deserves better than to live her life under the couch!
Thanks!

I have never and will never hit my cats, or any other animal or thing. It is appalling. However, I have used a water pistol to give Scratchy a little squirt on the butt from time to time when she was a little girl - mainly to stop her from destroying my house and after literally every other method was tried and failed! After about three squirts I only had to leave it somewhere she could see it and she wouldn't misbehave. And she is a very loving, sweet affectionate girl so it hasn't interfered with her feelings for me. But I think people need to understand that if they are going to get cats then they need to adapt their lifestyles and homes a little bit, because cats are playful and inquisitive and most time (IMO) don't intend to be naughty.

Now with any of my girls all it takes is a deep `Uh uh' and a frown and they stop what they're doing - which is rare anyway, they are very good, sweet things.

Lindsayz - if your new one is attacking your old one I would go the spray. It doesn't hurt them, you can get them on the butt and you should never break up a fight with your hands because you really could get hurt. Cats also tend to hate hissing noises and the sound of paper rustling quite often distracts them as well. Maybe you could try those things first?

Originally Posted by meandmyguys

I agree smacking a cat is wrong. I have found actually that there are certain things I can do or make adjustments to in my house that keep my cats from misbehaving as much. For example, if I don't want them to jump on the counter as I'm fixing my dinner then I don't leave the food on the counter in there view. Any kind of breakable object or fragile piece I have in my house is put up and out of reach for kitties. The less you have out to entice them (afterall everything is a toy for them) the less problems are going to occur. On occassion when they do misbehave a firm No usually does the trick. I have also learn to let things go and not get so upset at them. When they cart off my makeup brushes and hair rubberbands that's mainly my fault for leaving them out. Should I blame them for my misjudgement? Absolutly not.

It took me a while to learn all this and I am very fortunate to have really good kitties. I also have toys out for them to distract them from getting into things. And to keep them from getting bored I rotate the toys. All these little tips by the way came from hours of researching on this very site. Just another one of the many reasons I love this site so much!

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WOW! You're just like me!

I make it my busines to get any potential problem out of my kitten's way. When I find them playing with something they shouldn't have, I gently take it from them, and say "Sorry, kitten, I shouldn't have left that out." Never a harsh word. I have the world's most docile and well-behaved kittens, because I treat them with due respect.