Educating The Furry Felines - Cat Owners Reply Please. - by Mr.Duck
Hewer on 23/9/2009 at 03:34
Cats are cats are cats. Yelling at them or smacking them generally only scares them off from what they're doing in the short term, or if you're around. If you're consistent with it it can make them (mostly) stop certain behavior like getting up on the counters, but it can be hard to be consistent-especially when you're at work or something most of the time. Cats just don't train like dogs.
As for scratching where they shouldn't and such, like theBlackman said, make sure they have a place to scratch that you want them to scratch. There is also a product you might try: (
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752872)
It's a spray you put on things that the cats don't like.
You can also try booby-trapping the drapes. Like, put a tin can with some pennies in it precariously balanced on the top, so when the cat jiggles the drapes, the pennies (pesos work just as well ;) ) fall and scare the cat. That kind of thing is easier to be consistent with, and the cat just associates the scary event with climbing on the drapes instead of big mean MrDuck cursing at him.
As for the cats fighting and playing rough- yeah, the little ones grow out of it to some extent, but there isn't much you can do about making the cats get along. We've got 4 cats currently that have lived together for 5+ years, and they still pick on each other. One likes to block the catbox from the others, one likes to sneak up on that one when he knows she's vulnerable, one plays really well with you, while another one is only playing, but you never get away with skin in tact. We had to give a 5th cat away because all the others picked on her so much that she was a nervous wreck. That's just cats and their personalities. They're very much individuals.
Renzatic on 23/9/2009 at 06:04
Quote Posted by Martin Karne
Usually a strong NO in a firm and calmed voice makes wonders.
Or a good NAAHHHHHHH whenever they try to do something they're not supposed to. Not only do they instantly stop, but they pop off this hilarious "HOOH NO WOT I DO" look that's worth the strained vocal cords.
Course with cats, once you break them of one bad habit, they usually pick up two more. My favorite cat, the big stupid fluffy white one, does this thing that creeped the everliving hell out of me when he first did it.
See, the fluffy white one really likes people. Never seen a cat quite like him. Most are usually pretty aloof when they get older. But not him. He instantly start wallering around in a lap as soon as it's presented. He's more like a dog than a cat in that regard. And if you try to block him off, he'll try everything he can to get in with you. With the other two cats I've got, when they want to get inside a room with you, and have a door blocking their way, they'll scratch at the corner til you let them in. That ain't good enough for the fluffy white one, though. Oh no. He'll bum rush a door and smack it with his front paws to try and swing it open. If the door isn't fully closed, it'll slam open like someone just kicked it in.
But that ain't the scary creepy thing. That happened just a couple weeks back. I'm here. The girlfriend's out of town visiting her family, so I'm stuck in this big creaky old house all by myself. It's raining out...wind blowing, lightning cracking, and I'm upstairs in the computer room with the door closed behind me. Despite all this, I'm actually pretty relaxed. Until I hear...
chik...chika..chikachikachikchik...chik
I turn around and see the doorknob bouncing up and down, like someones on the other side playing with it. Teasing me.
"Hello"...I say after a pause.
...chikachikachikchikachikachikachika...chik
"Anyone there", I call out while going for the nearest blunt heavy object. I'm pretty concerned by this point.
...chikachikachikachika...chik
I reach for the knob and swing the door open wide, blunt object raised above my head. I look down and see (
http://users.chartertn.net/greymatt/cosmo.jpg) this staring up at me. Same expression and everything. Apparently the little bastard figured out that people get through doors by turning the knobs, and was trying to do it himself so he could get in here and probably break something. He's been doing it ever since.
So yeah, cats are stupid.
Shayde on 23/9/2009 at 07:03
It's easier if you start from when they are kittens, but I've always trained mine by blowing hard in their faces as punishment. They absolutely hate it and learn very quickly to avoid the actions that lead to it.
Plus you don't feel like an evil bastard for hitting a tiny animal.
rachel on 23/9/2009 at 08:09
To get my cat off plants (some of which potentially dangerous) I used coffee as they can't stand the smell. I put old coffee in the ground and sprayed diluted coffee around.
Not ideal for curtains, yeah, but for other locations, it can be useful.
gunsmoke on 23/9/2009 at 08:34
Use bitter apple or some other spray (there are literally dozens). That, and talk to your vet.
My boss has amassed some amazing knowledge in her 25 years of running an animal hospital. I could ask her or one of the vet techs on Thursday when I go in.
First thing she'll ask is if they are fixed, so are they?
aguywhoplaysthief on 23/9/2009 at 09:02
I'm going to assume by the way they are acting that they are indoor cats. In my experience, indoor cats (esp. males) just cause mischief, which is why all my cats have been indoor/outdoor cats. Sure, there are flees, fights, and one of them went missing one day and never came back, but cats are designed to be outdoors, and I firmly believe that they should be there when they want to be(the 5-month-old, not the other one yet)
Vasquez on 23/9/2009 at 09:12
Quote Posted by SlyFoxx
What you have now are baby cats and you need to treat them as such.
This is the unavoidable truth. They're babies (the other a very very small baby too, in Finland I think it's illegal to wean kitties under 8 weeks) and you can't expect them to learn by teaching yet - just like you can't expect a 2-month old human baby to stop wailing by reasoning with him.
Let them grow out of it and grab the squirt gun when they're old enough to make the connection between water and unwanted behaviour.
Also, be prepared to remove curtains, many cats climb them until they're too old and stiff to do it.
Starrfall on 23/9/2009 at 14:48
If you do use a squirt bottle, make sure you tell them NO and show it too them (if possible) before actually squirting. If you're consistent with this over time just saying NO or waving the squirt bottle at them should be enough.
Except cats are assholes and as others have said they almost certainly WILL pick up other annoying habits and then they'll puke on the floor right where you'll step in it whilst utterly failing in their duties as fly-killers. And you'll love them anyways. It's a curse.
Nicker on 23/9/2009 at 15:32
Providing alternatives to the verboten behaviours is important. If you give them a piece of sturdy cat furniture they will leave your drapes and human furniture alone. Sturdy is the key. They hate wobbly scratching posts.
Attach a 5 or 6 foot length of landscaping tie to a 4x4 foot base. Carpet the base and wrap the post tightly with sisal cord (as thick as you can find). You can leave a 6" to 1' space at the base of the post as they won't use that portion for vertical scratching.
I used wood glue mixed with water and wet the post with it as I worked. Do not soak the sisal cord, it will stretch, not shrink!
Put a carpeted platform on the top. Offset it so the cats can climb over one edge, onto the platform. Once they have a place to go, to be at your height for their pets and scratches, they will ignore your curtains and queen anne couches.
Liberal use of catnip as a lure helps in the building of positive associations.
Remember - STURDY!
Turtle on 23/9/2009 at 16:17
Save the money and fill a spray bottle with white vinegar. Cats don't like the smell, so if you spray it on your curtains at their level they should leave them alone.
Cats generally don't care about catnip until they're around 6 months old, so don't worry about that, yet.
Tape(sticky side up) or aluminum foil will usually keep them off counter tops, but they really are (mostly) too young for training right now.
But it doesn't mean you can't re-enforce positive behaviors and squirt them for bad ones.
