In this video, we will discuss how to Discipline your cat and how to train your cat.
Perhaps your cat jumps on the counter, knocks things over, or scratches your household items. They may even steal food, chew on wires, or miss their litter box when going to the bathroom.
And while you may be tempted to discipline your cat by hitting them, yelling at them, or spraying them with water, these forms of punishment will damage your relationship with your pet.
In this video, we will discuss how to tell your cats not to do something, and how to help them understand when you don’t approve of their behavior.
Do cats understand when you say no?
Cats don’t understand human language. This means that cats don’t understand the word “no”. However, they can be taught to understand that saying "no" means you want them to stop what they are doing.
If your cat is performing a behavior that you want them to stop, say No firmly with strong Body language. Remove them from the activity and move them onto something more preferable. Repeating this will help the cat get used to the sound, associating it with being told off.
Make sure the sound of no carries some weight and identification.
As well as saying no, look the cat in the eye and hiss at them when you give the command. Cats understand this noise and behavior and are more likely to realize that the word “no” has negative associations to their behavior.
Body language also has a significant part to play in how well your cat grasps the command. Using your finger to point at your cat while saying no is an effective way to get your cat’s attention.
How do you stop bad behavior?
Sometimes saying the word no alone isn’t enough to stop your cat from doing what they shouldn’t be. Simply saying “no” won’t make them fully understand what they are doing wrong but rather just associate the behavior with you directly.
The key to successfully stopping undesirable behavior is to associate an unpleasant consequence with the undesirable behavior
Punishing the cat remotely, while you remain out of sight is an effective means of deterring undesirable behavior. For example, if you setup a motion-activated air-spray that squirts air whenever your pet jumps on the counter, the cat will learn to associate jumping on the counter with something unpleasant.
Likewise, many cats don’t like double-sided tape or aluminum foil because of the way they feel or sound under their paws.
If your cat is scratching your furniture, a few strips of double-sided sticky tape will deter your pet and send them looking for another place to scratch.
If your pet exhibits destructive behaviors such as chewing, you can use taste deterrents.
Common mistake when scolding a cat
It is important to remember that scolding your cat long after any wrongdoing doesn’t make any sense. Cats aren't able to associate something that has happened minutes or hours ago with the current punishment. Instead, a timely response is key. If you catch your cat scratching on your furniture and quickly intervene, then they will get the message.
Another common mistake is rubbing a cat’s nose in their feces when they have a potty accident. This can lead to stress and anxiety, as well as associated health problems.
What you should do before disciplining your cat
Cats do not have malicious intent; they are not out to do bad things. Most times, what you see as your cat misbehaving is just them expressing their natural instincts as animals.
If your cat scratches up your furniture, ask yourself if they have access to enough cat scratching posts.
If your cat is a big fan of running water out of a faucet and jumps on the counter to drink from the faucet, make sure there is running water in the form of fountains in your home.
And remember, if your cat pees outside of their litter box, maybe it needs to be cleaned, or that they don’t like the type of the litter.
Why don’t cats listen?
Oftentimes, your cat refuses to obey your commands due to lack of the motivation and incentive. One of the best ways to train a cat is to offer up some rewards for good behavior. Those incentives, coupled with a lack of negative tactics such as yelling or using a spray bottle, will motivate your cat to the do right thing. If nothing positive is offered up, then your cat could simply lack the motivation to follow your commands.
For example, you can encourage regular use of your cat’s scratching post by rewarding her every time she uses it.
Rewarding undesirable behavior
When disciplining a cat, one thing to avoid doing is rewarding the bad behavior with attention.
If your pet jumps on the counter and they get cuddles, food, or attention, they will probably keep doing it. But if nothings happens when your pet jumps on the counter, like no attention, no food, and no petting, they won’t have a reason to continue jumping on the counter.