[JeanLucPicard]

Hello, I've been using a spray bottle when little tony tests my limits, you know, continually trying to do the same thing after I've told him no multiple times right before. The thing is, when I spray him with the spray bottle, he just sits there!! He used to run away as soon as the first drop hit him, but now he's kind of like "yah, so what? I dry off!"

Any advice?

 

[JeanLucPicard]

Ok the first time I just did a body shot so I figured alright, he might not mind the body too much but for sure he'll dislike the headshots. Turns out, that's not the case. Here's the proof, you don't do that with one shot!! I sprayed a good 10 sprays and he just sat there!! Stubborn little bugger, but just wayyy too cute!

I not sure if this one looks defiant or remorseful

 

[meowmix]

lol, what a cute little furbaby. be careful with the headshots, you don't want water getting in his ears.

 

[faile]

heh, i tried to use the squirt bottle too, on cujo. now he likes to drink from it. :roll:

see: www.strye.com/host/kittydrinking.wmv

 

[Padunk]

lol I love that video of Cujo

I think squirt bottles just provoke Elly to misbehave even more. :lol:

 

[Ioana]

Aww look at that pretty little face and the way he is holding his paws!
He is so handsmoe

As for disciplining methods try clapping your hands + firm NO. I usually push Frosty gently or pick him up myself when he is on countertops. Once he is safe on the floor I praise him plenty and give him some of his favorite treats. I know he is not eager to climb when I am around much ...I can't say the same for when I am not present :lol:

ps Cujo is so funny and so cute too :wink:

 

[hollybot]

all four of my cats hate the spray bottle. We don't even have to spray them anymore; shaking it works just as well. The dogs (are we alowed to talk dogs here , however, are fearless and one likes to drink the squirts.

 

[JeanLucPicard]

well today I got a jar and filled it with pennies and that is seeming to be very effective, I will take note to be careful of the ears however in the future.

 

[kitkat]

I not sure if this one looks defiant or remorseful

Looks defiant to me hehe.......a cute lil rebel


Faile-That video of Cujo is sooo cute, especially when he jumps onto the chair and it spins, hiding him....my cats do that too! :wink:


I think the loud clapping and stern No works well with me too just like Ioana said. Although my cats are scared of the water bottle when they see it, I like the stern No better b/c what if one day I am not near a bottle :?:

 

[Lori]

Tony is too cute!! He looks like he has a mind of his own! :wink:
I agree with ioana that clapping your hands and a firm No! work very well. My cat has a definate mind of her own, but if my husband or myself clap our hands and give her a firm "No!" she will stop what she is doing and not go back. At least not while we are around. :mrgreen:

 

[tanyuh]

Faile-That video of Cujo is sooo cute, especially when he jumps onto the chair and it spins, hiding him....my cats do that too!

Heheh, I was gonna say that, too! Looks like he has fun doing it hehe, cute video!!

And the little tuxedo kitty is adorable!

 

[camperjohn]

Put some vinigar in the bottle. Just a bit. Since they have to lick that off themselves, they soon learn to hate it. Maybe make a noise when you squirt it.

My cats will sit under the shower head and lick the water as it sprays right in their faces, but when I pick up the quirtgun and they run like heck.

 

[TAsunder]

Wow, I can't believe no one has chimed in against the water bottle. I stopped using mine long ago. I used to use it when he would make an aggressive move towards my other cat, climb up on certain things, and so forth. Eventually he would still do those things but afterwards was afraid of me. Furthermore, I had strong evidence he was at least still climbing up on things - i.e. I found various things knocked off counters.

The "modern" approach is to use deterrants from a non-human source. For example, sticky stuff, scents, and so forth. What is the cat doing that you want to avoid?

 

[camperjohn]

Oh yes, I remember reading that when you use the water bottle, you need to squirt, then look away - as if the water came from someplace else, not you.

This way they are not afraid of you, but are afraid of the mysterious water source.

I used to use the cat-spray stuff that you spray on furniture and they don't like the smell of it so they dont paw at it.

But I love my cats too much, they can destroy my favorite afghan and I still love them.

 

[Rosewood]

I have three words for you: GRANNICK'S BITTER APPLES. It's an incredibly bitter (I've had the bad luck of getting it in my mouth) non-toxic spray that even my dogs are afraid of. You can also use it to spray houseplants, furniture, etc. to keep them away from it. My cats are not afraid of me even though I sometimes squirt them as punishment (when I squirt, I always make a hissing noise that they learn to associate with the squirt bottle). In fact, they usually run away if I even just make a hissing noise. At least, Sasha usually does...Rosewood just gives me a really dirty look unless I actually have the squirt bottle with me. In any case, it is EXTREMELY handy! At least, it has certainly saved more than a few houseplants, that's for sure. You can usually buy it at most any local pet shop.

 

[drjean]

Cats are not stupid. They see the water bottle in your hand, and they're supposed to think you didn't do it??

Punishment (water bottle, loud noises) do not work to train cats. They only make the cat fear you. You become unpredictable, and can ruin your relationship with them. Furthermore, it only teaches them not to misbehave *while you're there watching*--when you're at work, shopping, in the yard, asleep--nothing's stopping them and they go right on doing whatever it was that annoyed you in the first place. If you think they aren't, you're only fooling yourself.

Remote punishments like sssscat and Scarecrow do work, because they work every single time, day or night, whether you're there or not.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[JeanLucPicard]

could you please elaborate on these remote punishments you speak of?

 

[drjean]

www.sssscat.com -- you set it up, say, on the counter or table where you don't want him to go, and whenever the cat jumps up there, it makes a warning noise then squirts a jet of air (I think it has a citronella scent). It does it *every* time and therefore is highly efficient, much more than we ever could be!

Scarecrow is more for outside, it uses a hose to squirt unwanted visitors!

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[alien]

my male cat gets mad when i do a spray bottle so i had to move upto a squirt gun, which does the trick. i think its the fact that i can do it so far away really gets him nervous!

 

[drjean]

If your *goal* is to make your cat upset, nervous and afraid of you, looks like you're right on track.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean