How do you discipline a cat? - Page 3

Plaid Pants2 · ‎03-14-2015

@Sooner wrote:
Why are you assuming this person is beating their cat with a fly swatter? Maybe she is tapping him on the behind and not hurting or terrifying him. So we automatically assume the very worst of anyone?

My mom stopped the cat from tering up the sofa by shaking and rattling the newspaper at him. Was that cat abuse? Or should she have let him tear up the only sofa we had? The cat did not seem to be abused or harmed by the sound the paper made, but he was "afraid" of the noise and stopped tearing up the sofa. . . Cat was happy, mom was happy, cat lived with us happily for 17 years.

If that were the case, the cat wouldn't be frightened at just the sight of a flyswatter.

Besides, she didn't say that she "gently tapped", she specifically used the word "hit".

And yes, that IS abuse.

Shaking newspaper doesn't inflict pain.

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

One litter potty per kitty.

Pine cones are a good idea or rough gravel which will allow water drainage properly and kitty will not be able to scratch.

Some of my kitties have enjoyed running water from the lava.

One kitty would use the bathtub for litter box if hers had any amount of waste in it. She loved cleanliness and if I did not empty her box after each urine (which is difficult to do), she would go to the guest bathtub. At least it was easy to clean. It just kept me busy trying to keep her litter box constantly emptied or the bathtub cleaned.

I, too, have had kitties for a long time, about 50 years, so they all have different habits and likes/dislikes. They are individuals but creatures of habit.

Fona · ‎11-16-2011

Happycat: The ladies here have given some excellent advice. Just one other thing you might check on. Cats like privacy when using the litter box or eating. Take stock of just where the litter box (or the food bowl) happens to be - is it in an area where people are walking right by it, or is there something nearby that makes a noise - or anything else you can think of? (I know of someone whose cat was terrified because the boiler made popping sounds in a cupboard near the litter box.) Be sure it is in a quiet, private place and leave her alone while she is there. I will also mention that cats are very fastidious creatures and don't want to use a "dirty" litter box - but please do NOT take that as a criticism, it is just a mention of something a lot of people don't realize and I know you said yours is clean. Years ago the vet told me that once a cat has marked a place (say your carpet), it will keep returning to it (unless you thoroughly clean that place instantly the first time), so the advice to move your plants or use tin foil around them is good. Also, many cats love drinking tap water, or out of the toilet bowl, so this is normal behavior. This little cat is getting used to you and your home. Just love her and be patient with her.

Pook · ‎03-20-2010

Happycat, you might try putting a light netting around the bottom of the plant so she couldn't get in there. That often works.

Nataliesgramma · ‎03-28-2015

Our cat Winky is a rescue and sometimes when I am in the family room, she comes in...stretches and puts her claws in the corner of the chair......I look at her...she is looking at me.... and say calmly..."Winky, you know you aren't supposed to do that" and she stops, and gently takes her claws out ...without scratching....LOL

She is such a good cat...

ID2 · ‎06-25-2012

You have to change your lifestyle when owning a cat. Get rid of all house plants or anything that contains soil. Never leave the lid on your toilet up! I could go on and on......

"Pure Michigan"

Jolexi · ‎03-11-2010

@Nataliesgramma wrote:
Our cat Winky is a rescue and sometimes when I am in the family room, she comes in...stretches and puts her claws in the corner of the chair......I look at her...she is looking at me.... and say calmly..."Winky, you know you aren't supposed to do that" and she stops, and gently takes her claws out ...without scratching....LOL

She is such a good cat...

I love this :-) My Dindi is very much the same, although he negotiates with me on occasion just to see how far he can get before I give him "the eye" LOL.

A lot of the individual advice given here is sage; I had to get rid of all of my plants - well, the ones Dindi hadn't destroyed - once he came into our lives. My first cat before him was an older and wiser lady, who had very little interest in plants. He other the other hand, was a fiend near soil, but I attribute that to having been feral before I picked him up from the stray life. He was only 6 weeks old at the time, and he's been with us now nearly 10 years. As someone else mentioned, you don't teach them, they teach you. And each one is different just as we are.

I will say that he responds to a "No" when I use it in a firm manner without yelling. And while he loves to lick and chew on plastic (loves grocery bags), if he hears one being rustled, he runs as if he's got the devil on his heels. I'm not sure why as I've never used that noise as a means to get him to react. Who knows?

I wish you luck and lots of patience in welcoming your newest additionand hopefully years of love and warmth!