How do you scold kittens and cats that works?

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   misslong123posted 9 years ago

   How do you scold kittens and cats that works?
   
   We have tried water spray bottles, spanking, yelling, putting her in time out, rewarding good behavior, talking things out with her but she doesn't learn!!! We are out of ideas.

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2. 60

   tlmcgaa70posted 9 years ago

   i have been rescuing cats (and dogs) for some 13 yrs now, and one thing i use to discourage a kitten from doing something i dont want them doing is to either hiss (first warning) or that sound you hear between two cats fixing to fight. sometimes they ignore the hiss...they never ignore the yowly growly sound (sorry but i cannot describe that sound). it is easy to make but hard to describe. from the kittens reactions i would have to say it is telling them something dangerous is affot, and they immediately stop what they are doing, hunker down and look around, then slink run to a place of hiding...which is usually to me. once they have stopped whatever they were doing, i will pick them up and tell them what good little kittens they are and give them lots of comforting affection/snuggles. after several (or many, depending on how stubborn your kitten is) such episodes, they quit doing that unwanted thing totally. if what you wish to discourage is rough play/biting, the best trick is to tell them be gentle, (first warning) NO, be gentle, (second warning)...then put them away from you and walk away r in some other way, just ignore them. as soon as they settle down, you may gently and slowly stroke them and tell them what a good baby they are. mind you, some kitties are very independent and or stubborn and it takes a lot to teach them manners. what works for one may not work for another. but the methods i have here described usually work pretty well for me.

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   1. 82

      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wow. You are very wise. I will talk to my husband about your answer and see what we can do. Our older cat responds well to yelling, time outs, and spanks, but our kitten- when she is in trouble she knows it. Don't want time out n hides drivin us nuts

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   2. 60

      tlmcgaa70posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      thank you for B/A. please also consider that each animal responds to yelling/spanking differently. some it may not bother much, some are super sensitive and can end up very fearful of the owners. with them a lower voice and no spanking will be best.

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3. 67

   Jennisisposted 9 years ago

   It depends on what you are trying to teach her not to do. Punishment almost never works for cats because they do not have the same type of social behaviors that dogs have - they are not trying to please you. They are co-existing with you. I have noted in the past that a cat is loathe to change behaviors it likes, even when negative experiences are associated with it. My 14 year old cat has the following routine - walk into the bedroom, walk around the bed, jump onto the table by the window and then jump to the bed. My 1 year old cat always sneak attacks her when she jumps from the table to the bed (he leaps up under her while she is jumping and tries to pull her out of the air), which causes a fight. This fight would not happen if she just jumped straight onto the bed, yet she CONTINUES to perform the same ritual almost daily.
   
   Scolding may sometimes end behaviors you don't want, but it does not avert or preempt the behavior in the cat, and will only be effective when you are present, because the cat does not learn the lesson "The table is off-limits" but the lesson "When I am on the table and my mom is home, she acts like a crazy person".
   
   The solution for changing a cat's behavior is usually to find a compromise - "Ok, you want to be up high on the table in the kitchen? That doesn't work for me, but how about this small cat tower that is way cooler? It's near the table in the kitchen and about the same height, and what's even better is that it's soft and covered with catnip/you get treats when you're there, and not on the table." Once the cat decides the alternate option is a good choice, then you can try gradually moving the cat tree away from the table to a location that works for you.
   
   Or, you might put double sided sticky tape on a table when it is not in use to deter the cat - making the table undesirable even when you are not on the room.
   
   If you can elaborate the problems you are having, I can provide more specific suggestions.

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      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wow. Amazing answer. I think I explained it in my last reply. It's my kitten that's the problem. Re: what I said above, she is so tiny she can hide anywhere n we can't reach her. Very upsetting when we need her out of hiding and no tricks pull er out

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   2. 67

      Jennisisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      If she is hiding, you need to work with her when she is not hiding. Hiding is a natural behavior of shy or fearful cats and punishing hiding behavior will only reinforce it. Reward her with soft voices, treats and fun play sessions when she is out.

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4. 61

   askformore lmposted 9 years ago

   It is actually very easy to learn how to correct and scold a kitten.
   You simply look closely what it is the kitten's Mom is doing and not doing.
   The kitten's Mom will never spray water bottles, spank, yell, or put the kitten in time out. Instead of a time out the Mom will do the completely opposite, she will gently carry the kitten in the neck to the place that she wants it to be.
   Don't correct the kitten as if it is a child. It is a cat!

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   1. 82

      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This is one way I handle her. I am the only mommy she has but my husband taught me how to pick her up by the neck to where it doesn't hurt her nor me and move her where she needs to go. Rite now it's this hiding game she loves that inconviences us.

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5. 88

   Kylyssaposted 9 years ago

   Hiding is usually a fear reaction. If she's been hit by people before, it might be the cause. Teach her she can trust you not to hit her or hurt her and she'll come right out every time you shake a bag of treats she likes.
   
   Negative reinforcement that involves pain only teaches fear, not obedience.
   
   For healthy negative reinforcement, try making hiss noises, or loud, startling noises like shaking a can of pennies at her when she's in the middle of a bad behavior. If she telegraphs her naughtiness (my roommie has a cat who is so obvious when he's going to do something naughty we sometimes stop him from doing it because we bust out laughing) you can make a loud noise and her attention will be broken before the naughty deed is even started.  Then she'll forget what she was so fascinated by. Reinforce it by rewarding the broken attention with a pat, a gentle "good girl", a toy, or even a treat.
   
   Good luck!

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   1. 82

      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Really great advice that I will implement going fwd. however since we started her out on the swat/spank punishment like u said she hides bc of fear.NEway2undo this? Not sure how2wk bkwards now that she knws that punshmnt. Prblem's affectin r sleep.ty

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6. 79

   Caitlyn Ramosposted 9 years ago

   When scolding a cat you have to be firm and direct, not crazy and loud.
   This will only scare your cat. All the ways you have tried will not work for cats, except maybe by rewarding. It takes 2 weeks for us to learn good habits but double that for a cat. And you have to be more persistent than them, meaning you have to watch when they're about to make a wrong move or catch them in the act. Anything afterwards will not help because they no longer know what they did, even if you stick it in their face.
   
   Also introducing an older cat to the situation may help, I suggest adopting from a shelter but not a pet store. In the shelter the cats learn and are interacted with a lot more than in pet stores.
   
   I hope this helps!

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   1. 82

      misslong123posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. That is helpful. We only punish or say NO if they are in the middle of the bad act. We just brought her home about a month ago from a shelter. She was 12 wks old. We already had a 6yr old cat at home that we've had since he was born. Thanks!

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