Educating a cat It implies punishing him from time to time, but the word "punishment" for some people has words like "aggressiveness" or "mistreatment of the animal" associated with it. But today, in this article, we will talk about what it really means to punish a cat well, how it should be done, and of course, we will talk about how it should not be done.
On a correct education It will depend on whether your cat is sociable and friendly. So, if you want to know how to punish a cat, don't stop reading 🙂.
What does it mean to punish?
Before going into the subject, it is important to clarify the meaning of this concept, since it will be much easier to understand what I am going to tell you in this article. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, punish has up to nine meanings, but for the case that concerns us we are going to stay with the following:
Warn, prevent, teach.
It is true that in recent times it is not used that way, but this does not mean that it no longer means something that can be as positive as "teaching." What's more, It must be taken into account that, depending on the methods, there are two main types of punishments:
- Punishments with violence: such as that given by an abuser to an animal or person.
- Positive punishments: such as that given by a person or animal that respects other people or animals.
Obviously, when it comes to teaching a cat or to make him understand that he has done something wrong, you must always use positive punishment.
Is it true that cats don't understand punishment?
Well, punishment with hitting, screaming, and the like does not, they don't understand it. But it is that nobody understands it. With this, the only thing that is achieved is that they are afraid of who should be worrying about them. And this is very, very sad.
Cats each have a defined character: some are more affectionate than others, more mischievous, more independent, etc., and they all have the same right to have a good life and to be happy. If we are not willing to understand their body language or do what we can to make them enjoy where they are and the human company they have, then let's not have a cat.
How to teach a cat?
Kittens
We will start talking about kittens, because as a general rule they are the ones who do the most mischief and those who need more education. Puppies are very playful, very active, this implies that they will like to climb up the curtains, sharpen their nails on furniture, etc. To do this, we will owe you provide a scraper or several distributed in various parts of the home, and teach them (for example, gently grasping a paw, removing the nails and passing it through a scraper). There are many types on the market, including there are scratching blankets, ideal for those cats that have a tendency to get on the sofa and scratch it. These blankets can be put on top of the furniture, protecting it from our friend's sharp nails.
As well it is very important that we spend time and play with him. Sometimes, especially if we talk about extremely unruly cats, it may be the case that they sharpen their nails in places that we do not want to get our attention. We must not underestimate the intelligence of catsWell, they know well how to get our attention.
Adult cats
In the event that it is an adult cat, the measures to be taken will be the same; that is, scraper, and spend time with him. There are some very active cats that need to exercise, and not being able to go outside, what they do is destroy furniture. They don't do it with bad intentionsbut simply because they are bored. In this case there will be no choice but buy him a special harness and leash for cats, and gradually teach him to walk down the street.
During the walks, it is worth taking prizes so that our friend feels safe. If it cannot be removed for some reason (either because you live in a city or in a busy town), there will be no choice but to adapt the house to the feline, that is, putting ramps down the walls, scrapers in various parts of the home, etc. He will appreciate it.
How to train a cat
For many years, perhaps too many, attempts have been made to educate the cat in ways that, rather than helping it, made it a fearful cat. For example, the things we should not do are:
- Spray it with water
- Pass the nose for his needs if he has done them in the wrong place
- Hitting you with a newspaper, your hand, or anything else
The ones that we must do are:
- Understand the animal, and look for the origin of the problem (if it is clear)
- Give him a lot of love (but without weighing him down)
- If it does something wrong, redirect it. For example, if he has a tendency to bite us, we will give him a toy to chew on.
If the problem persists beyond one year of age, it will be recommended consult an ethologist feline.
What to do when a cat hisses at you?
The answer is as simple as it is complicated: find out why he snorted you. It may be because you have gone directly to him and that has made him uncomfortable, or because he feels cornered or overwhelmed.
And it is that, for the furry one is really well, not only do you have to give him water and food, but You have to respect him, give him his space, and not provoke him.
How to scold a cat when it bites?
This cannot be done with a cat.
There is not much to do. If, for example, your hand bites, you should keep it still until you release it., something he will do right away. The cat is a hunting animal, but if it sees that the hand is not moving, it will no longer be interested. Although, yes, you have to recover it little by little.
So that it does not bite you again, you have to do the following:
- Play with him, about three times a day for 20 minutes each time. Use cat toys, and don't be rude.
- Make sure you always have a toy around, like a stuffed animal. Every time you see that he is going to bite you, give him the stuffed animal.
- Be patient. It will take time for him to learn that it is wrong to bite humans. But being constant and respectful, little will you see that it bites you less and less, and there will come a time when it will stop doing it.
En Noti Gatos We are against animal abuse. To finish this post, we leave you with a phrase from the pacifist Mahatma Gandhi:
The greatness of a nation is measured by how it treats animals.
Giovanna: Can you tell us why you think this article is wrong?
I ask this more than anything because nothing is said that involves "animal abuse", rather the opposite. It is clearly specified what should not be done, and what it is recommended to do. All the best.
Hello, I have 1 adult cat and a small one and I disagree with some points of this article. When I had the first cat (the one that is already an adult) when I was little I did everything that this article says should not be done. Do you know how many times I did it ??? Just one. When the cat got out of the bathroom, a single reprimand was enough to make him stop doing what is wrong and the word "No" repeated several times at the time of the reprimand. That taught him limits and also taught him that I am the boss. I am not an expert on cats but perhaps that bad experience was engraved in his psyche. And fear and stress because I do not know xk my cat approaches and lets himself be caressed and loves me a lot but that if when he does something that I do not like I no longer have to resort to anything I just say "No" and he stops doing it. And I do not have him locked up, he goes out and comes in when he wants and as for the smallest cat he is learning in the same way to which places he should and should not go and where he should go to the bathroom, cats are Intelligent the little one likes to do inside the house instead of on the patio. What I did was that when he started meowing because he wanted to get in I ignored him and you know what he did? He had no choice but to dig up the dirt and take a bath, he covered it and then I let him into the house. I was observing everything, so what not to do has served me more than pampering: s
The downside of this article is that it only says "give her love, she'll understand" and "don't hit her" ok, that's fine but how is she supposed to understand that she shouldn't get on the tables or scratch the pictures in the living room If the only thing this article advises is "give him love it doesn't matter if he has broken a painting"?
Hi Alfonso.
My advice is to look at the 'problem' from another perspective. You cannot train a cat as if it were a human, because it is not. So if you explain to a cat that he does not have to break a painting or climb on furniture, he will not understand.
So how can you get it to not break pictures or climb on furniture? Providing you with other things that you can break and others that you can climb on.
A scratching tree (or several), cat toys, ropes, balls.
Play with the cat, without making sudden movements, several times a day. With this, the animal is calmer and happier.
Regards!
I think the article is fine except for the reasons it gives for how to educate the feline, I share it with you because I adopted a kitten that I found on the street, when she was about a month old according to the vet, I bought her her bed, scratching posts, it has many toys, a wide space to play and I play with it an average of 3 hours a day, since I don't have a patio, it is in the apartment most of the time and as a "no" was not enough for me With the help of a water sprayer, teach him the limits that he should have in the house, it is very dangerous for him to chew on a cable or get under the refrigerator or washing machine. I also taught her to mark boundaries between her things (toys, scratchers, bed, towels, balls, food, etc.) to my things (laptop, bag, chairs), eventually the kitten began to understand and now it is no longer necessary to use the spray If she starts to do something wrong, it is enough for her to show it to her and she alone stops doing it.
I think that although animal abuse should not be applied if there should be some kind of measure, such as the water spray, if it had not been done, the cat would have already died or something decomposed.
Hi Lau.
Well, I'm not a fan of sprinklers or the like. If "no" doesn't work, then a very strong slap of the hands, or things like that.
I'm glad your cat learned 🙂
Greetings and thanks for following!
I have a question, let's imagine that the cat has done some mischief and I make love to him, the cat would not relate that as I like him to do it and he will continue doing it? As you say, cats are smart and they realize everything D:
Hi Wendy.
As you say, if immediately after the mischief you caress the cat, that caress for him is a reward and he will associate it as something good. In other words: if I do mischief, they give me caresses (or sweets); and that is why it will continue to do so.
This is something we must avoid. So that it does not do it anymore, what I said in a previous answer usually works: a firm NO, a strong clap of hands ... But it is more than advisable not to use water sprays or things like that because it could be more of a new problem than a solution to the 'old' problem so to speak.
You have to be very patient and above all understand why you are doing it. It may be a puppy that just wants to play, but sometimes it's something else, something of a wake-up call. And if that is the case with your cat, he is trying to tell you something. You may not spend too much time with him, or the current situation may be stressful or overwhelming for everyone. We must not forget that they too can "catch" our emotions, good and bad, and that it is we who must change.
A greeting.
The truth is that it is very similar to the correct way to train a dog.
I suppose that you already have a cat or a dog, it can be educated or taught to live together without having to punish it. Incentive, affection and a good dose of patience work much better. 🙂
Hi, christian!
Yes, I have cats and dogs. As you say, a lot of love and patience are all that is needed to correct bad (or unwanted) behaviors. All the best! 🙂
Hello Ivan.
If that method works for you, go ahead. There are alternatives to that, such as using a repellent in the areas where you relieve yourself, and as soon as you see that you feel like it, take it and take it to your tray. Or wet a napkin with his urine and put it in the sand.
It takes time, and you have to be very patient. I myself have a cat that sometimes, especially in situations of family stress, urinates in various corners of the house.
The problem can range from a food allergy to the home environment. But it has a solution.
A greeting! 🙂
Hi how are things! I have a little black kitten over a year old; I adopted him when he was 3 months old and since then I was very pampering with him (it was inevitable not to be), he stayed inside the house and had the whole house to himself. When his curiosity to explore began, it was difficult to contain him because he was scratching the door until it was ruined (that caused a big problem with my husband) so I had no choice but to give in and let him out. After adapting a door for him, he got used to going in and out whenever he wanted to and he knew very well that he had us under control because we continued to indulge him, although not so much as a puppy. He stopped sleeping inside and preferred to sleep somewhere else with the neighbors, we only saw him when he was hungry and for a while in the morning when he deigned to delight us with his presence. He recently got sick with his skin, he began to scratch himself until he wounded his skin, we took him to the vet, we left him there for treatment for 3 days because having him at home following the doctor's instructions was impossible! After returning home we kept him inside for a week without being able to go out and it was the most stormy week for both him and us! We spoiled him by allowing him to sleep in bed with us, we played with him and pampered him, but still it wasn't enough for him, he just insisted on going out again. When we thought that his wound was about to improve, he would hurt it again and we associate it with his stubbornness for wanting to leave, so we had no choice but to let him out because he would not stop scratching the door and there was no obstacle or limit. for him and again we began to have a problem due to the damaged door. Now, his wound remains the same because he is very stubborn and does not stop licking, and although it causes me pain and sadness but he has lost the privilege of sleeping in bed with us because I no longer know where else he is and what bugs he should not have on him; I also did not let me enter the house so often. I love my little furry, but without a doubt he is the king of the stubborn !! By the way, I used the technique of spraying him with water, giving him a spanking (although it hurt me more than him) and even compensating him with food, but not even like that, his only objective was to go out partying with his neighbor friends.
Hello .. I have a 3 month old kitten. We found her very small, 15 days old. We take care of her by giving her milk in a bottle and warm bottles and so she grew up beautiful until today.
The problem is that she has become quite biting .. she bites my hands and feet very hard, she hardly sees them move .. she attacks them like her prey .. she has toys, although it is true, sometimes we don´t play with her all the time. time, and she doesn't like being caressed all the time .. even though she was so different as a baby. We have tried the sprinkler, but he loves water, so he ignores it, we say NO loudly, but when he wants to, he leaves and then comes back again. We are afraid that as an adult, he will be worse or the injuries will be stronger. .. what can we do .. Ahh another thing .. she does not rub or rub like other cats do with their owners, why would it be? I hope you can give me solution options .. thank you!
Hello Pearl.
At that age it is normal for them to bite and scratch. But everything has a solution 🙂. You have to teach him not to do it, with patience and being very constant. In these articles we explain how to do it: teach the cat not to bite, no longer scratch https://www.notigatos.es/ensenar-gato-no-aranar/ ).
Regarding your question, well, each cat has its own personality. The important thing is that you take good care of it.
A greeting.
Hi how are things! I have a 1! / 2-year-old cat neutered and 1 months ago I adopted a sterilized 5-month-old cat, I went through the entire adaptation process, I use feliway, there are times when my cat is very rough with the cat and bites her, I have treated it to educate with the No, but it does not work much he leaves and bites her harder again.
Hello Andrea.
You have to be patient. There are cats that take a long time to adapt.
Play with them, give them love - yourself, both - and dedicate as much time as you can to them.
You will see how as the days go by - and especially the weeks - you will see that the situation improves.
However, if you see the cat playing roughly with the cat, slap the air hard. This way you will release it quickly and little by little you will learn that you should not do it.
A greeting.
Hello. My cat stopped using the litter and relieved himself outside of it. I have 1200 meters of park and the gallery gets dirty. I removed the stones I put sand and neither. I am very sorry because I was forced to let him sleep outside because I would get up and find everything dirty. He is going to be one year old and with this behavior 2 months ago.
Hello Julieta.
I would recommend taking him to the vet for a urinalysis. You may have an infection.
By the way, it is not neutered, I would also recommend taking it to be neutered to prevent it from getting lost.
A greeting.
Hello, excuse me, I love my cat with all my soul, but the truth is that his behavior is pissing me off and all my family, I live in an apartment with my family and a puppy, the two of them grew up together. My cat is about a year and a month and a half, it has been neutered for 4 months (like the dog) and it drives me crazy that it urinates everywhere, I have completely changed the litter several times trying various brands, I have tried with loud sounds, with the sprayer among other things, with catnip so that he feels like his little hole, I keep him clean and put newspaper so he could clean himself when leaving since he is fussy and still insists on urinating preferably in front of the door and in my mom's purse, in fact she recently peed all over herself, got on her chest and suddenly she peed. We cannot leave any closet open because it urinates, always in the same corners even though we have completely removed the smell by doing several cleaning sessions and we had to throw out more than one pair of shoes, I love it, but The truth is that not even rubbing his face in his urine, today he urinated in my mother's purse again, and I hit him with the dog's thin leash (like children), because I don't know what else to do, he urinated on himself from the cell phone and transferred to the mattress, I do not want to let my cat go because I love him too much and I have had him since he was born but I cannot live cleaning his urine all the time, most of the time he uses his litter box and I try to keep him clean because I know that it is neat, like everyone else in the house, we tend to be very neat and we are bothered by bad smells so you can imagine.
Hello Andrea.
I understand your frustration, but you should not hit a cat, since that way the only thing that is achieved is that it is afraid of you.
From what you reckon, he probably has a urine infection, so I would recommend taking him to the vet. What kind of food do you feed him? I'm asking you because if it has cereals, the ideal would be to change it for another that did not, since cats cannot digest them (and, in fact, this is one of the main causes of urinary infection).
If it turns out that he is healthy, then it could be that he was stressed and for that I would recommend reading this article. But first, I insist, it is highly, highly recommended to see whether or not you have an infection.
Cheer up.
A cat is like a person, giving him a beating of course not, but as it has always been said, a ostia in time solves many problems, without causing injury or overpowering you, today you cannot even slap your child And this is how the children come out, most of them without any social respect, rude and abusive, if their mother had thrown the slipper at them sometime that would not happen, with the animals the same, it is not about educating them with slaps but if they do something serious or are Go out of line I do not think that a little slap will do him any harm if not a great lesson, just like the lesson we learned a lot from our parents before this good-natured society that created physical and psychological abusers, bulling and a great etc.
Hello, Gerardo.
I do not agree.
A cat is a feline, and in addition to a rather solitary nature. The people are hominids, and sociable in nature.
The education they must receive is different, because while the cat has to learn to hunt to survive, the current person does not.
I think that cats should not be humanized, neither for the good nor for the not so good, because we are very different.
Regards and thanks for your comment!
I have had Pepe for 4 months we have lived alone, he is 5 years old I adopted him and suffered 3 changes of home, and for work and study reasons he stays only more than 16 hours, he has taken the habit of urinating on my shoes and biting me very hard It is as if he was furious with me, in the spaces that I am with him I consent a lot on the weekends I do not go out to be with him
but I am worried because he is not sociable and he gets very aggressive when there is a visitor, it is like he is jealous and it is when he urinates my shoes and then when playing with him he bites me
The other problem that I have for work reasons I have to go on a trip for more than eight days. I don't know whether to leave him with my sisters who have two cats or in a garden or take him with me. I don't want to leave him alone.
I do not know if it is advisable to adopt another shit so that he does not feel alone and is more sociable
attentive thanks
Hi Stella.
By all accounts, your cat needs stability and a routine.
To rule out health problems (such as urinary infections), I would recommend taking him to the vet for a urinalysis, since what we believe to be marking is actually a symptom of cystitis (among other diseases).
You will not make it more sociable, since each cat is what it is, but it could be good to have feline company. If you can, take a cat from a shelter for a while and see how it reacts. On this article explains how to present two cats.
It is better to welcome than to adopt directly since, if things go wrong, you can always return the sheltered cat to its shelter without problems. But yes, be patient.
A greeting.
I have a 3-month-old kitten who has not had her mother since she was born. A lady gave her a bottle until she was 2 months old, which was when I adopted her. The kitten is very sociable. My problem is that I think she doesn't understand when we correct her. We did not yell at her or hit me, I distract her with her stuffed animal but she seeks to bite us rather than her toys. Same with scratches. I take her by the neck like a mother cat, I bring her down and immediately she attacks me again and stronger as if I was inciting her more instead of stopping her. Do you have other advice, something like, how would mother cat educate her not to bite her hard?
Hi Chanty.
Cats should not be treated as if we were cats ... because we are not 🙂. To ensure that it does not bite you, the first thing is to have a lot of patience, since it usually takes several weeks to see results, and secondly, do the following:
-If it bites you and you are, for example, on the sofa, lower it to the ground.
-If she insists, stay away from her. Ignore her for a while.
-When she is calm, give her a stuffed animal and play with her without making sudden movements.
So he will understand that if he bites you, he loses your attention. But I insist, you have to be very patient, and more so with kittens so young de But really, calm down because in a short time you will achieve results.
Greetings.
Hello
Let's see if you can help me with a problem I have with my cat, a few months ago I had to pick up the cat because her owner died, I have two dogs, at first the cat adapted perfectly to the dogs and they got along super well, but As a result of being sterilized, the cat has very radical changes with the bitches, there are moments when they adore each other, but others in which the cat rushes against them and becomes very violent with them, but it is only with them with Those of us who live at home don't have those reactions, only when we try to separate her, let's see if you can help me because I don't want to have to get rid of her. Thanks
Hello rosa.
Before getting rid of your cat, I recommend you consult with a professional therapist, such as Laura Trillo for example.
All the best
I totally agree, we would not be talking about abuse if it is done in order to educate, and obviously, it does not cause pain ... how scary? Yes, but only out of annoyance, and the comparison with a cry from my father is very accurate, and thanks to that I understood many things without generating any trauma or hatred.
What happens is that lately everyone fixes things by worshiping the animal ... and I do not dispute that you have to love it, but man ... they went from "best friend" to owner of the house.
I read a little above that if it bites you on the couch, lower the animal, and if it insists on leaving and avoiding it? So if I'm watching a series and the cat bites me, do I have to leave everything and go? Sorry for my ignorance but it seems incoherent to me, and I don't think it serves as a solution to a haughty behavior, treating it as if it were okay, it is as if I heard my mother and received an award in response.
If you want to enslave your animals, do it, but call it that, don't call it education.
Thanks and good quarantine
Hello Thomas.
The problem lies in wanting to train a cat as if it were a human. Cats are not people and people are not cats.
Cats do not do things "wrong" wanting to hurt or offend humans, simply because they understand about it.
Greetings and pass a good quarantine you too 🙂
Hello,
I have a kitten who used to be a roofer, she will have been with that family for 6 months (3 on the roof and 3 inside the house), after that I adapted her. My house is spacious, it has its scratching post, its bathroom, its bed on the floor (it is not high). The problem is that when I'm playing with her with her fishing pole, she jumps on my leg and bites me. When I caress her and scratch her back, she'll be there for 2 minutes so she likes it, then she bites my arm hard and runs off. Now he will have 1 year and 6 months approx. What do you recommend in this case? Thanks.
Hi Kenny.
You have to be patient. Cats, in general, are animals that will let you pet them for a few seconds, up to a minute. It is important to understand their body language so that communication between you is good. Here we talk about it.
All the best
The people who believe that a spanking is useless, are the same ones who think that children are untouchable, I ask them, because there are prisons if human beings are so intelligent, and if even an intelligent being needs that type of punishment to learn Let's imagine an animal that lives and sees the world in a completely different way than we do. People always say that people don't understand why they hit them, because I told them when I was little I understood perfectly why they hit me and that made me the person I am today.
Hello david.
You cannot humanize cats, in the same way that you cannot pretend that a person is a cat.
We are very different from each other.
Greetings.
Hi!
I have a concern, I tell you I have a sterilized cat (Nanno) of three years and eight months, because we work with my partner he spent a lot of time alone, so we adopted a kitten (Katy) who is now two and a half months old, she is too active, we challenge her saying no angry and from time to time we clap our hands so that she listens to us and as if she gets scared and doesn't do what she was doing at that moment, but 5 or 10 minutes later she does the same thing again , we have given him a few blows I am not going to lie on the tail but not strong but rather soft accompanied by a no, we have sprinkled water on him, we have given him toys and everything necessary there is nothing that we have not done, but he does not pay attention to nothing, she eats all the time, she wants to eat my biggest cat's food, if she sees that we eat something she bites or scratches us so that we give her something and meows very loudly. There is no way for her to understand things until she seems deaf because it is as if everything we say to her she does not listen to or even respond to her name? And the biggest problem is that my biggest cat was super calm and since he felt somewhat depressed and bored, we consulted the vet and he recommended us to adopt a kitten so that he would no longer be like that, with all the precautions due to his health problems. We look for and find the perfect companion, he has changed too much now, he is no longer like before, which makes me very happy because now he plays more, but he also scratches things, he ignores me and plays with her, they are super accepting, he washes her more, but not He eats a lot now to play and now he wakes up before us, something he didn't do or he didn't get up if we didn't get up and he starts meowing loudly in the corridors of the house at dawn he runs spider throws things etc. I really need help, I don't want my cat to be depressed and not play but he doesn't respond to our no when he breaks or doesn't let sleep and we are really exhausted from not being able to rest properly?
What do I do if I already scold him? She had insomnia, and just when she was finally falling asleep she woke up and started playing around the room, throwing things, and suddenly she urinated on my bed, I couldn't help myself and grabbed her by the back and yelled at her very loudly , after I threw her out of bed, I feel terrible ? What should she do to regain her trust? It just happened a few hours ago, but I feel like she's scared?? although it is still fairly close
Hi Demian.
We must have patience. It is normal for a cat to play at night, as it is a nocturnal animal. In order for him to rest during those hours, it is important to play with him during the day -when he is awake, it is understood-, throwing a small ball or playing with a rope.
Courage, that will surely pass little by little.
Greetings.