Kitten Kindergarten - San Francisco SPCA

You can emit a very high-pitched “Meowwwww!” like mother cat used to do
to stop the behavior. Squirting a cat with plain water from a plant mister can be
very effective in stopping behavior. Shaking an empty soda can filled with about ten
pennies can stop a cat in many cases as cats hate noises and the can is very noisy
when you shake it.
The retraining message must happen at the exact moment the cat is doing
the behavior. If you squirt the cat with water even 5 seconds after the
misbehavior, the cat will be punished for what it is doing then, which may be sitting
on the floor! The training has to happen at the moment the cat is misbehaving.
Learn to trim the cat’s claws on a regular basis. Your veterinarian will be
happy to help you with the trimming. Keep the little cat scissors specifically made
for this purpose near you and try to clip the claws when the cat is sleepy, waking up
from a nap or going to sleep. Remember, you do not have to do all the claws at one
time. Do two or three claws, always praising the cat for letting you clip, and if the
cat gets uncomfortable, stop and finish another two or three claws the next day,
etc.
It is imperative that you make or purchase a tall (at least three feet or
higher) sturdy scratching outlet (a cat post or cat tree as they are referred to) for
your cat. Any you can praise the cat for using the post. The cat can do lots of
scratching on its own piece of furniture and not on a piece of YOU!
Give the cat lots and lots of praise when his is being good, remember! The
moment you see that “Hmm, I might consider biting someone tonight” look on your
cat’s face, say “F-l-u-f-f-y, No!” to let Fluffy know you are on to her! Stop what you
are doing as that may be the action that is getting the idea in her head.
For more information about cat behavior
Please visit www.sfspca.org
Want to know more? Read “Litter Did You Know”, the official Cat Behavior Blog of the San Francisco
SPCA
www.sfspcacat.blogspot.com