How To Tell Your Cat Not to Do Something
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2023-02-02に共有
Perhaps your cat jumps on the counter, knocks things over, or scratches your household items. They may even steal food, chew on wires, or miss their litter box when going to the bathroom.
And while you may be tempted to discipline your cat by hitting them, yelling at them, or spraying them with water, these forms of punishment will damage your relationship with your pet.
In this video, we will discuss how to tell your cats not to do something, and how to help them understand when you don’t approve of their behavior.
Do cats understand when you say no?
Cats don’t understand human language. This means that cats don’t understand the word “no”. However, they can be taught to understand that saying "no" means you want them to stop what they are doing.
If your cat is performing a behavior that you want them to stop, say No firmly with strong Body language. Remove them from the activity and move them onto something more preferable. Repeating this will help the cat get used to the sound, associating it with being told off.
Make sure the sound of no carries some weight and identification.
As well as saying no, look the cat in the eye and hiss at them when you give the command. Cats understand this noise and behavior and are more likely to realize that the word “no” has negative associations to their behavior.
Body language also has a significant part to play in how well your cat grasps the command. Using your finger to point at your cat while saying no is an effective way to get your cat’s attention.
How do you stop bad behavior?
Sometimes saying the word no alone isn’t enough to stop your cat from doing what they shouldn’t be. Simply saying “no” won’t make them fully understand what they are doing wrong but rather just associate the behavior with you directly.
The key to successfully stopping undesirable behavior is to associate an unpleasant consequence with the undesirable behavior
Punishing the cat remotely, while you remain out of sight is an effective means of deterring undesirable behavior. For example, if you setup a motion-activated air-spray that squirts air whenever your pet jumps on the counter, the cat will learn to associate jumping on the counter with something unpleasant.
Likewise, many cats don’t like double-sided tape or aluminum foil because of the way they feel or sound under their paws.
If your cat is scratching your furniture, a few strips of double-sided sticky tape will deter your pet and send them looking for another place to scratch.
If your pet exhibits destructive behaviors such as chewing, you can use taste deterrents.
Common mistake when scolding a cat
It is important to remember that scolding your cat long after any wrongdoing doesn’t make any sense. Cats aren't able to associate something that has happened minutes or hours ago with the current punishment. Instead, a timely response is key. If you catch your cat scratching on your furniture and quickly intervene, then they will get the message.
Another common mistake is rubbing a cat’s nose in their feces when they have a potty accident. This can lead to stress and anxiety, as well as associated health problems.
What you should do before disciplining your cat
Cats do not have malicious intent; they are not out to do bad things. Most times, what you see as your cat misbehaving is just them expressing their natural instincts as animals.
If your cat scratches up your furniture, ask yourself if they have access to enough cat scratching posts.
If your cat is a big fan of running water out of a faucet and jumps on the counter to drink from the faucet, make sure there is running water in the form of fountains in your home.
And remember, if your cat pees outside of their litter box, maybe it needs to be cleaned, or that they don’t like the type of the litter.
Why don’t cats listen?
Oftentimes, your cat refuses to obey your commands due to lack of the motivation and incentive. One of the best ways to train a cat is to offer up some rewards for good behavior. Those incentives, coupled with a lack of negative tactics such as yelling or using a spray bottle, will motivate your cat to the do right thing. If nothing positive is offered up, then your cat could simply lack the motivation to follow your commands.
For example, you can encourage regular use of your cat’s scratching post by rewarding her every time she uses it.
Rewarding undesirable behavior
When disciplining a cat, one thing to avoid doing is rewarding the bad behavior with attention.
If your pet jumps on the counter and they get cuddles, food, or attention, they will probably keep doing it. But if nothings happens when your pet jumps on the counter, like no attention, no food, and no petting, they won’t have a reason to continue jumping on the counter.
コメント (21)
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I simply told her "no". She was a very smart sweetheart. Well, a chair and a mattress were sacrificed throughout the years, but that much she could do. She was our family for 17 ½ years, and we miss her like nothing else in this world.
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I gave my cat a treat every time he came home. He quickly learned the association between coming inside and getting a treat, resulting in him wanting out only to come in 1 minute later and expect a treat.
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Cats do understand what you say. Mine does. When I tell him no he will run to the other room. There are a lot of things they don't understand, but if you repeat something over and over they will understand what you mean and say to them.
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I sing badly when she's misbehaving. She stops what she's doing and comes to me to demand me to stop. We both get what we want and I see her being cute! :)
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I tend to think a hissing sound works better than the word no. Usually when I tell my cat no, she'll just look me dead in the eyes as she continues to do what she's doing (usually scratching the futon). A hiss, on the other hand, usually ends the behavior immediately. While cats can learn to associate negativity with a human utterance like "no", a hiss basically tells a cat, in its own 'language', "I'm warning you!"
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I am pretty convinced my cat knows exactly what I am saying to her. 😅
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My cat understands many basic words and commands. She may not always agree with me, but she does understand.
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I've heard that the best way to get a cat to stop scratching you is to yelp in pain when they do so, perhaps slightly exaggerated, so they realize that what they did actually hurt.
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Hissing works. I also do a sharp HUP! instead of saying NO. It really gets their attention.
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Hahahaha I think they actually know more than we think they do 😍
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I put up a strip of 1x4 cedar on the outside corner of my hallway, rubbed it with catnip and lured my cat to it with a tassel toy. Worked like a charm. He regularly uses the rough surface to exercise his clawing tendency. I did this after he destroyed a corner of a chair slipcover and have since recovered the chair which is in perfect condition to this day! Great tips on this video. Kudos!!!
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My cat immediately stops doing whatever she was doing as soon as I say “Sophie no”, but it’s usually because it’s something she already knows I’m gonna admonish her for anyway. She definitely understands the word “no”.
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I taught my cat not to knead directly on me in bed by consistently (and calmly) laying a hand over her paws when she started doing it. Over time she learned to move off to the side to knead, and then come back to lay down for cuddles.
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The thing I have learnt with cats is that they don't care what you think😂 Catch a dog doing something wrong and tell him off,he will stop,catch a cat doing the same he will stop,look at you and then carry on.
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I raised all my current cats from birth and they definitely listen pretty well in regards to their names and telling them no..& pointing really does get their attention!
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I lost two cats within 4 months of each other, but I also adopted 2 kittens from a cat rescue last year too. My life is full of abundant joy with these two fur balls! I have trained them from the start with clicker training and a reward system. They understand tons of commands. I have a few I use every single day. "Are you guys hungry? Do you want to eat?" will get them running at me to feed them. "Are you guys bored? Do you want to play?" will get them running into the living room where we have their toys and they love jumping into the air with wand toys. They definitely know the word "no" and a couple squirt guns around the house ensures cooperation. They aren't scared of me because of this, but they do know when I pick up that blue squirt gun and they cease what they're doing even before I squirt it. I've had cats or owned my own cats since I was a baby... 49 years and counting and I'd have to say, these two kittens (who will be one years old next week) are the most beloved of all the cats we've had and the sweetest, most affectionate too. Now if I can just get them to stop chewing things! LOL
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The first tip definitely helps, my cat Zelda doesn’t scratch couches anymore and I cross my arms, she knows what’s up haha
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I was lucky with my present cat she virtually self trained except for the only time I saw her climb the shears it was the only time I ever yelled at her but she never did it again. For everything else she reacts very well to commands that are given at a lower tone of voice. every time I ever got a new addition to the family the first thing I do is show them the litter box that has never failed yet, In 8 ears she has only pooped on the floor near the box twice but it was evident that she could`nt help it and you could tell that she was not pleased with what she did either. I find that if you show them love at every corner they do very well ,cats are just little muffins for the most part.
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I have a cat that understands the word NO. His name is Billy. No raised voice, no water bottle, no hitting.
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I can assure you that I am a big boy who always gets my way. Not quite malicious but definitely mischievous. My human is my servant. It took me years to train her. I’ll be 17 in May, she’s completely under my control. 😺
