Do you want to discipline your pet and you don't know how? It is typical that everyone gives you advice to teach a dog to behave well, not to bite shoes, to relieve himself outside the house, not to bark… but what happens when it comes to a cat, this independent animal, suspicious, a bit wild but loving and fun.
If you have a feline at home, surely you have ever asked yourself this question: How should I scold my cat? Well, in our site we help you to answer. Teaching a cat that something it is doing is not right is easier than you think, you just have to be patient and follow these simple tips.
Cats are intelligent animals and if they have attitudes that are not conducive to coexistence, you can scold them effectively, making them understand you and not repeat those actions that can be annoying. We know that cats have a special character and that without a doubt we can never compare them with dogs, but what we can do is understand their behavior and act appropriately to help them live correctly and with a certain discipline at home.
Before you want to scold your cat
If you have a cat, you know very well that it is a free-spirited animal, a bit wild and very independent. It may be the case that for you he is being a complete destroyer when he is simply carrying out the actions that his instinct dictates
The feline instinct, its customs and some of its attitudes may come from its wild ancestors so it will be difficult for them to disappear, but that does not mean that you can teach your cat the basic rules of coexistence and make it comply with them At least while you see it. It is very important that you be patient and remember that it is an animal.
Better teach than scold
There are some classic feline misdeeds that might cause you to wonder how you can scold a cat. The fact is that if you have one of these cases at home, you better find out why before scolding your cat because maybe you should scold yourself first…
- Your furniture is destroyed: Cats scratch and file their nails quite frequently, it is an instinctive and survival action since it they do to relieve stress and relax. If your cat destroys your furniture, it probably needs a scratching post and a few toys, so find out why your cat scratches furniture and if you don't want to invest a lot of money, build yourself a fun homemade cat scratching post.
- Bites and attacks your hands: Cats can bite for many different reasons, but if they attack your hands we're sorry to say it's your fault. yours. If since you were a child you played nibbles with your cat, what you have done is teach him that your fingers are prey, so what you have to do is correct this behavior. Find out in detail why cats bite and don't scold him if he has learned it from you
- Use the whole house except the sandbox: The use of the sandbox is almost innate in felines, this is because they instinctively have the need to remove any odor that may leave traces. However, there are times when this does not happen, so before you scold, better find out why your cat does not use the litter box and if it is not just this, you can also take a look at this other article to prevent your cat from urinating at home. And for the most daring, we also have the instructions to teach your cat to use the toilet.
The key to when
When we talk about how to scold a cat, the element "when" is essential. As with other types of pets, the scolding will be effective if it occurs at the exact moment in which the animal is committing the misdeed. In other words, if you don't find your feline red-handed, forget about scolding him because he won't understand
If you scold your cat for something he has done, it has to be at the moment when the animal is doing the action, if a minute has passed the effect will no longer be the same. The cat, as happens with dogs, does not have the reasoning capacity of a human being, so no matter how much he makes faces at you or talks to you, he will not know that you are scolding himfor what you did 3 hours, 15 minutes or 2 minutes ago.
Even if your little cat friend has done something very bad, like turning your house upside down, destroying a piece of furniture or leaving footprints in the kitchen, it won't do any good to scold him if it's not the time, like this don't waste time on it. Your pet can be scared by your attitude and won't understand that he has done something wrong
The power of ¡No
Being clear that the scolding must be at the exact moment, what you should do is say a No! sign to your pet. When you find your cat doing something that he should not, such as climbing on a table or biting a piece of furniture, it is when you must impose discipline; but be careful, it's not about yelling or explaining to the cat why it shouldn't do what it's doing, remember that it's an animal and we don't want it to run away, it is about making him learn that he should not repeat said action.
Remember that, you should never hurt your pet, what you should do is try to communicate with him. Repeat this action whenever necessary and try to use the same firm tone of voice. This way the cat will understand that he shouldn't do that, but he remembers to be patient, since it is an efficient but long process
Violence is not discipline
Never use violence against your pets, remember that cats are animals with a very special character and when you're watching they may be quite an angel and when you leave them alone they'll go back to their old ways, it's their nature.
In any case, the abuse will not help to improve his behavior but on the contrary it can deteriorate the relationship, since he can attack you to defend themselves and have great distrust and fear towards you. With patience and the right actions, you can teach your cat the things he shouldn't do and you can enjoy wonderful company for years to come.
And if my cat is a stray…
If you have adopted an adult cat that comes from the street, the subject of discipline must be handled in another way. Keep in mind that a cat that has lived part of its life on the streets may have suffered mistreatment by humans, so when it comes to scolding it to teach it to live together you must be very tactful.
On our site we are always in favor of helping our feline friends and more so if they are cats that have had a difficult life, so if you have decided to adopt a street cat we congratulate you and we'll help you through the process with the best tips for adopting a stray cat.
Taming a wild cat is not that complicated, we just have to be patient and to tackle the issue of discipline, we first have to solve other important issues such as security and the feline's trust in your new home.
Discard the water and noise methods completely. Remember that a stray cat has already suffered enough that in its new home I also have things that remind it of an unpleasant past. Once your cat is comfortable and has earned your trust, use positive reinforcementto enhance his strengths
