Cats Behaving Badly? Think Again!

Is Mr. Fluffandstuff being naughty? Are your punishment techniques unsuccessful at getting
results? A new approach to “bad behavior” may help you change how you look at your cat and find solutions that work for both of you.

There are often times when we may find ourselves at wits end with our cat. However, most behaviors that cats are punished for are actually normal, they just may not be what we humans consider acceptable.



Unfortunately, there is a lot of outdated or just plain inaccurate information about punishing cats available. Whether you heard it from your veterinarian, your friend or the internet, we’re here to tell you that all types of physical punishment are not only detrimental to your relationship with your cat, but they JUST DON’T WORK. Physical punishment has many negative effects on your relationship with your cat. The first thing you may notice is that your cat starts to
cower whenever you approach it with your hands. For fearful cats, this will only reinforce their fear of humans.


The other thing that happens is that punishment can turn a sweet cat into an aggressive one. If you swat or spank your cat, he may feel that you are “escalating” the situation or provoking it to fight. Many cats respond to a nosetap with a bite or swat – not exactly the response you may have been expecting…especially if you were looking for guilt or remorse.


Cats have a fairly limited concept of punishment. Many people assume that their cat “knows” it is being bad, because it does something wrong, such as scratching the furniture, and then skulks away. In fact, the cat is just associating the presence of its owner with being yelled at. He is not recognizing that scratching the couch is bad – again, to your kitty, scratching is a normal
behavior (that also happens to feel good, and that may be reward enough to risk being yelled at).

Many cats engage in problematic behaviors out of boredom. Just as with children, they may see “negative” attention (such as being yelled at) better than no attention at all. Often, in the case of a very bored cat who isn’t getting enough mental stimulation, humans actually reward negative behaviors by shouting. In this situation, the cat is looking for some sort of response from the
human – that reaction is frequently enough of a reward that the cat will knock things off your dresser or scratch your furniture, even if he knows he may get in trouble for it.

So, do we just give up and let the cats do whatever they want? The answer is an unequivocal, no. But, there are ways to “correct” bad behavior that are much more effective than yelling or hitting your cat. Cats learn by trial and error. If they try something and have a good experience, they will do it again. If they try something and have a bad experience, the behavior is more likely to be extinguished – although not always immediately. Sometimes they will keep trying
in hopes that the good experience will return – just as humans will play the slot machines time and time again, hoping for the “big payoff” – before finally giving
up.




Here's an easy 4 step plan!



1. Prevention: Give your cat an appropriate outlet for “normal” feline behaviors


2. Use correction, but only when appropriate


3. Use Remote punishment to discourage undesirable behaviors


4. Reward to reinforce good behaviors



I have identified two of the most common reasons people will punish their cats below.

Scratching Furniture


The most common cause of furniture scratching is a lack of an appropriate
scratching post. Since the couch fulfills most of the cats scratching needs (tall,
sturdy, a material they like to scratch, and in an easily accessible location), it
seems like the best place to sharpen those claws.


To work with this behavior:


1. Give your cat an adequate scratching post. Scratching is a natural behavior, and necessary for all cats – it’s how they stretch, mark their territory, relieve stress and shed their claws.


2. Correction or punishment, such as yelling or squirting with a water bottle, is not appropriate in this case. Cats learn quickly that the punishment only happens when humans are around, and will just return to scratching furniture when you leave. They may also scratch furniture, anticipating some attention (remember, to a bored cat, negative attention may be better than no attention at all).


3. Make the furniture an unappealing place to scratch by using tin-foil, double sided tape, or a product called Sticky Paws. These are all unpleasant sensations for a kitty trying to scratch.


4. Encourage your cat to use the scratching post by using treats, toys or catnip to lure them into a natural stretching position. Praise them for using their post instead of the couch.
You can also read our “Paws and Claws” handout for more information on training cats to use a scratching post.

Climbing on Furniture/Knocking Over Items


Cats love to be up high. They also need lots of mental stimulation. When they don’t have outlets for these needs, they may start climbing up on your dresser, kitchen table or counters. In a playful mode, they may start batting at small objects, trying to knock them off. Not only does this provide them with some playful activity, but they may get a response from their human out of it, as well.

1. Start by giving your kitty its own cat condo or high-up places to hang out (you can clear off some shelves and put fleece pads on them to make them more appealing. More interactive playtime with toys such as the cat dancer or feather wand, in addition to solo play toys (ping pong balls, fuzzy mice) will provide more mental stimulation.


2. As in the case of other attention seeking behaviors, punishment is not effective for this behavior, and may just reinforce it.


3. Make counters and other surfaces unappealing – you can use cookie sheets or pieces of cardboard with tin foil or double sided tape attached to them. You can also “booby-trap” the area with empty soda cans with a few pennies taped inside – when the cat jumps up on the counter, the noise of the cans being knocked over will be a deterrent. Keep in mind,
this deterrent is not a good idea with shy cats or in multi-cat households where a non-guilty kitty may be scared off by the punishment.


4. Praise the kitty for using its cat tree, and make it a fun place to be – try placing some catnip, or solo play toys on the cat tree. Try incorporating the kitty condo into your interactive playtime – get your cat climbing or jumping on it to chase a toy.




So, with a little understanding, a watchful eye and maybe a little preventive re-arranging of your environment, your relationship with your furry roomates can stand the test of time!!

The Life and Hard Times of "Kitty Gaga", formerly Jennyanydots

By Daniel Quagliozzi

Wow, sometimes it just boggles the mind that a cat so great, and so full of personality and so young (3 years old), sits in a shelter, just waiting for the right person to come in and take her home. Is it just that the stars have not been aligned? Is it her name? Is there some cosmic reason a unique beauty with spunk, admirable energy and a zest for playing hard is just spending her days looking out the window, as if to say, " my life partner is out there somewhere!"

Kitty Gaga. formerly Jennyanydots is not your average cat by any means. She does require a little guidance along the road of feline/ human partnership. What does that mean, you ask? Well, this is a cat that pretty much owns the room when you are with her. She commands her space like a captain is in control of a huge navy vessel. She calls the shots and demands proper attention on her terms, not yours. Sometimes, she communicates her needs & dislikes with her mouth. " PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!" She's the perfect cat for someone who can give her the space to be herself, provide her with outlets, not only for play but also for visual stimulation and someone able to read her signals before she has to go to such extremes. Jennyanydots will be a much happier cat if she can get out of the confines of shelter life and on to some new adventures.

Cats like Kitty Gaga are challenging to place because we like to be completely honest about their needs and to some people, that can be a tall order. It's not impossible to work with a play aggressive cat. You just have to be consistent with training and give them alternatives to focus on. Our special kitty Gaga just wants to play by her own rules. There's no reason that you can't interject some of your own with a little finesse.

We hope that by posting this blog about her, we can finally get her out of the shelter she has called home for six months. Calling all cat lovers. This Rock star deserves your special home.

If you are interested in adopting this special cat, please call 415 522-3500 for more details. Act now before we change her name!

Cat Behavior: Don't take it personally!

By Daniel Quagliozzi

As a person who works not only with cats but also with their guardians, I often find myself counselling far beyond the scope of cat behavior. Human emotion is a huge factor in the way people perceive their cats actions. Can you blame us? We humans are so vested in each others feelings that it is very easy to equate the same perception to the way our cats view the world.

Did kitty suddenly pee on my pillow because he's mad at me? "My cat purposely knocks my hair brush into the toilet because he thinks I'm ignoring him and he knows how particular I am about my hair". "I was just sitting there minding my own business and my cat snuck up on me and bit my ankle! He HATES ME!!"

Believe it or not, cats care very little about how you feel, what you like, which shirt is your favorite and who you are dating. In fact, cats are quite selfish creatures. They almost always do things that are completely self serving. Ever find yourself getting up at 6 am to fill a food bowl or sitting on the edge of the couch where its less ideal because your cat prefers the middle? Cats are manipulators plain and simple and when they do things a little out of the ordinary (by human standards) they are not trying to hurt your feelings. They are however... trying to tell you that some things have to change!

Ok...perfect example: The cat who peed on your pillow. Chances are there is something about that litterbox that your cat is unhappy with. Did you forget to clean it, change the litter suddenly, add more cats to your home, go on a long vacation, have a mobile toddler running amok in the apartment? A sudden poop mishap or wayward pee points to stress, change or something new that may be triggering it. Why my boyfriends pillow? He must not approve of the guys I'm dating! No, chances are the box was such a turn off that a soft pillow was very inviting. Once the habit forms, the pillow becomes part of the regiment. Focus on what may be triggering the behavior and make things simpler.

The constant conversationalist: "Whenever I'm on the phone, my cat won't stop meowing? He must want me to get off the phone." I highly doubt that your cat knows what a phone is. Maybe he thinks you're talking to him? Usually when you talk to him, he is rewarded in some way. A treat, petting session, maybe even some playtime, will usually follow a human-cat conversation. Talking on the phone is such a tease!

The over the counter-knocker-over: Cats get bored! Could it be that your cat is knocking your pencils off the counter each day because you're not engaging her in long enough play sessions? Does she wake you up at night by making noise? Do you get up, yell or turn on a light? Guess what? You just rewarded your cat! Even responses we think are negative can be perceived as positive from a cats point of view.

The "Out of the Blue" attack: Sudden aggression without stress as a trigger almost always points to deprivation. Some cats need constant stimuli, plain and simple. Sure, most cats sleep all day and sleep even more at night. Other cats will count on you to provide them with entertainment, no matter how long your work day was or how little sleep you got because he was standing on your head all night. A sudden bite on the leg is an extreme cry for attention. PAY ATTENTION TO ME! Dancing With the Stars can wait!

Bite the bullet folks. You may have been at school for nine hours feeding your brain, but kitty was home with nothing to do all day. When you walk in the door, it's GO TIME! Get those toys out and get your cat engaged in play.


So, you see... it's not all your fault...but really it is. Don't take it personally. Just remember whose house you live in and who your boss really is and you will do just fine.

I Love You, But Please Be Quiet!

Though cats communicate mostly by body language, some cats “talk” more than others. This is could be genetic (some breeds, such as the Siamese, are especially prone to this) and partly a learned behavior. It's even been said that cats have a Manipulative Meow!

Your cat may have learned that if she meows, people will talk to her, play with her, feed her, or even yell at her (trust me, I know this first hand). Remember for some cats negative attention is better than none at all. Some owners love to “talk” with their cats, back and forth, so if you have adopted your cat as an adult, it is possible that this behavior was encouraged by a prior owner. If you have brought Kitty up, then most likely you can think of things that have “rewarded” this behavior. Cats learn to communicate with us, just as we learn to communicate with them. Maybe when the litterbox is dirty, your cat draws your attention to it by walking around and meowing, and so you clean the box. This is how behavior patterns start.

Cats also meow to express discomfort or pain, agitation, and in some cases, territoriality. Unneutered (intact) male cats may yowl in conjunction with sexual behavior, and female cats in heat may meow excessively as well.

If you have a chatty cat, how can you stop or at least curb this habit?

Do Not Reward

This should be the backbone of your behavior modification plan. Pay attention to your kitty when she is being quiet, wait for a moment of silence before you feed her. Ignore her when she meows. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you can try earplugs, or pulling the cover up over you head! Or you could close the door to your bedroom. Remember that if you break down and give your kitty attention, you will have to start all over again. For more information on how to prevent nighttime or early a.m. wakings, please ask for our handout on nocturnal kitties.

Make Sure Your Cat’s Needs Are Met!

Cats need attention and interaction, so make sure that somewhere in your daily schedule you allot times for play and petting. Cats like routine and will meow excessively if their routine is upset, so do try to do everything, especially if it’s cat related such as feeding and changing the litterbox, on a set schedule as much as you are able. Provide your cat with stimulation. Keeping your cats indoors is much safer, but they will need to be entertained and encouraged to exercise. Even indoor-outdoor cats need owner interaction and stimulation. New toys, bought or made, food cubes that make Kitty work to get her food, and the occasional catnip toy help keep her from getting bored. Interactive playtime is the best kind of playtime for cats- toys like fishing-pole toys that your cat can chase could be integrated into a daily routine. Make sure your cat has a clean litterbox, and fresh water at all times. Make sure her diet is adequate. .

Be Patient!

It takes time for cats to learn behaviors, and often takes even more time to unlearn them. In order to make a change in your cat’s meowing, you need to be very consistent and give your cat time to adjust.

Recognize When A Behavior Is Not Likely To Change:

You may be able to reduce the amount of attention-getting meowing or feeding-time meowing by ignoring, and feeding and playing at set times, but this will not cure a hard-core talker such as some Siamese or Siamese mix breeds are. These behaviors are characteristic of some breeds, and are not likely to go away in their entirety.


THESE SITUATIONS REQUIRE A DIFFERENT RESPONSE

If Your Cat Is Grieving:

If your cat has recently lost a companion, feline or human or even canine, he may walk around the house and meow, perhaps in search of them or just reacting to the change. While you don’t want to reward the meowing, it is important to give your cat extra reassurance in these cases, spending quality time, preferably on a schedule, until he adjusts to his loss.

If You Have Just Moved To A New Home, Or Have Just Brought A Cat Into Your Home:

It is normal, especially for an adult cat, to be disoriented and unsure in a new environment. Introducing your cat to the house gradually may help prevent some agitation (see our handout on introducing a cat to a new home.) Again, don’t reward the meowing, but be a little understanding in these instances. This behavior usually takes a few weeks to wind down.

If Your Normally Quiet Cat Has Become Very Vocal:

Make sure there is nothing medically wrong with her; schedule a check-up with your vet. Pay attention to environmental changes to see if something could be bothering her, such as a new stray cat coming by your back door.