and also apply some dicipline to said cat
For instance:
- To discourage begging/whining when you cook or snack,
Don't feed scraps directly to the cat, in the kitchen.
If you are giving anything to the cat, it goes in the bowl.
- When the cat STARTS misbehaving, give it a bit if a hiss
as discouragement. If it doesn't listen, carry it (feet dangeling)
to another room, and put it down. If it doesn't listen to the
warning a second time, carry it to the room, and close the door
for 10 minutes. After a few weeks of this, the cat gets to know
that a hiss, or sharp word should be respected, or you get carried
away.
- In general, cat's are not trainable for detailed things
but you can communicate enough to make them bahave, and like
puppies, or kids too small to talk- you can discourage negative
behavior, and reward good behavior with action and aproval..
- Cats can actually pick up on a small vocabulary of words, if
used consistantly, and with actions to match, for instance
I've used:
- WorKing: meaning I want left alone with my things
- Foood: with spoon tapping food bowl = come and get it!
- Soup: special treat, like tuna juice poured on cat food
- BAaad Boy: I don't like what you just did- must be immediate
- Goood Boy: (smoother tones, of course)
- Driving: Attention, car about to go, get away
- Bedtime: Attn, if you want to come in, this is last chance
- Short Hiss: Stop and think- you are being anoying
- Throat Hiss: Danger, or I'm really mad. Go away !
- Musical gurgle: Hello, I noticed you, and I'm open for petting.
- For positive bonding, Be sure to seek the cat out,
instead of just shooing away and waiting it come back
on it's own. That way, the cat gets comfortable with you
stopping by for 'a quick pat', adn doesn't think that every
time you call it's name, or scratch it's ears, you mean food.
- Note: three water guns in the kitchen, living room, and office
make for good enforcement. It doesn't hurt the cat, and keeps
you from chasing the cat, just to puck them up. The chasing
is sometimes easier for teh cat to avoid, than for you to catch.
And the cat may decide it LIKES the chase too much.
Eventually the cat starts to recognize the squirt guns, and
you don't even have to shoot, just reach for it.
- I think you can figure out much of it from there.
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