Buzz
You may love your cat more than anything in the world, but there are certain behaviors, like scratching furniture, biting others, or entering restricted areas, that you simply cannot accept. You will need to practice patience and endurance to prevent your cat from exhibiting bad habits. With the right techniques and a few adjustments to daily routines, you can stop your cat from acting negatively.
Steps
Identify the Cause of the Bad Behavior
Understand common behavioral issues in cats. While every cat has its own personality and may face unique issues or exhibit different bad behaviors, there are seven common types of behavior problems to look out for:
- Avoiding or refusing to use the litter box.
- Marking furniture and other items with their urine.
- Scratching furniture and household items. Your cat may even scratch you or others during play fights.
- Aggressive behavior toward others, even toward their owners.
- Aggressive behavior toward other cats in the home.
- Showing fear toward objects or people.
Expert's Response
Question
A Mytour reader asks: "Can cats learn if they are punished?"
EXPERT ADVICE
Answer from Pippa Elliott, MRCVS:
Pippa Elliott, a licensed veterinarian, explains: "Not exactly. To be more precise, cats can learn, but not necessarily what you want to teach them. Cats do not connect 'cause and effect' in the same way we do. If you punish a cat for jumping on the kitchen counter, it won’t associate the punishment with its behavior, but with you. Ultimately, the cat will learn to fear you, not to stop jumping on the counter."
Take your cat to the vet for a health check. Sometimes, cats exhibit certain behaviors because they are facing health issues. For example, a cat might refuse to use the litter box due to a urinary tract infection, or it may act aggressively because it’s experiencing pain somewhere you can’t see. Some cats may become fearful of people or objects due to vision problems, or they might excessively groom if they have hyperthyroidism.
- Take your cat to the vet to rule out any health problems causing bad behavior and get timely treatment to prevent the situation from worsening. If the vet confirms that your cat is completely healthy, you can focus on other environmental factors that might be influencing its behavior.
Identify environmental factors linked to inappropriate behavior in cats. Once you’ve confirmed that your cat is not suffering from any health issues, it’s time to consider what environmental factors could be influencing their negative behavior. Here are some potential causes for bad behavior in cats:
- A dirty or uncomfortable litter box, which makes cats unwilling to use it.
- Being bullied by another cat in the house, leading to avoidance of the litter box and increased aggression.
- A newly adopted cat, prompting your cat to mark its territory with urine. A new dog in the house could also make your cat feel fearful or aggressive.
- Lack of a scratching post, leading the cat to scratch furniture and other household items.
Correcting bad behavior
Avoid using physical or verbal punishment on your cat. Physical or emotional punishment is one of the least effective methods for correcting bad behavior. In fact, hitting or scolding your cat can make it fearful of being around you, causing it to become more timid and potentially more aggressive, such as scratching or biting more viciously. Your cat may continue the bad behavior when you're not around, eventually learning that it won’t be punished if the bad behavior occurs out of sight.
- Physical or emotional punishment tends to be ineffective in curbing bad behavior and only provides a short-term solution to the issue. Additionally, it creates a more stressful atmosphere for both you and your pet. While it can be difficult not to scold or punish your cat when it misbehaves, such as marking furniture with urine or using the wrong spot for its bathroom needs, it’s essential to remain calm and apply more effective techniques.
Use remote correction techniques. This method involves associating an unpleasant surface, smell, taste, or sound with negative behavior to discourage your cat from repeating it. You can utilize common household items to implement remote corrections, such as:
- Surface: Place sticky tape, aluminum foil, or a non-slip plastic mat in areas you want to keep your cat away from. Cats generally dislike walking on these types of surfaces.
- Smell: You can use scents that cats find unpleasant to deter them from certain areas. For example, place a cloth or cotton ball soaked in fabric softener, perfume, air freshener, citrus, aloe vera, eucalyptus oil, or cedarwood oil on objects or surfaces you want to limit your cat's access to.
- Taste: Rub bitter-tasting foods on areas your cat likes to scratch or chew, such as bitter melon, citrus-scented products, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or aloe vera gel. Over time, your cat will associate the unpleasant taste with the object or surface and avoid it.
- Sound: Use sounds that startle your cat to prevent them from engaging in bad behavior or jumping on surfaces you don’t want them on. You can try whistling, shaking a bell, or using a metal can filled with coins. Using sound, rather than your voice, can help startle your cat at the moment it’s about to do something undesirable, and gradually, your cat will associate the bad behavior with the unpleasant noise.
Ignore your cat when it begins inappropriate behavior during playtime. If you notice your cat suddenly becoming rough or aggressive during play, try correcting the behavior by ignoring them.
- You can do this by walking into another room and closing the door. Wait until your cat calms down before engaging with or touching them. Your cat will learn that bad behavior during playtime causes you to become upset and will avoid repeating it in the future.
Adjusting the environment and lifestyle of cats
Maintain a clean litter box. If your cat seems to avoid the litter box, it's crucial to keep it clean to encourage usage. This involves scooping and replacing the litter daily, cleaning the box weekly, and ensuring the box remains inviting to the cat. Most cats dislike covered or enclosed litter boxes because they don't feel comfortable; therefore, limit using these types of boxes.
- If you have multiple cats, each one should have its own litter box, plus an extra one as a backup. Try to place the litter boxes in different areas of the house so each cat has enough space and privacy. Find a quiet spot where your cat can use the litter box while keeping an eye out for anyone approaching from behind.
- Make sure the box is large enough for your cat to sit comfortably, with about 3-5 cm of extra space in the box. Cats typically avoid using boxes that are too full of litter.
Provide scratching posts and daily playtime. Most cats exhibit bad behavior because they are bored or frustrated, so committing to daily playtime is essential. Use one or more toys to engage with your cat to prevent them from playing roughly with your hands or arms. Focus your cat's attention on toys during playtime, and switch toys each week to keep them interested.
- Scratching posts are particularly effective in preventing cats from scratching furniture or fabric items in the house. Place the posts in common areas or your cat's favorite spots.
Use pheromones to reduce stress in indoor cats. If your cat starts marking with urine or urinating in the wrong place, using synthetic cat pheromones can be very effective. These pheromones help reduce your cat's stress and prevent them from marking furniture with urine when feeling anxious or scared.
- These pheromones are typically dispersed via diffusers or sprays and are available in pet stores.
