How to Train Your Cat to Stop Bad Behavior

You may love your cat more than anything in the world, but sometimes you can’t tolerate certain behaviors like biting things, scratching people, and going into unauthorized areas. frequent. You’ll need to exercise patience and stamina to stop your cat’s bad behavior. With the right techniques and certain adjustments to your routine, you will be able to prevent your cat from engaging in negative behavior.

Table of Contents

Identify the cause of bad behavior

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Understand most common behavior problems in cats. While every cat has its own personality and may have unique problems or bad behaviors, they generally manifest in seven ways: ^{[1] X Source of Research}

Avoid or refuse to use the toilet tray.
Mark furniture and other items with your urine.
Scratch on household items and other items in the house. The cat can also scratch you or other people while playing fights.
Behaving aggressively towards others, even their owners.
Behave aggressively with other cats in the house.
Expressing stress or anxiety.
Shows fear of objects or people.

Expert’s reply

Ask

One wikiHow reader asked, “Can cats learn if they are punished?”

Pippa Elliott, MRVCS

Veterinarian at Royal Cplege of Veterinary Surgeons

Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Then, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian in a clinic for over a decade.

TIPS FROM THE PROFESSIONAL

Answer from Pippa Elliott, MRCVS:

Pippa Elliott, a licensed veterinarian, said: “Not exactly. Cats will learn, but not what you want to teach, to be more precise. Cats fail to connect “cause and effect.” Like us, if you punish your cat for jumping on the kitchen counter, they won’t connect the punishment to their behavior, but to you.In the end, cats will learn that they should fear you, not not. jump on the table”.

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Bring your cat to the vet clinic for a checkup. Sometimes cats react by acting or showing behavioral problems because they are having health problems. For example, your cat may refuse to use the litter box because he has a urinary tract infection, or, he may be aggressive because he is in pain somewhere you see. Some cats may become fearful of people or objects if they have vision problems; or, they may lick their fur excessively if they have hyperthyroidism. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Bring your cat to the veterinarian for a check-up to detect health problems that cause the cat to exhibit bad behavior and treat it promptly so that the situation does not get worse. If your veterinarian has confirmed that your cat is perfectly healthy, you can focus on other environmental issues that may be leading to unwise behavior in your cat.

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Identify the living conditions associated with unwise behavior in cats. Once you determine that your cat does not have a health problem, you need to consider what is causing the cat to exhibit one or more bad behaviors. Analysis of environmental causes leading to bad behavior in cats: ^{[3] X Research source}

Dirty or uncomfortable litter boxes make the cat dislike going to the toilet in the litter box.
The cat is being bullied by another cat in the house, leading to avoidance of the litter box and aggression.
A newly adopted cat causes the cat to mark its territory with urine. A new dog in the house can also cause your cat to appear fearful or aggressive.
Lack of scratching post, resulting in scratching on furniture and other household items.

Correct bad behavior

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Avoid verbal or physical punishment of the cat. Physical or mental punishment is one of the least effective methods of correcting bad behavior. In fact, hitting or berating a cat can make them appear more fearful around you, become shy, and exhibit more aggressive scratching/biting behavior. Your cat will continue to misbehave when you’re not around, and over time, it learns that it won’t be punished if the bad behavior is out of your sight. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Physical or emotional punishment is generally less effective, does not deter a cat from engaging in bad behavior, and is a short-term solution to a cat’s problems. Besides, these punishments also create a more stressful atmosphere for you and your pet. While it’s hard not to hit or scold your cat when they’re disruptive, such as when they’re marking urine on furniture or defecating on the carpet instead of going to their separate litter box, it’s important to keep a bottle. Stay like a master and try to apply other techniques more effectively.

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Apply remote adjustment. This technique associates an unpleasant surface, scent, taste, or sound with bad behavior to deter the cat from engaging in the behavior. You can use items available in your home to make remote adjustments, such as: ^{[5] X Research Source}

Surfaces: You can put sticky paper, aluminum foil, or non-slip plastic floor mats on areas you don’t want your cat to go to. Cats generally don’t like walking on these textures.
Smell: You can use scents that cats don’t like for areas you don’t want them to enter. For example, place a cloth or cotton ball soaked with conditioner, perfume, room spray, citrus scent, aloe vera, eucalyptus or wintergreen essential oil on the object or surface to be restricted. cat.
Taste: You can rub certain foods onto surfaces that your cat likes to chew or scratch, such as bitter melon, citrus flavored products, chutneys, cayenne pepper, or aloe vera gel. Gradually, the cat will form a relationship between the “obnoxious” taste with that object and surface and does not want to touch it anymore.
Sound: Use sounds that startle cats to deter them from performing bad behavior or walking on a surface. You can whistle, ring a bell, or shake a metal box with a few coins inside. Try using noises instead of your voice to startle your cat at the moment he’s about to do something you think is bad, and over time, your cat will associate the behavior with the annoying sound.

Adjust your cat’s environment and lifestyle

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Keep the toilet tray clean. If your cat is acting away from the litter box, it’s important to maintain the cleanliness of the litter box to encourage them to use the litter box. This includes shoveling and changing the sand/soil every day, cleaning the litter box once a week, and making sure the litter box is attractive to cats. Most cats do not like to use litter boxes with lids or bags because they feel uncomfortable, so limit their use of these types of trays. ^{[7] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

If you have more than one cat, each cat should have its own litter box and an extra one to reserve. Try to place litter trays scattered throughout the house so that each cat has enough space and privacy when going to the toilet. Find a quiet area in your home where your cat can defecate while looking around to see if anyone is walking behind her.
Make sure the litter box is large enough for the cat to sit comfortably and that there is about 3-5 cm of space left in the tray. Cats usually don’t like to go in litter boxes that are too full of sand.

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Provide scratching post and daily playtime. Most cats show bad things because they feel bored or motivated, so it’s important that you commit to playing with them every now and then. Use one or more toys to play with your cat to prevent him from playing rough with your hand or arm. Focus your cat’s attention on toys during playtime, and change toys each week so she doesn’t get bored. ^{[8] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to Source}

Scratching posts are very effective in preventing cats from scratching furniture or fabric objects in the house. Place scratching posts in common areas of your home or in your cat’s favorite spots.

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Use pheromones in indoor cats to reduce stress. If the cat begins to use urine to mark or urinate in the wrong place, the use of synthetic cat pheromones will be very effective. This substance helps cats reduce stress and prevents them from marking their urine on furniture when feeling anxious or scared. ^{[9] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

This pheromone is usually sprayed with a diffuser or aerosol and is available at pet stores.

Steps

Identify the cause of bad behavior

Correct bad behavior

Adjust your cat’s environment and lifestyle

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