Disciplining Your Cat the Right Way

 Most people struggle with the right and the wrong way to discipline their cat. By no means do you want to use hurt tactics. What I've found from owning eight cats of my own since childhood is that a simple spray bottle with water will do the trick almost every time.

For example, if your cat is misbehaving by jumping on counters, or scratching furniture, you can squirt her once lightly with water. The trick is not to let your cat know you are the one spraying her. If the cat knows it's you spraying her when she's misbehaving, she will think she cannot do this behavior only when you are around. So the key is, you don't want your cat to see where the squirt of water is coming from.

A simple product that can be found at any pet store to deter your cat from scratching your furniture are simple "sticky pads" that adhere to your couch without ruining the material. When the cat goes to scratch, their paws stick to the pad (not permanantly) but just enough to deter them from scratching the furniture.

Another great alternative is a product called "Soft Paws". They range from kitten to adult sizes and are soft plastic covers that fit over your cats nails. They cause no pain to the cat and is a better alternative then declawing.

As always, you should have a cat scratching post around the house because a cat's natural behavior is to get a full length body stretch and scratch their nails. They not only want to sharpen their nails but remove dead skin.

By following these simple, gentle methods, your cat's behavior can improve for the better.

About the author:

E. Haines runs the Pet Training Zone web site which provides resources for pet training cats & dogs. You can visit it at www.pettrainingzone.com

 E. Haines

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