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Naughty spoilt cat |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 1,141
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Naughty spoilt cat
How do you discipline a cat, is it even possible? Our cat is about 1.5 years old and she's now taken to ripping the wallpaper. She got an awful habit of ruining the woollen carpet She goes mental if you don't pick her poo up after she's visited her litter tray. If she doesn't get her way she sulks and scowls. She has always gotten her way since she was a kitten and she rules over us. If you don't let her in to the room, she yowls loudly and shreds the carpet and scratches the door. Is it too late to teach her she can't have her own way when she demands milk, tuna, food or wanting us to let her in and out. Why oh why did I spoil her so much
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#2 |
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Costa Del Sunstroke
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I don't know much about changing the cat's behaviour, despite having 5 cats over the years and currently spoiling rotten the new one! However, my Mum's cat used to shred the wallpaper, usually in one particular area, this paper was lovely and bumpy. She attached a square of carpet to the area the cat scratched most and he was then happy to claw away and no more damage done. The cat obviously liked this area as a scratching post, so she made it into one.
I hope someone can come along with advice about the rest of your kitty problems. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 229
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She sounds like my cat, except for the wallpaper thing, I have painted walls, she's five now and she's never improved, in fact she's an even bigger diva now, love her to bits though.
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#4 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 21,977
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Quote:
How do you discipline a cat, is it even possible? Our cat is about 1.5 years old and she's now taken to ripping the wallpaper. She got an awful habit of ruining the woollen carpet She goes mental if you don't pick her poo up after she's visited her litter tray. If she doesn't get her way she sulks and scowls. She has always gotten her way since she was a kitten and she rules over us. If you don't let her in to the room, she yowls loudly and shreds the carpet and scratches the door. Is it too late to teach her she can't have her own way when she demands milk, tuna, food or wanting us to let her in and out. Why oh why did I spoil her so much
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#5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 85
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When it yowls for food, ignore it.
My cat is like that, it good eat non-stop! Wired, he doesn't like Whiskers any more...? Plus he takes my other cats food! |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Midlands, UK
Posts: 10,943
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Quote:
How do you discipline a cat, is it even possible? Our cat is about 1.5 years old and she's now taken to ripping the wallpaper. She got an awful habit of ruining the woollen carpet She goes mental if you don't pick her poo up after she's visited her litter tray. If she doesn't get her way she sulks and scowls. She has always gotten her way since she was a kitten and she rules over us. If you don't let her in to the room, she yowls loudly and shreds the carpet and scratches the door. Is it too late to teach her she can't have her own way when she demands milk, tuna, food or wanting us to let her in and out. Why oh why did I spoil her so much
![]() As for the litter tray, you're right that you shouldn't be 'forced' to clean it straight away, as long as you do clean it within a reasonable length of time. Both the RSPCA and cat behaviourists will tell you, that not only are dirty litter trays revolting and unhygienic, some cats don't like treading on their own poo during their next visit anymore than we would. Cats do have 'some' sense of hygiene. You're right not to give in to food demands and you need to be consistent about never giving in - just like with small children. Do make sure there's water available in the house at all times, preferably away from the food dish, as many cats follow a natural instinct not to drink water next to a source of food. Good luck.
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#7 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,242
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She sounds like she might be a little bored to me, which can make cats come across as neurotic. Is it safe to let her out, or would it be feasible to get her a playmate?
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#8 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 1,141
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We do let her out whenever she wants except in the evening and night time but she's a timid scardy cat and meiows loudly to be let in again after a few minutes. Trying to encourage her to go outside is a total failure, she prefers to run upstairs and hide. When it's slightly raining she won't go out or when the wind howls she won't go out or when she hears the neighbours children. Even other cats scare her. She's wuss. We do have scratching posts and toys for her.
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#9 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,179
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Quote:
How do you discipline a cat, is it even possible? Our cat is about 1.5 years old and she's now taken to ripping the wallpaper. She got an awful habit of ruining the woollen carpet She goes mental if you don't pick her poo up after she's visited her litter tray. If she doesn't get her way she sulks and scowls. She has always gotten her way since she was a kitten and she rules over us. If you don't let her in to the room, she yowls loudly and shreds the carpet and scratches the door. Is it too late to teach her she can't have her own way when she demands milk, tuna, food or wanting us to let her in and out. Why oh why did I spoil her so much
![]() Does she have a scratching post? If not get a good tall one and if possible put it where the favourite wall paper ripping spot is. When the wallpaper gets replaced put up a smooth one. Is a cat flap possible? So she can get in an out without you? Milk - unless it's cat milk she shouldn't have it. Tuna should be an occasional treat, not a regular thing. Finally, could she be bored? Bored cats do more things that annoy us. I never realised how much two cats can entertain each other until I got two kittens. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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Finally, could she be bored? Bored cats do more things that annoy us. I never realised how much two cats can entertain each other until I got two kittens.
I also changed his scratching post to an upright one, as I found out that cats can have preferences. Shadow, the geriatric, likes a scratch mat, but this clearly didn't suit Woody. I got him an upright post and straight away he used it. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 1,141
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I have introduced her to my sister's cat and my partner's dog. She hates the dog and naturally hisses at him. She does the same to my sisters cat. You could be right and she may well be bored. I'm afraid if we buy a new kitten and Snowy hates her what do we do then? Tough decision.
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#12 |
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Middleton
Posts: 13,831
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Too late to teach her now, I'm afraid, and it's virtually impossible to discipline a cat anyway, especially if she has several difficult behaviours. The wallpaper thing might be fixed by spraying her with a water spray when she starts doing it, since that's a new one. Keep her claws clipped as short as they can go (get the vet or an experienced cat groomer to do it), that will also help. Get earplugs for the yowling!
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#13 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,242
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Quote:
I have introduced her to my sister's cat and my partner's dog. She hates the dog and naturally hisses at him. She does the same to my sisters cat. You could be right and she may well be bored. I'm afraid if we buy a new kitten and Snowy hates her what do we do then? Tough decision.
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#14 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,179
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Not too tiny a kitten - at very very least 9 weeks, preferably a bit older. I would try a rescue, and see how they will be about the kitten coming back. So long as there isn't open warfare and fights the kitten will at the very least stop her being bored simply by being there.
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#15 |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 582
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You can tell cats off. Next time she goes to scratch the carpet or wallpaper make a loud vocal noise at her and give her a squirt with a water pistol. If she's responsive to cat nip then rub some on her toys and scratching post and see if that deters her at all.
You can get cat deterrent pellets which you could try putting down on problem areas. Plus maybe cut up some lemons and put them down near the regular areas where she scratches? They usually hate the smell of citrus. You could also try investing in a cat tree to keep the boredom at bay. Plus do you regularly groom her and play with her? It does sound like she's attention seeking. I think having a cat flap is a really good idea too because then she can choose to go in and out on her own terms. Our cat pokes only the top of her head out of the cat flap two or three times before going out as she is very much a scaredy cat too! She often runs in through the cat flap when something outside scares her, so a cat flap may reduce any anxiety your cat may have about being left outside and not being able to get back in. Also, when you say that your cat yowls loudly to get into the room, are you talking about your bedroom? Our cat used to be awful at yowling to get into the bedroom very early in the mornings, simply because she wanted some attention. She gets shut in a room downstairs at night now with everything she needs. It had to be done because it got to the point where she was waking me up in the middle of the night playing with things and she would pee on the bed when something spooked her. Your cat may be yowling to get in because she knows there's a comfortable bed waiting for her. If you make the bed as uncomfortable as possible for her and clap her off it every time she tries to jump up then she may get the message that it's not her territory and it should become less appealing for her to yowl about. Don't feel guilty about it, cats can sleep anywhere...they're just opportunitists when it comes to big, comfy, human beds! I don't think getting another cat is necessarily going to help her behaviour at all. Cats are loners by nature and it's quite a gamble in my opinion. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,462
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Of course she rules - dogs have owners, cats have staff / slaves!
Does she have a scratching post? If not get a good tall one and if possible put it where the favourite wall paper ripping spot is. When the wallpaper gets replaced put up a smooth one. Is a cat flap possible? So she can get in an out without you? Milk - unless it's cat milk she shouldn't have it. Tuna should be an occasional treat, not a regular thing. Finally, could she be bored? Bored cats do more things that annoy us. I never realised how much two cats can entertain each other until I got two kittens. Shes a lap cat, while he now towers over her & he dissapears sometimes for a day at a time (whilst I bite my nails!). Sorry, back to my main point! If I just had the mother, it wouldnt work, she prefers company, and when Im not there, he gives her that. Infact, his prescence brings out the 'kitten' in her, and she oftn instigates the play fights round the garden & back into the flat! |
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