do cats learn/change?

Question

will my kitten stop jumping on the furniture wheh she gets older or if i let her do this now will she carry on all the time

Answer 1

Do you have a spray gun?
When our 2 cats were kittens, we trained them not to jump on the kitchen counters by spraying them with water. They now WILL NEVER go near the counters...at least not while we are home.
Who knows what they do when we are at work!
LOL

Answer 2

You have to teach a kitten just as you would a baby. If you let them do things like bite your hands when you play with them or jumping of furniture, then that's what they will do when they grow up. Training a cat just takes a little time and persistance. You have to always tell them no when they do the thing you don't want them to do. Squirt guns are a good training aid for stubborn cats who refuse to listen. Also time outs for bad behaviou will work. Don't even hit a cat or kitten to punish them for bad behavior. It doesn't work. It can make the cat mean or intoi a very insecure cat that hides all the time. I want to also advise you not to consider declawing. I add that as you were speaking about furniture. Declawing a cat is inhumane and should never be done for any reason except whem medically warrented for the cats health, ( As if claws are growning into the paw pads)

Answer 3

Kittens can be house trained, the problem is they look so cute that house training can be a problem. Cat lovers admire their beloved bundles of fluff and are amused by a young cats behaviour, so much so that the thought of admonishing a cat or attempting to curb some natural habits is ridiculous. But if you don't your furnishings will end up clicked, scratched, well worn, occassionally prone to fleas and loads of loose fur.

To assist your young cat settle in you should buy;-

a) two cat scratching posts- as claws need to be kept trim and preferably blunt - otherwise your cat will use furniture, any raised and embossed wallpapers and your coconut matting welcome mat at the front door...

b)a cat basket so it does have its own bed with removable cushions and covers - not hygienic for the cat to sleep in your bed. Fleas can survive on humans for three days before needing a furry host. Eggs and larvae can survive outside of the host and live in carpets and soft furnishings.

Fleas do not survive for long in water so if your kitten is truly a kitten start bathing it in water with a mild pet shampoo. Always dry your kitten off with a towel and if it will tolerate it the hair dryer on warm or put on a household fan. You must keep the kitten warm. Do this once weekly, for ever. Whether your cat has long or short hair you should try to groom it also.

If your kitten is 12 weeks or more you will need to comb it gently through once a week. As a washing habit has not been established. Flea sprays and insecticides should not be used until the cat is at least 6 months old and preferably older. Once your cat is older if it seems to be irritable fleas may not be the only problem at this stage have your cat checked over at the vets.

c)Plus a cat litter tray, linings and litter - be careful how you handle this as the first six months of a kittens life, is also the same period in which viral and bacterial problems can be passed from kitten to human. After this period has elapsed it is highly likely your cat can catch more from you.

d)Your cat also needs its own bowls to eat from.

Look after your cat and your cat will give you years of laughter and joy.

Kittens can be trained and if you don't whatever habits you allow to stay will be there in the adult life of the cat.

Enjoy.

Answer 4

Well my male cat has been jumping up wherever he can since he was small. He hasn't stopped. He quite audacious.

We have tried to get him to stop but he's just very persistant. Hopefully your cat will be different (especially if it is a girl though, it is easier).

Cats do learn and change, by the way. It's up to you to be consistant with the way that you treat your cat and hopefully it will know how you respond when it does 'naughty' things and it will also remember what is good/okay.

Answer 5

You need to stop her doing it as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is to simply put her straight back on the floor as soon as she jumps up and say a firm "no". At first she might think that it is a game but eventually she will get the right idea. You need to be consistent though, you need to do it every time she jumps up, rather than forgetting on occasions, as that will just confuse her.

Yes I do own a cat and my parents foster unwanted cats (they currently have 6 ranging from 19 years old to 2 years old).

Answer 6

Yes i have 2 cats and they always jump and sit on the furniture but if you don't want them to you could probably teach them not to by stopping them doing it now but its not a bad thing they just want to be like you

Answer 7

Ha Ha Ha, good luck with that. You may have to get scat matts, they give off a small electrical charge to scare the cat, and keep it off the couch. Just remember, if you allow it now as a kitten. Then you have a comfy lap cat! And keeps you warm on the couch...Hope you have a good vacuum?!

Answer 8

If you have cats in your home, they will expect to be treated like one of the family. You can always gently move them to say a window sill which they will then adopt as their own seat but they will always use the easiest way to reach it. Also yes , if you allow your pet to sleep on chairs or beds it will always try to continue.
Margaret

Answer 9

Cats do learn habits at a young age, but if youre willing to spray them with water or make the phssy sound at them, they soon learn to be detered from this. has your kitten got enough to play with? they usually like tin foil screwed up-hours of fun-flufffy mice and catnip etc. to keep them amused. cats can be savage when bored..............

Answer 10

You've got to do training early. It can be hard work, so don't be lazy about it - if there's something you want to correct, you have to do it every time. Some people train with a snap of their fingers, but I like to use "no". A spritz of water does wonders.