how can I get my cat to behave when ive tried everything and nothing seems to work???

Question

WE'VE HAD OUR CAT SAMANTHA SINCE SHE WAS A BABY. SHE WAS A STRAY WE SAVED FROM BEING HIT BY A CAR. SHES A SWEETHEART VERY LOVING BUT SHE GETS IN TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. ITS CHRISTMAS TIME AND WE JUST PUT A TREE UP AND SHES CLIMBING IT AND TEARING IT UP BUT THATS ONLY HALF OF IT. WHEN SHE STARTS TO CAUSE TROUBLE WE TELL HER "NO" AND GET UP TO GO AFTER HER AND SHE RUNS BUT 5 SECONDS LATER SHE GOES RIGHT BACK TO TRY TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT EVER TROUBLE SHE WAS TRYING TO CAUSE...SHES REALLY TESTING OUR PATIENCE AND YELLING THROWING SQISH BALLS AT HER TO GET HEER ATTENTION OR SWATTING HER DOESNT WORK NO MATTER WHAT WE DO ITS LIKE SHES NOT HAPPY UNTIL SHE GETS HER WAY!!!! WHAT DO WE DO TO GET HER TO BEHAVE???? AND ITS IT WRONG TO LOCK HER UP ALL DAY IN A BEDROOM WHEN WERE NOT HERE OR SLEEPING SIMPLY BECAUSE WE CANT TRUST HER TO BE ALONE????? PLEASE HELP WE NEED ADVICE!!!!

Answer 1

I think you can use a special spray everytime she does something bad
How about spraying her with some water. She will learn.

Answer 2

You've just got to let her do it once. Take anything breakable off the tree. Let her go, don't say a word and pretend not to look at her. Don't make a big deal out of it - She HAS to have her way. Once she does it, she'll be fine and will leave it alone. She'll still bat around at the bottom or take bows off the presents when she's feeling playful. Cat's are soooo weird like that. I just took out all my X-Mas stuff today, remade the whole house, but not the tree. That will happen Sunday and I know that both my cats will do the same thing they do every year. They will act crazy, that tree is possessing their home. They'll take care of it once and be done with it. Hope yours is the same. Just let her get it out of her system.

Add-On - i just read some of the previous answers. I don't agree with locking her up in a room while your gone. That's only going to make her more curious when she's let out. Shes knows she's being locked up because of the "new addition" and she'll take her anger out on it more. Just let her climb it, bite it, play with it, and get it over with. She won't want it anymore. Be sure to ignore her while she's doing it.

Answer 3

Some cats think that you are playing a game with them when you "shoo" them,squirt them with something or otherwise ATTEND to them when they are doing something you do not want them to do. The best way I found to "snap" your cat out of the habit of playing a game with you by climbing up the X'mas tree or breaking things is to remove the cat from the stimulus. YEP - I mean confine him to a room (or rooms) where he won't see the tree. Put his water and food bowl and litter box there with him. Allow him out around the tree only when you can watch him. The moment he makes a move for the tree, walk calmly and casually to him, pick him up, march him back to the room and close the door (I did this to my cats when they so much as even LOOKED at the X'mas tree). Your cat will soon realize that the quickest way to get "banished" is to touch that tree!

Answer 4

It sounds to me that she is bored already. You can spray water at her and say no in a louder than normal voice and lower than normal. But this will take time. I just tied my tree to the stairs to keep my two kittens from ruining it while I was at work. Always remember, patients when it comes to cats, they are more intuit than dogs and least likely to sleep when you think they should. They get bored too, like the Dog Whisper, you have to be a Cat Whisper. Good luck and good patients. Leave them new toys each day to play with, give them alot of attention when you come home. They need exercise and attention, just like dogs do. Think attention!

Answer 5

Get a water bottle and squirt her every time she does it! Cats hate it. Thats how i trained my cat to stay off the shelves.
Also another trick is to put scotch tape on teh tree for a while. Cats hate the feeling of it on their paws. You can take it off after a couple days, because by then she probably won't try it at all.
Try the water before the tape.

Answer 6

Cats are not really domestic animals. They are wild animals that have decided that living in a house has its perks. As my vet's office puts it: Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Cats don't listen, they do what they want, which is why you have some people who absolutely hate cats. There are some sprays you can buy at the pet store that repel cats and dogs. You just spray whatever area you want her to stay out of.

If you do shut her in a room while you're gone, make sure she has her food & litter (obviously) and lots of things to keep her occupied, like toys and a cat tree. One of those floor to ceiling cat trees with several levels is a blessing when you have a really active cat, it keeps them busy.

Answer 7

Try a spray bottle with water in it. You can get them anywhere. Get one with an adjustable nozzle. When the cat starts doing things she's not supposed to be doing squirt her with a stream of water from the bottle. Most cats don't like to get their coats wet and for my cats and those of several of my friends the spray bottle it the weapon of choice in the battle with a stubborn cat. You may still want to keep her in a bedroom when you aren't there. but as long as she has her litter box and water and some things to play with she should be alright. She may get the idea from being sprayed with water that she is doing something her people don't like and stop doing it to avoid getting wet. Depends on how stubborn she is.
LL

Answer 8

Well i had a cat and if u are mean to her she will keep bothering u like once my mom yelled at the cat so she jumped on the couch and started riping the cloth then we started making her toys and giving her her favorite food. My dad was the nicest because he didn't want to hurt her and she started following him everywhere when he went out to take walk if he's in th kitchen or up stairs so i wouldn't yell at her just keep her in the garage (if u have one) and let her in the house in the day time and even let her go outside in the back yard (if u have one) and then pretty soon if u are nice to her then she'll start being polite and won't ruin anything!

Answer 9

for all those with anxiety stricken cats, as in your case, your local pet store has a homeopathical remedy called good cat, its a herbal mixture to mellow cats, and a formula for dogs too, you add just a little to there water and it helps alot. Age can play a factor into things, any cat under 4yrs old is still a teenager/young adult, we all remeber how we were till we hit 30 or so, paitence and love, and always play with her.

Answer 10

well, Masadehkid has the right idea, you need to show the cat positive behavior, honey draws more flies, right ? And it sounds like the way she acts , she wants attention. Start showing her more love and affection, and I bet she will change, and replace her bad behavior with good. This will take some time, and don't yell at her, you first need to change YOUR behavior and then she will change hers. Start petting her lots, she will like it

Answer 11

Cats are totally independent creatures. Its been said that they only tolerate us and we do what they want us to. I can tell Mitzi to "get down from there" or "get out of there" but the bottom line is, they will only do what they want to do. Rule #1: cats will trash a christmas tree if that's what they want to do. Put things up and out of her sight and smell. Mine loves hair rubberbands and trinkets. Nothing is sacred.Bottom line is, there is nothing you can do and nothing you can do will help. Sorry. She will out grow her kittenish tendencies but will you survive?