I found a kitten on my front porch a few months ago and I kept her. She had no collar on and I had not seen or heard any cats around the neighborhood that could be her mother. But now she seems to think that she is the boss of the household and she attacks everything. I know that there is a way to tell dogs that you are the boss but I dont think it works with cats. ANy suggestions?
2007-01-31 09:12:31 · 15 answers · asked by certified_bossy51293 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Feeding. Do not feed the cat in the house and spray him/her with a spray bottle (just a squirt) when they get out of hand. Worked for me. I've had my cat 10 years.
Good Luck!
'-)
2007-01-31 09:17:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're right, cats aren't like dogs - they don't operate in a pack and have an 'alpha' cat that they accept leadership from, so there really isn't a way to establish dominance over a cat. It's just more of a friendly relationship.
If your kitten is still pretty young, it sounds like she may just be trying to play with everyone, and it's getting out of hand and turning into play aggression - see this article for an explanation and how to deal with this: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=playaggression
If she's tearing you & the dogs up with her claws, you can trim the sharp tips off - see this page for instructions:
http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm
the main http://www.catscratching.com page has good info on teaching cats to scratch appropriate surfaces & leave the furniture alone, if that is a problem with her.
If she was a kitten when you found her, and you've had her a few months, it should be time to get her spayed soon, if you haven't already done that. Cats can go into heat & get pregnant as early as 4 or 5 months of age sometimes, so it's important to get her spayed ASAP.
Good luck with her!
2007-01-31 17:52:33 · answer #2 · answered by Bess2002 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Would that there were a Cesar Milan "cat whisperer" as he works so effectively with dogs. And cats are not dogs and don't respond well to training. With cats the best way to train is to use the martial arts approach and work you way "around" bad cat behavior rather than dealing with it head on.
So chose the behaviors you want to estinguish wisely and keep them to a minimum for your sanity. Sounds like your kitten needs to be "put in her place" with some gentle corrections and redirecting of obnoxious behaviors. Kittens are notoriously uncooperative if you attempt to extinguish their natural energetic and non-stop "madness". They do grow into sedate and loving adult cats so it may just be a matter of time.
2007-01-31 17:39:20 · answer #3 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Have you ever had a cat before? They are always the boss and usually don't care what we would like even if its them! The only thing that might work is repetition but as soon as you turn your back they will most likely return to what they were doing. It the nature of the beast.
2007-01-31 17:35:35 · answer #4 · answered by Lisa B 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Good Luck - out of all the cats I have ever owned...I had their respect, but was never their "Boss". :) The only thing you can do is let them know when you disapprove of something they do, but you can't dominate a cat because they will just lash out and become mean, bite and scratch people from then on out. My dogs were better students then my cats!
2007-01-31 19:34:52 · answer #5 · answered by Jo 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Kittens will test limits I know. Never hit them to discipline - it only teaches them to avoid you. What I do to snap my cat to attention whenever he is about to do something naughty is to either "pssttttt" real loud or clap my hands real loud. The sound usually startles the cat into stopping dead in his tracks. But when my cat has done something he's not supposed to do, I will immediately pick him up and ut him in the "sin bin" - that's his carrier strategically placed in the most boring room in the house - the laundry. 5 mins to 10 mins tops. Both methods have worked very well with my two cats.
2007-01-31 17:42:10 · answer #6 · answered by Phoebhart 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
With cat's you are NEVER the boss. You want something to boss around, get a dog.
2007-01-31 17:33:00 · answer #7 · answered by EYoungmom88 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, personally. What I did to my cat was I bought a little kitty kennel and whenever it did something naughty I put him in there for about five to ten minutes. Then after a while, he knew he did something he wasn't suppose to.
Or I even got a spray water bottle and sprayed him wet. Hope this helps you.
2007-01-31 17:19:31 · answer #8 · answered by snape_fan_2005 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You know there is a saying. "Cats were worshiped as gods and have never forgotten it"
There are some sprays you can get at the store to keep them away from the real important stuff.
2007-01-31 17:23:46 · answer #9 · answered by SHAy 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
from my experience with kittens they like to play and attack things. cats are a stubborn animal and i dont know of anyway except to ignore the kitten when he attacks things. or get a water bottle and spray it when it does something wrong.
2007-01-31 17:18:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋