How do you punish your kitten?

Question

I got a kitten, she is 9 months old. She keeps attacking my other 5 year old cat. I yell at her and easily spank her but and then put her in my room for a few minutes by herself. It isn't really working. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Two ways I'd think to ' punish ' your cat.

First, the legendary squirt bottle. Spray it right on her fur and calmly say ' no ' in a stern but loving way. When ( or if ) they get along one minute, praise her that she's getting along with the other one.

Second is, tap her nose when she is bad.Just take your two fingers and tap her not hard but not so soft. Say ' no, bad cat ' once again to her.

The way your punishing her obviously doesn't work. Spanking her most likely would make her scared of you. Putting her in a room by herself is bad since by the time you get her in the room, she's forgotton what she's done. Quick punishments right after the action has been done helps the cat understand what they did wrong.

Answer 2

More than likely, they are just playing. Do you hear any growls or hissing? If not, it's totally just play.

Any sort of "punishment" needs to be done within seconds of the incident. This way, they associate the punishment with what they did, and hopefully, not do it again. This is why putting them in another room doesn't work. Too much time as elapsed and they have no idea why you put them in there. Plus, most cats like alone time anyway, so it probably isn't a big deal for them.

And since cats respond more favorably to positive reinforcement, any sort of yelling, hitting, etc just won't work and will cause them to be afraid of you.

If you do use the squirt bottle, the key is to not let them see you doing it. Otherwise, they will associate YOU with the water. Never squirt in the face, either. You can get water into their ears and cause an ear infection.

Answer 3

Cats should never by punished physically, so please don't spank her anymore as she won't understand why you are being mean to her. Nor will putting her in a separate room for a few minutes help as she won't have a clue why you are doing it. I never use the water spray method myself, I find that simply saying "no" is enough to discipline them. Cats respond very well to positive reinforcement, so I make a special point of really praising them when they do something good.

Did you take time to introduce the kitten into your home and your existing cat? If generally they are getting along well together are you sure that they are not just play fighting? Your five year old cat (unless very timid) should be able to handle itself against a kitten. My two cats play fight all the time and occasionally the boy gets a bit too rough for the girl's liking, in which case she will hiss at him which is usually enough to make him back off. If he persists in harassing her, I just say "no" in a firm voice and then move him away from her if he doesn't stop immediately.

To be honest, unless you hear a lot of growling and hissing or your older cat seems distressed, then I think they are most likely just playing rough. (If they happen to be indoor cats, they have a lot of energy that needs to be burnt off).

You don't say what gender your existing cat is, but have you had both cats spayed/neutered? If not then please do so as this will also help calm them both down and make them less likely to fight over territory.

Good luck.

Answer 4

This is what we do-
The first time just spray her with a spray bottle and firmly say "No, (cat's name)."
The second time spray her again and say louder and more firmly "NO (cat's name)"
The third time she does it, pick her up, look her in her face and say (not as loudly as before, you don't want to make her too scared or deaf) "No (cat's name)" and put her in a bathroom for about 10 minutes.

When you spray her, aim for her facial area. It seems harsh, but some cats may actually enjoy getting sprayed on their side or legs, especially when it's warm out. And after you take her out of the bathroom, make sure she knows you don't hold any grudges against her and treat like you would treat her any other time-gently, and kindly.
The next time she doesn't attack the other cat, give her a treat or scratch her behind her ears or her chin. Let her know that you love it when she is nice to the other cat.

Of she is being overly violent to the point of causing the other cat injury, it's ok to put her in the bathroom the first or second time, just as long as she gets the point.

Good luck with your cats :)

Answer 5

Everyone else is right with the spray bottle or squirt gun. Every time she attacks the cat spray her until she learns it's a no-no!

Answer 6

I have an eight month old kitten. When I wear my fuzzy blue house shoes, she attacks them and goes crazy. Actually, what I have come to realize, is that she is really playing but ,at the same time. learning to defend herself against my wicked blue slippers .

Answer 7

I had the exact same problem!
The first thing you need to do is fill a spray bottle with water. KEEP IT WITH YOU. Whenever the kitten makes a move to attack your older cat, spay her. NEVER PHISICALLY HURT HER! Use these tips. I hope they help!

Answer 8

There is no point smacking or shouting at a cat, you'll just irritate or scare them. I wouldn't use this method for discipling a child who speaks the same language as you, never mind an animal.

Use the spray bottle idea.

Chalice

Answer 9

Using a little mist from a spray bottle worked for me when I had to break my cats of bad habits.

Answer 10

Use a spray bottle or put here in the bathroom for 5 minutes.