My cat and I were playing and he lunged to attack me. I instinctively slapped him off and scooted him across the linoleum into the wall. He now runs away and hides every time he hears a loud noise or if i approach him wrong. Is there anyway to reverse this behavior, or have i seriously messed up? (Please don't tell that physical punishment for a cat is wrong, i have searched the internet enough and have personal experience now to know that it is.)
2007-06-15 23:29:15 · 15 answers · asked by James S. 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Just remember that cats are very affectionate creatures. Any retaliation that he does is due to your actions and he is just behaving naturally. Give him lots of attention, cuddling, stroking and tickling to get him used to trusting you again. From his point of view he has been attacked for no apparent reason from someone he loves so it's important to build that love back up again. Give him some treats to eat like a nice piece of fish or meat a couple of times. It may take a little time but animals soon forget 'punishment', they don't forget mistreatment though so go easy on him for a while. He'll be OK in a week or so.
2007-06-15 23:39:48 · answer #1 · answered by quatt47 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The problem with using physical punishment, especially with dogs is that gets them into one of two mindsets: a) You're scary and I don't want to be around you. b) Whoever's biggest and toughest is in charge. The first is problematic becuase you want your dog to come to you and pay attention to you, not run away every time you come close. The second can cause real problems, because the dog could either become more agressive in an attempt to take over as leader or decide that anything smaller and weaker than the dor is something he can dominate (like another pet or a small child.) I agree that time-outs don't work wiht every animal because they have different personalities. Some will knuckle under at the slightest correction, others need a lot more discipline. Anything physical should be the very last resort, after verbal correction, leash correction, spray bottle, and of course, formal training. I wouldn't say there's never going to be a situation where on the spur of the moment you might strike and animal and have that be your best or only option. But since it essentially teaches that agression is a useful tool for getting your way, it should be extremely rare.
2016-05-17 06:50:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Just be nice to the cat for some time and he will learn to trust you again. We have a cat we got from the humane society years ago that we are pretty sure was abused by a previous owner. At first she would only visit us when we were laying down and she was pretty sure she could get away if we moved suddenly. With time she learned we weren't going to hit her and came to trust us. With your cat it should come pretty quickly as it doesn't have a learned history of abuse.
2007-06-15 23:35:44 · answer #3 · answered by Eaving OLarkin 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Every once in a while, take time with your cat to just relax with no sounds at all. Once your cat gets used to being in a soft and quiet enviroment start adding a few little noises in like maybe turn on the TV with little volume. Reward him a little more every time you raise the volume and he stays calm. Maybe as you turn up the volume hold him and pet him to keep him calm.
2007-06-16 01:46:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Physical punishment is never, ever, necessary! Especially with cats! My dad taught me that cats ears are 100 times more sensitive than ours. Use this to your advantage when training them. Clap your hands together loudly close to the cat, or roll up a newspaper and slap it loudly next to the cat when he is doing anything he shouldn't. Learn to use the "Hissing" noise as you do this. Cats are born with the instinct to hissss when they are angry or threatened. It means NO! in cat language. Use these tools with your cat and please, never get physical! I had a terrible experience with my ex-husband. He got angry at my kitten when they were playing and he also slapped her and she scooted across the floor into a wall! He felt just terrible, and so did I. I neglected to take her to the vet to get checked for internal damage (think about how tiny they are next to us). She began to mope and hide and grew weaker and weaker. Still I was "too busy" to get her to the vet. When I came home one day I was greeted by her sister crying in distress. I found my dear little kitty under a chair in convulsions, screaming. She waited for me to come home to die. Even if your cat doesn't show any outside signs of damage, take her to the vet to be checked. I know you didn't mean to hurt her, and hopefully she really isn't hurt. Be extra gentle with her and loving, and she will forgive you. Apologize to her. Communicate with mental images of love. Work at rebuilding trust, and promise her it will never happen again. My heart goes out to you.
2007-06-15 23:47:27 · answer #5 · answered by madamejoanne 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It will take a while for him to forgive you, but he will. You have to earn his trust back. It may take a couple of weeks. If it were your girlfriend, you would buy her chocolates. So maybe with your cat, get some good cat treats. Give him a treat and keep playing with his toys. Even if he doesn't play with you. You would be amazed how fast he will come around if you are playing with his toys.
2007-06-16 00:36:53 · answer #6 · answered by bonnie g 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Oh dear i don't know whether to laugh or cry - on one hand, poor cat! On the other hand, the mental image is one of very black humour!
What I would do is get down to his level and try to make ee contct and stroke him and talk to him in soothing tones so he regains trust in you and knows you love him.
Don't worry, cat's are very resilient and im sure you didn' hurt him much, just a little scare - it is very reversible, just don't panic!
2007-06-16 03:52:56 · answer #7 · answered by Funny_Thing 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of my last pair of cats was a real nervous wreck when we got her but just through time and affection she started to trust us. By the end of her life she was spending a large chunk of her day stuck to my lap like a limpet.
2007-06-15 23:39:22 · answer #8 · answered by EZSum 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, lets say all you can give your cat now is more love. Like give her something to play with and give her kisses, and warn her everytime you try to approach her. Do anything possible to gain her trust again..
2007-06-16 03:19:22 · answer #9 · answered by Iffy J. 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He's probably terrified of you now as he does not know you did not mean to hurt him. Give him some time and lots of love when he will let you and things will get back on track I'm sure.
2007-06-16 00:04:18 · answer #10 · answered by Mr. P's Person 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋