Cat Won't Behave No Matter What

[CATZRKOOL]

Let me start by saying I've had cats all my life. I've been around them since I was little. That being said, let it be known that I'm no schmo when it comes to cats and their correcting their behavior problems. Therefore I don't need any patronizing "advice". I need "real" advice.

But what happens when NONE of that works? I mean, not a single one of the traditional methods for getting a cat to cease its actions.

I have a cat. (Actually, I have three currently, but only one is the problem.) She is a year and a half old. Old enough to know better and learn. She is the ABSOLUTE most frustrating cat I've ever owned. No matter what you do, SHE WILL NOT LISTEN.

Not ONE of ANY of the cats I've EVER had has been like this.

For example, say she jumps on the counter and starts scratching at the calendar. I say NO and chase her off. LITERALLY 30 SECONDS LATER (or less) she is BACK on the counter. I get the spray bottle. "NO!" and shake the bottle. She runs off. LESS THAN 30 SECOND LATER: Back on the counter. "NOOOO!" and spray her. 15 SECONDS LATER, back on. "NO! NO! NO!"

I spray her again. She's back on. Eventually, I'm SCREAMING "NO! NO! STOP! STOOOOOP!!!!!!" and spraying her until she is basically SOAKED. But no matter how many times I scream, and no matter how many times she is sprayed, she keeps repeating and not listening. Well, until I've chased her off a dozen or so times.

Again, NO OTHER CAT has been this problematic.

Advice? (she is currently meowing at a closet door which I've chased her away from about 8 times already, screaming "THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE FOR YOU! SHUT UP!")

 

[Willowy]

She's smart. She has found a way to make you act like a raving lunatic. She probably thinks it's highly entertaining . To cats like that, any attention, even negative, is better than no attention. For some things, you may need to just ignore it. When that's not possible, you have to be as unentertaining as possible. Some cats may respond to being shut in a carrier or other room for a couple of minutes (as long as you put her in calmly). But then that might lead to her running away and you chasing her. Which she would find entertaining.

With smart cats like that, I think the book Naughty No More by Marilyn Krieger would help. It's about how to train the cat to do what you want, instead of training them not to do what you don't want. If they find out they can get more attention by behaving the way you like, there would be no reason to misbehave.

 

[RLG]

I read the squirt bottle thing is no good!

 

[chint]

Put double-sided tape on the counter, get a camera-activated thing that blows air on her when she jumps up. Otherwise, just ignore her. Sounds like she's bored or something. She will definitely respond to any kind of attention, so let her find out another way.

 

[Kieka]

I would agree that she is getting attention from her actions so she continues them. She is a smart cat and is just doing what gets a reaction. I have a smart one too and consistent level responses are what works best for him.

Spray bottles are a really bad training method. Cats brains just don't work that way and she doesn't link the spray to the behavior.

5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat

My cats respond the best to a very passive reaction to them being where they shouldn't be. A no initially and if they don't I walk over and move them. They repeat and I repeat. For the closet I would just open it or ignore her or redirect her to a toy or something else.

 

[ileen]

I will check out Naughty No More myself, thanks. Is your non-behaving cat definitely okay hearing-wise? Does she react to loud noises? Maybe she has a hearing issue on top of anything else.

Luciano is very smart in many ways, but never responds to his name or the word No. Do many cats respond to their names?

 

[Kieka]

ileen

All three of my cats know and respond to their names. I am not talking about the general I talk and they listen either. Link will ignore me saying Rocket or Fury. Rocket will come to her name but not Links or Furys. Both of those two know that if their name is said they are in trouble or need to come. Fury.... well he is special (or doesn't care) because he responds to any name. Probably because responding to name equals attention so he doesn't care whose name gives him that.

 

[kittens mom]

ileen

All three of my cats know and respond to their names. I am not talking about the general I talk and they listen either. Link will ignore me saying Rocket or Fury. Rocket will come to her name but not Links or Furys. Both of those two know that if their name is said they are in trouble or need to come. Fury.... well he is special (or doesn't care) because he responds to any name. Probably because responding to name equals attention so he doesn't care whose name gives him that.

Cat owners in general should focus on training their cats so that when they do something undesirable there is a foundation of knowledge for them to understand.

 

[Kieka]

I agree kittens mom Link and Rocket are my cats and I worked with them from the day they joined our home. They both know the rules, have a routine and follow very consistent expectations. They are 3 and 2 respectively and very well behaved adult cats. It isn't easy and it doesn't just happen. They test the boundaries and act differently when I or my parents aren't around so it isn't just habit.

It is very much akin to raising a child in my opinion. Which I do apply the same idea to interactions with my niece who stays with me a few nights a month and I see almost daily. There is probably a reason my niece listens and behaves better with me then her mother.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Do you play with her? She sounds very bored.

 

[kittens mom]

I agree kittens mom Link and Rocket are my cats and I worked with them from the day they joined our home. They both know the rules, have a routine and follow very consistent expectations. They are 3 and 2 respectively and very well behaved adult cats. It isn't easy and it doesn't just happen. They test the boundaries and act differently when I or my parents aren't around so it isn't just habit.

It is very much akin to raising a child in my opinion. Which I do apply the same idea to interactions with my niece who stays with me a few nights a month and I see almost daily. There is probably a reason my niece listens and behaves better with me then her mother.

I'm an old horse trainer and am amazed at the similarities to training a horse and a cat even though they are both completely different in how they view the world. You can force any animal not to do something through fear , at least once. Or you can learn to build on natural behaviors.

 

[NyxHemera45]

I am having a similar problem my cat always wants to bite me even when she's pooped out from play and she doesn't listen like my past cats did. No at all. All the advice I've been getting doesn't work on her

 

[MRG2018]

I am having a similar problem my cat always wants to bite me even when she's pooped out from play and she doesn't listen like my past cats did. No at all. All the advice I've been getting doesn't work on her

During playtime- does she get to catch the 'prey'?

 

[susanm9006]

Definitely some cats are more challenging than others and you need to choose your battles. Yelling, spraying water and getting stressed out do nothing. Putting the cat on the floor a thousand times, making sure there is nothing attractive on the counters and giving them a perch nearby so they can be up high and near you does work. Might take weeks or months, but it will work if you are consistent. Cat insists there is something in the closet? Just open the door and let her look around. Maybe there is a toy in there, maybe she is just curious, it just isn’t worth your energy to fight that one.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with a short time out in a shut room for either you or the cat when you are at the end of your patience.

 

[MRG2018]

Definitely some cats are more challenging than others and you need to choose your battles. Yelling, spraying water and getting stressed out do nothing. Putting the cat on the floor a thousand times, making sure there is nothing attractive on the counters and giving them a perch nearby so they can be up high and near you does work. Might take weeks or months, but it will work if you are consistent. Cat insists there is something in the closet? Just open the door and let her look around. Maybe there is a toy in there, maybe she is just curious, it just isn’t worth your energy to fight that one.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with a short time out in a shut room for either you or the cat when you are at the end of your patience.

Completely agree with you.

My cat does climb the counter, like maybe once in a few days. Because I have a cat tree in each room- he doesnt want to climb doors anymore.

If he scratches a closet door- i open it, let him go inside. I dont open the closet doors above the counter- harder to get him out of that. But I have similar hiding places for him- so he prefers those.

I dont yell at him, dont react, dont spray anything at him, dont raise my hands. And he gets bored of that.
I instinctively react if he does chomp on my hands or feet, but thats cause of the pain. After that- i ignore him, no reactions. The biting has gone down.

Also using feliway- it may have made a difference
Will try Bachs rescue remedy too. He is usually a chill cat, but he gets his share of zoomies in the evening.

 

[NyxHemera45]

During playtime- does she get to catch the 'prey'?

Yes I even let her walk around with it and take it to her "den"

 

[MRG2018]

Yes I even let her walk around with it and take it to her "den"

Maybe over stimulation?
I am no expert at this- otherwise I would have been able to block the playful chomps my cat gives me.