Disciplining Sokoke Kitten

[CookieNDA]

Hello everyone! I'm Ruth, mommy to Cookie who is almost three months old. Cookie is a Sokoke (Sokoke mix?) who is super energetic, loves to run, hide, jump, claw, bite, but all in fun! I currently have her in an apartment that is pet free, but I'm moving in a week and a half to a pet-friendly apartment. She has a bad habit of chasing everything (very much a kitten and I don't want to curb her too much), climbing on my laptop, moving the touch-screen, chewing the screen, and batting at my eyelashes. She's gotten better about biting me and using her claws. She understands what "no claws" and "no biting means" but she also does things she knows she shouldn't and runs away as soon as she hears me coming. She is very intelligent and, I believe, very sensitive. I read that she shouldn't be yelled at as it makes her feel upset, but she just runs away when spritzed gently and then comes right back to what she was doing as if it's a game. That's part of the problem is she's too playful and takes most things as a game. Quite the mischievous baby! Any ideas about how to discipline her effectively?

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Meow]

You can try using citrus scented wipes, cleaning spray or air freshener. Cats usually tend to avoid any citrus scented things and it eventually might make these places/items undesirable.

 

[ArtNJ]

For the laptop, I'd just use the pick up, put down, repeat 300x method. It often works eventually, and its less traumatic on both of you. Also works, or sometimes doesn't, on kitchen tables and countertops. For stuff like biting, I use a loud "no!" which is also not instantaneous, but often works eventually if its loud enough to be slightly startling. Squirting doesn't bother some cats at all, and it seems doesnt bother your kitten, so I'd stop that. Many here are against it generally, but its not doing anything for you regardless.

 

[CookieNDA]

For the laptop, I'd just use the pick up, put down, repeat 300x method. It often works eventually, and its less traumatic on both of you. Also works, or sometimes doesn't, on kitchen tables and countertops. For stuff like biting, I use a loud "no!" which is also not instantaneous, but often works eventually if its loud enough to be slightly startling. Squirting doesn't bother some cats at all, and it seems doesnt bother your kitten, so I'd stop that. Many here are against it generally, but its not doing anything for you regardless.

That's exactly what I've been doing! Thanks! Yeah, I barely ever spray her. She just runs around and does whatever she wants afterward. She's currently darting across my bed and stalking my typing hands hahaha

 

[CookieNDA]

You can try using citrus scented wipes, cleaning spray or air freshener. Cats usually tend to avoid any citrus scented things and it eventually might make these places/items undesirable.

Thank you! That sounds like a good plan!

 

[Caspers Human]

Cat discipline is a tricky subject.

You can verbally scold a cat when it misbehaves but you have to be careful about yelling at it.
The difference is subtle but important.

As an example, let's imagine that I caught our cat, Casper, scratching furniture.
First, I would use the same voice a parent might use when they catch their kid with his hand in the cookie jar... I would say, "Cas-PER!"
If that didn't work... "Casper, no!" If it still didn't work, I'd clap my hands or stomp my feet and repeat, "Casper, no!"
Then, if he had his "three strikes" and still didn't stop, I'd walk over to where he is, pick him up and take him away from the place.
I would get a toy and play with him in order to distract him from scratching or I'd show him where his scratching post is and encourage him to scratch on the post.
Once Casper stopped misbehaving and started doing the alternative activity that I presented him, I'd tell him "Good Kitty!" and give him lots of pets and attention.

The only time I would ever actually holler at Casper is if he was doing something really bad or dangerous like going onto the stove.

The "Scold and Correct" method works much better on cats than the "Yell and Punish" method.

Cats don't think like people. When they get punished, they don't associate the punishment with the crime in the way most people think they would. Instead, they usually associate the punishment with the person who does the punishing. Cats will respond, much faster, to being rewarded for doing what their human wants them to do. If you reward them for scratching their scratching post instead of furniture, they'll learn much faster than they would if you yelled or squirted them with water.

If, instead, we punished Casper for scratching furniture, he would only learn to not do it while we are watching. He would just wait until we left the room before he tore up the sofa.

Bottom line... If you want to teach a cat discipline, you have to learn how to out think the cat.

 

[danteshuman]

I do very high pitch “ooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwee” that startled them whenever I get teeth or claws. It works. Plus the high pitch noise is what kittens do when they hurt each other. I do over Re-act. That said my half siamese boy is stuborn!

I spent a year trying to get him to quit attacking my legs when I was on the toilet. Finally I gave up and hung a couple of wand toys on the handrail in the bathroom. I just distract him with play. (I couldn’t lock him out to start with his severe separation anxiety after a failed adoption. Plus his litter boxes are in my very large bathroom.)

I rarely used to use a squirt bottle. It didn’t really train him. However when I did, it was after his 3 rd or 4th scold plus a warning shake of the bottle. Then when I squirted him, I aimed for his feet or right in front of him.

Now when I have a massive headache or he is being super naughty because he has cabin fever, I give him a break in the bedroom for a half hour. One time with a migraine I gave him an hour so my medicine would kick in. The time out let’s him reset & focus his play energy on something else. Plus it can give you a break when most needed. I think the time out works better then the squirt bottle.

Fake hissing at him and doing the slow leg wave as I’m coming in the door has taught him to back up 5 feet or get up on the cat tree as I’m entering.

Buying cord protectors and moving your cat a few hundred times to their bed on the computer table works better. You can even buy heated beds or laptop shaped scratchers for her to be on instead. Sticky tape or motion activated air puffers train cats to stay off the counter.

Now he has learned if I start to get up, then he needs to stop his naughty ness before I get up and move him. He knows I mean business!

 

[CookieNDA]

Thank you everyone! These were very helpful! I, too, avoid using a spray bottle. I feel bad using it. Thank God I'm moving to a pet-friendly apartment so it's okay if I have to be louder with her. She also responds to yelping in pain as the last response mentioned. I do it and pretend to lick my hand after she claws me. She now responds to me saying "no claws" or "no biting" which is awesome!