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Unwanted scratching can become a nuance, but your cat's scratching is a completely normal behavior. Learn how to stop cats from scratching places you don't want them to - like your beloved reading chair.
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Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It may be helpful for you to provide more details as to what behavior you're trying to correct in Sabbath. As you have found out spraying with water and tapping or hitting never work. These punishments can actually make things worse and are not recommended. Positive reinforcement and consistency are key in any training. A Feliway diffuser may help you as well. Again, depending on the behavioral problem there may be different solutions so more details are helpful in Sabbath's case. If you are running into problems a consultation with your veterinarian or even a boarded veterinary behaviorist will help. They can even discuss behavioral medications if necessary.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Cats will scratch where ever they see the opportunity. Unfortunately, it is not always where we want them scratching. I would encourage him scratching appropriate areas by attracting him with food, treats and/or catnip on/near his posts. Cats hate if sticky things touch their feet. Often just a piece of tape (made into a loop with the sticky side out) placed in the corners will stop them from scratching the carpeted stairs. Some stores sell specially made double sided sticky strips as well. I would recommend giving those a try.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that Bingley is being so bad! First for your sanity, at night I would confine him so he isn't keeping you up at night. Put him in the basement (with food, water and litter boxes) or a separate room. That will keep him from getting in to things and allow you to sleep. The good news is that he will grow out of this behavior, he is very young still. As for getting up on the counters, etc: cats like high places. First provide alternatives, get a couple of cat trees or other things to enrich his environment. Make sure all food is put away and the facet doesn't drip so he isn't attracted to the counters. Then you have to make the counters unpleasant: cover the counters with textures cats hate — aluminum foil is one example; cardboard covered with double-faced masking tape or shelf liner is another. No, you won’t have your counters covered forever, but you will need to keep them covered while your cat learns to use the new perches. For the more determined cat, you can look at harmless automatic devices that discourage counter cruising by making sounds cats dislike when they trigger a pressure pad or electronic eye by jumping up. I hope this helps and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Uh-oh, naughty Cassie! This is tricky. In general, when we're trying to shape our pets' behavior, of course we want to reward behaviors we like and either ignore, punish, or redirect behaviors we don't like. We want our pets to learn that "good" behavior gets rewarded, and "bad" behavior does not. The tricky part here is that Cassie has started misbehaving - but every time she succeeds in stealing food, or playing with something she shouldn't, if it's a good experience for her, she is essentially "rewarding" herself. We need to stop her ability to reward herself - and I'll be honest with you, it's challenging! My advise is that Cassie not be unsupervised around *anything* that she might get into, until these behaviors stop. This is easier said than done! But, again, every time she does these behaviors and has a great time doing them, she is solidifying the behavior. We cannot punish animals after the fact - we have to respond to them in that moment or they do not make the association. So, she cannot be allowed to get into real food without someone there to intervene. Again, I realize this is not easy advice - but unfortunately behavior issues generally require time, energy, diligence, and patience to correct. So, if you have a room in the house where there is nothing Cassie can get into, I would place her there when you are not home or are unable to watch her. Otherwise, make sure she is in the same room as you so you can catch her "in the act" when she is getting into something she shouldn't. You could also invest in a large cat playpen such as this one: https://www.chewy.com/midwest-collapsible-cat-playpen/dp/45740?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=MidWest&utm_term=&gclid=CKHwxcaC9dQCFQONaQodFwwFog&gclsrc=aw.ds ...where Cassie can spend her time unsupervised (overnight, etc). Make sure to place safe toys, cat treats, etc where she is confined so she still has things to do. She can then "earn" more unsupervised freedom around the house as you work on these behaviors. If you're still running into trouble, I would recommend chatting with your vet. They will likely have recommendations for trainers or behaviorists in your area who could consult with you. I know this is not an easy fix - but I hope it helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
You can try putting double-sided sticky tape on the walls where she tends to scratch - most cats don't like the feel of this on their paws, so it helps to discourage scratching in unwanted places like this. It's also important to make sure that Tabby has lots of other things she can scratch and climb, such as cat trees, cat condos, and tall, sturdy scratching posts - these things will help to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior.
Updated on September 24th, 2025