There are many of us who really appreciate having a cat as a member of the family. We want to share our lives with them and ensure that they have the best of everything we have to offer. At the same time, there are going to be moments that are less than stellar when it comes to having a cat in the home. Some of those moments may come about as a result of bad behavior, and we would want to stop them from happening.
Much of the focus on training a cat is going to be on positive reinforcement, and that certainly is an important factor to consider. At the same time, we don’t want to completely ignore the fact that a cat might just be showing some bad behavior, and we want to stop that problem as soon as we can. This might be by reinforcing our displeasure when that show that bad behavior in some way or another. One way that is fairly common is to use a spray bottle full of water.
Of course, we would never want to hurt our cat when it came to showing our displeasure but a little bit of negative reinforcement may just be the key to getting them to stop whatever it is that they are doing. Many of us would use a loud noise to start, such as clapping our hands or giving them a firm NO. If those methods don’t quite cut it, however, it may be time to use a spray bottle.
If you do some research online, you will find that some people claim that a spray bottle doesn’t work and others say it is the best thing that they did when training their cat. This really has to do with the difference between cats, something that all of us can appreciate. Just as humans have different personalities, cats also have different personalities. Some will respond to the bottle and others don’t.
If you decide to test the spray bottle, just use water on the inside. Adding any type of chemical could be cruel. In addition, don’t continue to follow the cat and spray them once they have stopped the behavior. Once your spray them and they stop, you should stop.
The nice thing about using a spray bottle to keep your cat from doing something wrong is that you won’t need to use it long. At first, you might need to get the bottle frequently but after a few times, they will run before you actually have to spray it. With persistence, you might just see that they eventually get the idea and stop the behavior once and for all.