Curbing Your Cat
by Romi Matsushita.
If your cat's bad behavior is driving you crazy, here are the
best solutions to the most common problems you may be facing.
1. Eliminating Outside the litter box.
Is it your fault or the cat's fault? Many cats won't use the
litter box if it is too dirty. They just don't like it. If you
think this may be the problem, change the litter box twice as
often as you currently do. When your cat goes outside the box,
make like a speed demon to clean all the places the cat goes.
Spray the areas down with Lysol or something similar with a
nice strong smell that will obliterate the blessed odor of you
know what.
What is your cat's favorite place? Put the litter box there.
Maybe if you simply put the litter box in the bathroom, the
situation will change. If it's not in too obnoxious a place,
you can put the litter box on top of the place your cat has
chosen to go to, just to make the point. As a last resort, put
down bleach, safely, in those spots, and cover the area with
aluminum foil.
2. Spraying
Male animals of many different species do this to mark their
territory, and cats are no exception. You may find your cat
does this when it feels threatened, especially by dogs and
small children, or maybe perhaps when other male cats are
around. There is little to be done for this beyond neutering
your male cat. Don't punish your cat for this behavior though.
They won't understand at all.
3. Clawing people
This is another example of something cats tend to do when they
feel afraid or threatened. But again, is it the cat's fault, or
the people around him? If you have a cat that is generally
afraid of children, you should do something about it. Try
exposing the cat to young children in small doses until he gets
used to it. Don't just let children loose around the cat. Have
the child sit in your lap or next to you and feed your pet
kitty treats.
Some cats are afraid, but let's face it, some are just mean to
certain people. As soon as the cat starts clawing or growling,
quickly pick her up and remove her from the situation. If the
object of derision is a family member, try spraying lemon juice
to keep the cat away. Again, try exposing the cat to the person
in small pockets of time, until your pet gets used to being
around that individual. If the derided person is your mother in
law, there may be nothing you can do.
4. Caterwauling
What is that sound? Who hasn't wondered or thought that some
disaster has occurred after hearing their cat making ululating
noises in the middle of the night. Siamese cats actually do
this by nature, so you may not be able to get them to stop, but
other cats do it because they are tired, hungry, or sick. There
aren't many things you can do about this unfortunately. If you
think it's a hunger thing, feed your pet more promptly, and
refuse to feed her when she caterwauls. She won't understand
what you are doing, but she'll almost certainly quit after she
figures out it does her no good. If she caterwauls because she
is in heat, you should get her fixed. For other caterwauling
problems, try to ignore her, and keep her as far away from
yourself as possible. However there are times when your cat
caterwauls to let you know she has done something good. If you
approve of the behavior, by all means praise your pet to let
her know.
5. Running Outside
Curiousity killed the cat. The cliche exists because it's so
true. Indoor cats get very curious about the outside, what's
BEYOND THE DOOR. The first thing you should do is not open the
door when the cat runs out. Try to get the cat accustomed to
the outdoors by getting a cat leash and walking her on it or by
carrying her in your arms when you go outside. Once the mystery
of what's out there is gone, she's less likely to want to get
to it, particularly if you expose her to snow or other extreme
conditions.
Your cat can be by turns lovable and frustrating. Like
children, pets often behave in ways that perplex us. By being
aware of what makes your cat do the things that it does, you
can learn how to curb it's enthusiasm for undesirable habits,
as well as to accept those you cannot change.
About The Author: Romi Matsushita curbs her cat's natural nasty
enthusiasms daily. Find great cat care tips, articles, and
advice at http://www.cat-advisors-online.com
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