Good cat repellent??

[EWC88]

Hey guys, will this little devil of mine I have is starting alot of disaster. Hes the new kitten that I got, and I took all the suggestions on how to get him to behave but its not working! So I decided I need to get a repellent to spray on things around the house to prevent him from touching them. Espically when Christmas comes around I don't want him up the treat or breaking things. So do you guys recommend any repellents that work???

Thanks

-Erich

[crp]

Try a squirt bottle with water and squirt it when he's doing something you don't want him to. I don't know of any repellant that actually works. Also make sure he has something to scratch like scratching post.

[BrianD]

Your kitten is up a treat?

[Jeffrey Porter]

you could be the first to crate train a cat.

[Aliie]

I crate train all cats that are in the house. It can be done.

Spray bottle with water is a good way and it seems to work well. I'm not into the chemicals because it can discolor your stuff.

[JokerGirl]

You can use the spray bottle with water idea. Another thing that works as well is cayenne pepper, but that requires dusting things with it. It's really good for keeping cats out of your plants/gardens etc...

[fishyvet]

Have you tried Feliway? I haven't used it personally, but I have heard that some people have had good results with this product.

[Aliie]

I hate to say this but I teach mine not to touch the same way I teach toddlers. If they touch it I smack thier paw and say "no" loudly. It's worked with all of them. If they jump on a counter or table I place double sided tape on it and they only jump up there once.

I know call PETA already I'm horrible but my animals are well behaved

[PoukieBear]

Get a dog.

[clavery]

Originally posted by PoukieBear
Get a dog.

- I was just going to post "Want to borrow Scout???" Gotta figure a 115 lb GSD will keep that cat off the furniture!

[crp]

Send Scout to keep Callie off the table!

I left her out of the crate this morning when I left for work. Kids are off from school today. Jean woke up an hour late to see that Callie had taken the big black plastic tape dispenser off the middle of the table and chewed it up

[Anemone]

Cat repellent:

[Coral Dilema]

Lemon juice, spray it on the stuff you dont want them near, use it full strength. Have to reapply every 2-3 weeks

[fishyvet]

Originally posted by Anemone
Cat repellent:

Coyote took one of my cat's legs, but he STILL jumps up on the counter.

[EWC88]

Getting a dog won't work, dang thing loves my dog I already have lol

And I've been trying to do the water in a bottle and squirt him, and yea he runs away but he gets SO intergetic and runs around everything else and eventually goes back at what he was trying to do to w.e I squirted him with to stop. I'll keep trying

I'll look into the Feliway. But for right now I'm going to try water bottle still and either the lemon juice or the pepper...

Thanks alot guys/girls!!!

[Sk8r]

Feliway is not a cat repellent. It is a cat pheromone concoction that can be used in cases of scratching. A cat scratches to 'mark' [not with scratches, but with the chemical glands in its paws] a territory---which is why they scratch at the entry to doors and at the corners of couches, which they view as like a tree.

A cat will not over-mark a 'happy' pheromone: it's like a smile. If you have anxious, scratching behavior, anxiety or fighting, or butt-marking a place, Feliway can stop this by installing a 'smiley' smell on the spot.

HOWEVER: it cannot take the place of training. Put the litterbox, food and water in the bathroom. If you have to leave the house, put the kitten in there with a small rug he can use to lie on for warmth. DO NOT leave a kitten unattended with things in reach you don't want him to touch. [And put the lid down on the toilet. And give him a poofball to bat about: he will get bored.]

But NO unattended stays in the living room with the tree, electric cords, etc. When you are ready to deal with him, bring him from the bath and let him sit with you, or play acceptably with you or near you. If you have to go somewhere for the evening, back in the bathroom.

A kitten can get into way too much trouble otherwise, and learn things that will not amuse you when he is a 20 lb tomcat. As I said, Never hit a cat. They learn to hit back. Use a water pistol from as far away as possible. If you have to physically discipline them, a tap on the nose, a "No!" then a friendly stroke on the back and a hug. Cats are not dogs. They will fight you if you start a fight: they will respond to a mild check and a positive reinforcement. Also if you call and they come, pet and praise: they can be taught to answer to a summons, and this is a great benny when you are trying to find them.

If you will notice what mama cat does to discipine her kittens, it is a paw pat on the nose, then a lick across the ears: I've seen mom-cats run an assembly line for more than one kitten she was calling to task. You will also notice she can call them: kind of an "uuuurrrrrrt?" noise. Kittenhood is the only time of life in which a cat is receptive to learning to 'come here'. If you can learn to imitate that chirrrup it actually works; otherwise, devise a quiet command or just their name, pet and praise; and learn what your cat likes. Some cats love to be cuddled: some don't. A cuddle is no reward to a cat that prefers a scratch behind the ears.
They are individuals. Also, if you have told a cat to "stop that!" and they do, praise and pet. Your ape-ancestry logic about reward and punishment doesn't work with cats: they only understand positive reinforcement and praise. The nose-tap is only to break their concentration on their mischief. It does not punish: it's just a hey-you.
But if you use kittenhood to teach what's forbidden, to teach your cat to come, to allow a claw clip, a brushing, and to enjoy a car ride [bribe with chicken], you will have a much easier time with the adult cat.

[mr9iron]

Originally posted by crp
Try a squirt bottle with water and squirt it when he's doing something you don't want him to. I don't know of any repellant that actually works. Also make sure he has something to scratch like scratching post.

This worked for me.

[Aliie]

That's just mean 9, your wife should treat you better than that

[Coral Dilema]

I saw a couple good cat repealants here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1196244

[EWC88]

Originally posted by Coral Dilema
I saw a couple good cat repealants here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1196244

hahhahaha yea real good cat repellent!

[jenlovesty]

I second the water bottle. We used a super soaker for our kitten. It worked well.

[Ritten]

They learn quick too. Wasn't too long after using the water bottle that I just had to make a sound like pssssst (the sound of the water bottle) and my cat would quit whatever it was she was doing

[chrisstie]

what everyone says here about the water bottle is pretty good but i want to say I really like how eloquent Sk8r is on the matter. The squirt bottle really is only like the paw at the nose - to distract them from the behavior.

If you're going to use it, really only use it when they're right in the middle of something you deem "bad" - they dont know it but will eventually learn.

Here's one thing many folks don't know about cats- some are verticle scratchers, some are horizontal scratchers. If you want to protect your furniture etc the BEST way to do it is to have both types of scratchers available for a kitten to find out which way he or she likes to scratch.

I have 3 (fostering a 4th temporarily) cats and have both- many like the corregated cardboard ones that lay ont he floor so they can scratch sideways - but we have a TALL and STABLE (hard to find both) cat-tree type thing thats carpetted that they love to scratch. This is for them to be able to stretch up as tall as they can and scratch. Most posts are made for kittens and a larger cat will quickly outgrow use of them.

Since we moved in 3 years ago and put down scratchers (when kitten is ~1 year old you can find out if it likes catnip) with catnip ours have been very kind to the furniture and we've had no problems. They really respond well to voice commands and the good scratch or hug for a reward depending on the cat

[batguano]

If none of the above work, hubris has a shot that will resolve any unwanted behavior. The best part is it's a one shot deal ... get it? A one shot deal? I crack me up!