Why you shouldn't hit cats - warnings and how to educate them

Trainer Yu. Kuklachev created a “School of Education” for cats, but excluded mentoring and violence from it. Yuri Dmitrievich encourages his colleagues to love and study furry students. Over the course of 40 years of work, the chief cat expert in Russia has accumulated 4 boxes of diaries of observations of them.

But age-old folk wisdom encourages “stick” methods for educational purposes. “Just show the beaten cat the vine,” says the Russian proverb. So is it possible to punish a cat? Is corporal punishment acceptable in relation to the most sensitive and sophisticated mammal? Let us turn to the opinion of animal psychologists.

The inner world of a domestic cat

The domestication of the furry predator began 9.5 thousand years ago. But even today he behaves as if he is patronizing a person. Cats tend to become attached to the house and owners and establish emotional contact with them. However, they easily return to a wild lifestyle.

Unlike a dog, a cat has not lost the habits of its distant ancestors and has retained the independence of a lone predator. Scientists say: genetically she has not changed. This cannot be ignored when solving the problem of how to punish a cat.

Folk wisdom

There is a popular saying: pregnant women should not hit cats. And not only to beat, but in general to offend in some way. Of course, popular rumor says that this can affect the child's health, as he will have birthmarks or be nervous. In fact, this sign has a very realistic justification.

The fact is that during pregnancy, the cat’s owner abruptly switches her attention to the unborn baby. The expecting child receives all the tenderness and care that the cat previously received.

This causes jealousy and resentment in cats, because they only seem to be self-sufficient and independent, but in fact they really need our affection and are attached to us. Therefore, during this difficult period for a cat, any action that may offend her will have a very strong impact on her. Some cats may never forgive their owners after this - they will stop being affectionate and act as if they have been replaced.

"Crimes" and punishments

One can only adapt to the habits of semi-domesticated “dwarf lions”. The main principle of education is not to suppress, but to satisfy the needs of a willful animal. Otherwise, the cute kitten will turn into a secretive and vengeful beast. Let's consider the typical offenses of meowing pets and competent methods of “re-education”.

How to punish a cat if she shits

An animal must be toilet trained from the first day it arrives in the house. It’s better to buy two trays: cats prefer to go to different places when they need to be small and big. Every time after eating, it is recommended to take the kitten to the toilet and reward it for correct behavior.

A serious mistake is using newspaper as a filler. It is not able to absorb moisture, and the cat’s wet paws will carry specific odors throughout the house. This will inevitably lead to hygienic disorientation of the animal and conflicts with the owners.

How to properly punish a cat in this case? The usual method - “poking with the snout” - will only add to the problems. The pet will understand it in its own way: “That’s right, continue to act this way.” If you add “spanking” to “poking,” fear and resentment will settle in the cat’s soul. Productive ways to solve the “toilet” problem are obvious: changing the filler and/or moving the tray to a place that is comfortable for the cat.

In relation to an adult mischief maker, it is recommended to use different tactics. You should start from understanding the reason for what is happening. When fauna children mark territory, they are claiming leadership. Therefore, the cat must be made to understand: the dominant role in the house belongs to the person.

It is important to catch the miscreant at the “scene of the crime”, lift him by the scruff of the neck and look intently into his eyes (according to the cat’s rules: whoever doesn’t look away wins). It is advisable to reinforce the psychic attack with a threatening hiss and imitation of a cat's finger strikes on the muzzle of the mustache.

Then the owner of the animal must “interrupt” the cat’s marks with human ones: wash the puddle and wipe the floor with his own sweaty T-shirt or splash his favorite toilet water.

How to punish a cat for aggression

The unfriendly attitude of the meowing companion will be “told” by the ears pressed to the head, the fluffy or nervously tossing tail.

We list common reasons for cat aggression and ways to eliminate them:

1. Malaise. The cat may be bothered by tooth or joint pain, stomach upset, or nausea. Medical attention is definitely required here.
2. Emotional deviations. Premature weaning from its mother and siblings results in the kitten’s inability to self-control. You should not separate your baby from the family until he reaches the age of 2-2.5 months.
3. Fear of human hands. The phobia is inherent in street “foundlings” and kittens not accustomed to affection. Adaptation of the “savage” will require time, patience and tact.
4. Defending the right to personal space. Cats quickly get tired of games and cannot stand intrusiveness and noise. They should have “their own corner” - a secluded and safe area (under a chair, on a windowsill, in a playhouse) where they can hide, retire, and relax.
5. Manifestation of the hunter's instinct. The natural state of a predator is to overtake and attack fleeing prey. To avoid thinking about how to punish a cat for scratching, you should not use your own hands and feet as teaser toys. The animal must clearly understand: the human body is not a scratching post. If the cat is used to grabbing legs or arms, you should not fuel his excitement with screams and lamentations. Punishing a predator for its hunting instinct is nonsense. You should switch the animal's attention to inanimate objects: balls, laces, ribbons with a tied bow. At first, to avoid scratches, you will have to trim your nails regularly.
6. Longing for the “bride/groom”. It is not punishment that will help extinguish a cat’s sexual behavior, but a civilized solution - castration or sterilization.
7. Jealousy of the cubs. You shouldn’t hold a “watch” or pick up newborns if the mother cat is against it. Over time, she will warm up and share her squeaking “treasure” with her owner.

Cat scratches are by no means harmless. Cats carry bacteria that cause a dangerous disease called felinosis. At risk are the elderly, children, diabetics, and people with weakened immune systems.

Advice from a zoopsychologist

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Animal psychologists recommend analyzing the causes of unprovoked aggression. It is possible that the animal may have a mental illness that requires medication correction. But before making such a diagnosis, it is necessary to exclude standard causes that cause aggression.

Note! Cats convey a lot of information to their owner through their body language. Most of them try to avoid collisions, and they attack, as a rule, when they feel in danger and begin to defend themselves. If the owner does not have the opportunity to cope with the problems of aggression in an animal on his own, then a good way to change the situation is to turn to a professional, that is, animal psychologists. They will professionally advise you on how to correct your pet’s behavior.

Owners must remember that aggression and jealousy do not just appear in an animal. If cats do not get along in the same apartment, you need to love, pamper them and be sure to praise them if they coexist peacefully. You cannot kick out an animal while the owner is playing and petting another pet. It is necessary to show your love and favor so as not to cause rivalry among them. Good owners always remember that it is pointless to show your authority in front of a cat, since the animal may become embittered and stop trusting its owner. The most important thing is a kind and equal attitude towards pets and, of course, love, which will help eliminate hostility and rivalry among furry friends.

Acceptable penalties

Writer A. Zhvalevsky ironically noted: meowing creatures carry out only those commands that they like. How to punish a cat for bad behavior?

Let us highlight the most intelligible and humane methods:

• threatening gestures with the index finger in front of the cat's nose;
• light edifying tapping on the forehead;
• a reproachful remark made in a quiet but impressive tone;
• punishment in the form of a weak spank with a towel, napkin, newspaper, broom;
• placement in “forbidden” places of objects that can make noise and frighten the cat: balloons placed on the edge of a computer desk or the windowsill of empty tin cans.

To conclude the conversation about how you can punish a cat, let us remember the witty remark of B. Shaw. The great humorist believed: a person is only as cultured as he is capable of understanding the mischievous consciousness of a cat.

Tender beast

Kittens are fluffy little balls of love that cause nothing but affection... until you bring them into your home. Yes, they are funny and playful, but all cats are animals with character. So be prepared for their mischief and curiosity, which makes you climb the curtains to the ceiling or study the window sills with flowers. A cat feels like a full-fledged mistress in its territory, and if you want to set boundaries for it and dictate your own rules, you will have to do it not with force, but with cunning. Under no circumstances should you hit her.

© shutterstock

Hitting a cat is not only a pointless activity, but also harmful. And not only because you can’t offend your pet. Living with her under the same roof will also become very difficult. A cat's sadness and resentment very easily turns into anger and rage. So, if a pet is beaten, such a parenting strategy will most likely lead to the animal growing up to be mischievous, aggressive and bullying.

A cat plays with a dolphin - video

Raising any pet involves punishment. But it is important to remember that educational methods should not be violent or cruel. If there is a small kitten living in the house, then you should treat it more leniently. Over time, he will understand what he can do and what is strictly prohibited. The same applies to adult animals - sometimes they need time to get used to something new and unusual. It is important that the cat understands its owner, and is not simply afraid to perform some actions.

Is it possible to hit a cat for educational purposes?

An animal that has committed some bad act does not always understand what it has done. Most often, cats play or look for a comfortable place. For example, if a pet climbs onto new furniture, then it seems comfortable to him. In such cases, the cat cannot be punished. It is advisable to buy her a special soft bed or lay a blanket on the sofa so that it remains in its original form longer.

The same can be said about broken dishes, souvenirs, vases - this is a game for a pet. He sees how the fragments fly in different directions, and this arouses interest. Breaking and breaking household items is common for small kittens.

The animal tears wallpaper, furniture and carpets with its claws - a sign that it urgently needs a scratching post. If it is not there, then there is no point in scolding the cat - the owner is to blame. And if there is, then it either does not suit the pet, or he does not understand its purpose. In such cases, it is necessary to show the kitten the place where the claw sharpener is located.

Be sure to encourage the animal if it does everything correctly - pet it, scratch it behind the ear, treat it with delicious food.

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In order for the pet to understand and assimilate the rules that its owners force it to follow, it is necessary to correctly approach the punishment for cat misconduct:

• Under no circumstances should you play or pet a kitten immediately after being scolded. The animal will not understand what the owner wants to say with this gesture. If you behave this way, your pet will become afraid and avoid people.
• There is no point in punishing an animal if the offense was committed a long time ago. That is, a person who noticed a plate broken by a kitten only a week after the incident should not scold his pet. The animal has long forgotten about this incident, so the punishment will be perceived as something undeserved, and the owner will become an enemy.
• You can't hit cats too hard. Any physical impact will cause physical or psychological harm to the pet. Also, do not spank the kitten on the head, neck and back - there are nerve endings in this area, and a blow will cause severe pain. If your pet does not understand facial expressions, gestures and intonation, then you can lightly tap its face with your finger - this way the cat will understand that it has done something forbidden, and the owner will not cause it pain or injury.
• There is no need to scold your cat if he tore up the furniture in the place where the claw sharpener used to be. He performs the action intuitively. In this case, you need to return the scratching post to its original place or try to show the animal a new place. Punishment in this case is senseless and cruel.

It is important to remember that a kitten is capable of doing something accidentally or unconsciously. There is no need to try to harm or hurt the animal. The cat must be punished in such a way that it understands both its action and the person’s attitude towards this offense. Otherwise, the pet will be afraid and distrustful of the owner for a very long time.

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In the most common situations, you should act as follows:

• If an animal sharpens its claws on wallpaper or upholstered furniture, you should scold it and take it to the scratching post, pointing your finger at it.
• If a cat drops or hits household objects, the animal must first be scolded, and then the things must be put away out of reach of the pet.
• If a cat jumps on the kitchen table or appliances, then it needs to be picked up and placed on the floor, gesturing with the index finger and pronouncing the name in a threatening intonation.
• If your pet defecates in shoes, on the floor or on the sofa, then you should show him the tray so that he gets used to fulfilling his physiological needs in one place.

Many owners adore and idolize the "kote", allowing them to steal food from the plate, scratch furniture and sleep on the owner's pillow. If you don’t raise a cat after six months, the simplest combing of fur results in bitten hands and terrible stress, not to mention nightly praises and tactless invasions of personal space.

Only through learning the correct behavior and upbringing does a kitten become a member of the family. You shouldn’t turn an animal into a petty tyrant with your own hands.

To raise a respectable cat, it is important to follow the diet and basic rules of nutrition:

1. They feed 4-5 times a day (one-time treats are not taken into account).
2. In order to properly raise and instill in a kitten the manners of refined food consumption, only one place for feeding is allocated.
3. A bowl of water is required.
4. They either provide ready-made professional food or immediately formulate a natural diet.
5. Everything that is not eaten at once is removed.

The cat’s eyes are unhappy, and she asks so pitifully - it’s simply a sin not to give the cutlet from the owner’s plate. If he steals something from the table, we won’t become poor. This is how the owner loses sight of the kitten's upbringing. And after a month the animal turns into an arrogant, ill-mannered, plump sausage with legs. Another extreme: pour a bowl of dry food (forgetting about water).

To avoid provoking your kitten to steal from the table, do not leave food (for humans) in easily accessible places. Not every cat born on the street will steal food from its owner. This is not a hunting instinct, as some people think, but permissiveness. If you are caught at the “scene of a crime,” spray it in the face with water (preferably from a spray bottle), slap it with a magazine with the command “no!”

Advice. For cats, hissing means aggression: adult cats make similar sounds before attacking. In order to defend his piece of sausage (and not only), the owner needs to learn to imitate a cat's hissing and it will become easier to raise.

Another problem in the education of gastronomic values: the pet refuses to drink from a bowl, but laps up the water from the tap. This could be a game. But better:

• replace the plastic saucer with a ceramic or metal one due to the unpleasant odor;
• do not give untreated water (who likes the smell of bleach!);
• Wash the bowl and change the liquid regularly.

To prevent flowing water from becoming the only entertainment, give a couple of toys, they will instill in the cat awareness and proper prioritization.

When there are several kittens in a litter, and the breeder feeds everyone from the same bowl, there is no time to think about proper upbringing; you have to quickly snatch away the tastiest things. If the baby pulls food out of the bowl and pulls it into a corner, lay an oilcloth there and slowly move the bowl to a place that the pet has determined is safe.

Communication in the game is useful. The owner raises a kitten, a girl or a boy, and learns to understand the mood by facial expression and posture in an interactive way. The baby understands how to behave and what line is not allowed to cross when playing with a person.

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Hyperactive animals lack movement. To raise an affectionate cat, use:

• balls;
• clockwork and regular mice;
• rubber toys.

When the kitten, having started playing, grabbed his hand:

1. They command “no”.
2. As punishment, they lightly spank the ears, flick their fingers on the nose, or blow on the muzzle.
3. Have water on hand - spray from a spray bottle.

Leave the animal alone for 20-30 minutes. If the attack continues, for educational purposes, lock the cat in the room until it calms down.

play with him in protective gloves (such as an oven mitt); review the diet, give him a decoction of catnip; show your pet to the veterinarian.

Predatory play behavior, when a baby rushes from ambush to its feet, is a hunter’s instinct. Often the kitten does not have enough toys and is bored. Educational games will help to properly educate and correct behavior:

• mazes with a mink “guess where the food is”;
• tracks with a “catch the prey” ball;
• fluffy squeaking mice.

When several kittens live in a small area, fights are inevitable. Competition for a tasty piece, the warmest place, free access to the tray forces him to show his teeth. To prevent conflicts, the owner is obliged to create comfortable conditions for everyone (at a minimum, their own tray and plate).

Animal psychologists distinguish several types of aggression. Understanding a cat's behavior strategy will help you understand how to properly punish and educate it. There are 3 varieties:

• Defensive. If you want to take away a toy, offer a treat in return.
• Maternal. The kitten, a girl, copies the behavior of an adult cat: creates a “nest” and protects the “offspring.”
• Aggressive. The owner himself often encourages an attack in the game, then the cat asserts itself.

Punishing a cat correctly means stopping in time. As practice shows: first the owner turns a blind eye to the pranks, then in anger he throws or hits the kitten, sometimes damaging the paws and spine.

If you notice incorrect behavior, start training immediately. Otherwise, the “action-punishment” connection is lost, and the kitten begins to fear the owner.

In general, there is a lot of controversy regarding the advisability of keeping a cat in the house with a pregnant owner. Indeed, cats are carriers of a huge number of different ailments. This is mainly toxoplasmosis or worms. If you become infected with this disease at an early stage, you can give birth to a sick child. Toxoplasmosis in pregnant women often leads to the birth of disabled people and children with serious disabilities. More information about toxoplasmosis can be found here.

Consequences of infection with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy:

• Damage to internal organs in a child
• Brain damage in the fetus
• Anomalies in the development of the liver and its function (jaundice, congenital hepatitis)
• The birth of a baby with acute toxoplasmosis, which leads to deafness or blindness after a few years

But it’s not just about diseases that cats carry. People have a lot of beliefs and beliefs regarding animals.

Signs associated with cats:

• If you hit a cat, the baby will be born with a hairy back
• If you kick an animal, it may be born prematurely
• If you kick or spank a cat, the baby may be born with damaged legs. People believe that this can cause children to be born with club feet, cerebral palsy and deformed legs.
• Your child may develop spots or moles with hair on their back or other parts of their body.

Ways to punish a cat:

• Place mothballs in flower pots. This smell scares away animals, and the cat will no longer go to the toilet in a flower pot.
• Place mousetraps near areas where your cat should not go. Cover them with sheets of paper to prevent damage to the animal's paws. When you step on the mousetraps, a popping sound will be made. The animal will be frightened and will avoid such areas.
• Fill a tin can with coins and place it near you; as soon as you notice that your pet is mischievous, throw this “rattle” into it. The animal will be frightened by the loud sound.
• If your pet climbs up the curtain, direct a stream of water from a spray bottle at it. Because of the cold and wetness, the cat will jump off the curtain and run away. After two times of such exposure, the pet will bind the curtains and moisture, and will no longer crawl on the curtains.

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The best way to stop a cat from misbehaving or going where it is not supposed to is to place repellent objects in these places. Cats are afraid of noise and water.

Cautions

Another reason why hitting a cat is absolutely forbidden is its vulnerability. Namely :

• Cats are small and their bodies are fragile; if we do not calculate our strength, we can cripple them. Under no circumstances should you hit a cat on the head - this will cause a concussion with all the attendant negative consequences.
• You also need to be careful with the area where the spine meets the tail. For a cat, this is a very sensitive area, similar to our solar plexus - there are many nerve endings there. Hitting this place means causing very severe pain.
• Take care of your pet’s mental health - if a cat is frightened and beaten, it will get used to living in constant fear. This will cause many problems that are very similar to human ones. Scientists have proven that animals can also experience post-traumatic disorders, they can suffer from depression or panic attacks. But, unlike people, cats have no one to help them cope.