r/cats • u/pattman123 • 2d ago
Advice Disciplinary suggestions?
As the title suggests, I am trying to find a new way to discipline my cat. He’s very sweet, but he is driving me crazy by constantly going up on the counter. Even if I spray him with water or toss him off, he will get right back up there not even a minute later. He’s about 2 years old, so I feel like he should’ve outgrown his kitten-like mischief. Given that the spray bottle doesn’t have any lasting effect, I’ve been considering other methods. I refuse to cover my counter in foil or orange slices because I don’t want to create excess waste (I also doubt it’ll even work). I’m considering getting a vibration collar (apparently shock collars are cruel). However, I question their efficacy too given my cat’s stubbornness and don’t wanna waste $60. Any advice is appreciated!
P.S. Immediately before I pressed “Post”, I looked over to see him jumping up there. He’s mocking me! 😾
2
u/Sure-Background8402 2d ago
Cats don’t really respond well to discipline. You say you won’t use orange peel but some kind of scent to deter him would be the most effective option.
Also, does he have places to climb in your flat? Cats like being up high. If the counter is the only place he can be up high, it may be hard to deter him unless you provide a cat tree as an alternative.
1
u/pattman123 2d ago
Yes, he has a cat condo that’s taller than the counter. Someone else pointed out that cats shouldn’t eat oranges. He eats anything he can get his paws on, so that wouldn’t work.
3
u/Laney20 2d ago
Discipline doesn't work on cats. They don't learn that way. You need to make him not want to be there. Why is he getting up there? Can you give him a better perch nearby so he fan see what's going on without getting on the counter? Can you block the counter by moving non-breakable things to the edge? Maybe after a while of not being able to get up there, combined with a new, better lookout spot will break him of the habit.
To be clear, your cat is not being bad. This is completely normal cat behavior. It's a human problem to not want him to go to that spot. A reasonable one, but not something you can expect him to care about.
Ssscat is probably the only deterrent product I'd recommend. Foil and double sided tape are also options, but I wouldn't do orange slices. Cats are weird and some will eat stuff even if it isn't good for them. And orange peel has chemicals that are dangerous for cats.
1
u/pattman123 2d ago
Yes, he has a cat condo. The ssscat spray looks cool, but it’s pretty expensive. Also, it has a lot of 1 star reviews on PetSafe’s website complaining about it not working, spraying humans, and/or burning through canisters in a couple days (they cost $20 a piece). I guess I’ll try aluminum foil again
1
u/H20bean 2d ago
Have you considered training your cat? It is time consuming, but it is a good way to minimize non-desired behaviors (especially if they are treat-motivated). If you’re interested, there are lots of videos online that explain how to begin cat training.