We all love our kittens and cats but sometimes do not love their behaviors. Scratching furniture, aggressive behavior towards other pets or people, jumping on the counters, or urinating outside the litterbox are some unacceptable cat behaviors that do not sit well.

Giving praises for acceptable behaviors and warnings for unacceptable cat behaviors play a big role in educating your kitten. Praise can be expressed with loving words, a tender belly rub, or sometimes even with treats (because, as we all know, the way to the heart is through the stomach).

If you need to reprimand your kitty for unacceptable cat behaviors (such as scratching furniture or walking on the dinner table), you’ll have to think like a cat to get results. You’ll get no response, other than confusion, if you try to reprimand naughty behavior hours after the incident.

SCRATCHING

Clawing or scratching is a natural and essential activity for you cat. A cat will scratch for three reasons. She will scratch to hone or sharpen her claws, for these have always been her chief offensive and defensive weapons. She will scratch to stretch and tone her muscles. And, she will scratch to mark her territory. You cannot eliminate the need a cat has for scratching. However, you do not want him scratching up your furniture, speakers, cabinets, etc., But you can teach a cat to scratch in an appropriate place. What can I do?

 AGGRESSIVE CATS

Cats are semi-domesticated animals that revert to their wild instincts—including aggression—in times of play, social interaction and stress. Play aggression can be distinguished from other forms in that it will resemble hunting activity: Cats may hide and pounce on anything that moves, including you! Although your cat is only practicing capturing prey, he or she may become overly exuberant, using teeth and claws. Misdirected aggression occurs when a cat is highly agitated by another animal. Status-related aggression involves conflict in the hierarchy of a multi-cat household. What can I do?

JUMPING ON COUNTERS ETC.

Cats are supreme tree-climbing hunters, with strongly muscled backs and hindquarters that give them tremendous power to jump-either horizontally or vertically. It’s normal for cats to jump and climb to high places as they explore their environment. Why do they love counter-surfing? First, they love heights, also, kitchen counters smell good and cats like fresh running water. Some people think it is OK to let their cat counter-surf. However, this is not wise because of potential hazards to the cats, such as jumping on a hot stove or ingesting cleaning products’ residue that might remain in a sink or on the counter. What can I do?

NOT USING A LITTER BOX

Also, we want our cats to use the litter box that we so thoughtfully supplied.  Our cat, however, sometimes has other ideas of where the ideal place to “do his duty” might be. We want to be able to redirect him the the acceptable receptacle. Urinating away from the litter box may be an indication of a urinary tract infection. If you’re not sure whether the action is just a bad cat behavior that needs correcting, or something more serious, contact your vet immediately. What else can I do?

SPRAYING

Spraying is not a litter-box problem. Spraying is a method of communication for cat. Your cat will leave a small amount of urine on surfaces such as doorways, furniture, etc as a message to other cats. A male cat will spray to tell other male cats that this is his territory. Stress can cause spraying. If a cat feels threatened he may feel the need to define his own zone. What can I do to stop the spraying and eliminate the urine odor spraying causes?

If your kitty continues to disobey, you may want to place your cat in a safe, closed room or its cat carrier for 5-10 minutes, away from toys and family members, to get your point across. You may also try a spray bottle of room temperature water, or a sharp “hissing” sound. Of course, no cat behavior should be reprimanded physically with swatting or hitting. Not only will your cat not understand this type of reprimand, it can quickly break the bond of trust and lead to even more problematic cat behavior.