Another Cat Question

caketime

My sister is loving the cat, he follows her everywhere, sniffs everything, and is just adorable.  The only issue she is having is that as soon as she puts food on a table "there is a nose in it" and it's not my hers ;-).  She is saying no and putting him down to be away but he comes right back.  Any other thoughts?

BwayDani

Get a spray water bottle and spray him a little whenever he does something bad, while saying a firm "NO" at the same time.  Keep that bottle on counter so he sees it.  Also, give him treats whenever he is being good

ChloeMarie

Ditto BwayDani's suggestion. Cats arent big fans of water...generally. Unless he's like my cat and actually enjoys showers. LOLIt's definitely her best shot though. Don't drench him. Just a little squirt should do the trick. And definitely treats for positive reinforcement

FutureMrs.Cingire

We use a water bottle most of the time.  We have also tried putting pennies in a coffee can and shaking it (loud noise) to scare the kitty away fro places you don't want them. 

uppereastgirl

Agree with the others.  A few other things-- correction has to be done right away.  If she moves the cat off the table, says no, and then squirts him a minute later when she gets the water bottle out of a closet, he probably won't have any memory about what he did wrong, and will think she's mean.  Also, it helps if the sound/water can come from a different direction so it doesn't think "If I jump on the table, the mean person will squirt me."  You want it more to be a "I don't want to be on the table because when I am on it unpleasant things happen to me."  But that of course isn't always possible.Never hit the cat or tap his nose to discipline.Also, she should try to keep the cat off the table at all times.  It is too confusing to the cat to be allowed on the table sometimes but not at other times.My cats are pretty easy to keep away from food because they get the hint easily, but they will not stay away from water glasses!  I've finally resigned myself to drinking out of Nalgene bottles instead of glasses.  Oh well. 

ChloeMarie

uppereast-your furbabies are adorable

mbcdefg

Ditto the water bottle. Now, when my cat sees me grab it, he immediately stops what he's doing and runs away because he knows what's coming. I once left a slice of cheese on the table when I was making a sandwich. I went into another room to answer the phone or something, and when I came back there was a tiny bite taken out of the cheese slice :P Where are his own food bowls located?

caketime

This is all great advice, thank you.  I believe the food bowls are located in the kitchen.  His litter box is in the office.

pink_latte

uppereastgirl, those pink noses have completely melted my heart.

pink_latte

Er, pink nose and black nose, that is. They are adorable babies. What are their names?

uppereastgirl

Thanks   The black kitty is a girl named Pumpkin (or Punky as a nickname) and the white/brown kitty is a boy named Oliver.