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My new kitty is teh SUK!
- Thread starter pdaddyII
- Start date
Exactly why I prefer dogs. Can't train cats to do shit, they do what they want.
mountain muscle
New member
BWaahhahahahahahaha.
Yell at it and chase it around so it starts peeing and pooping on all your stuff!
Cats are so cute!
Yell at it and chase it around so it starts peeing and pooping on all your stuff!
Cats are so cute!
pdaddyII said:
mustang_00
Well-known member
so what the fuck. i'm allergic to cats so i never had one growing up. a few of my friends had them and everytime one would come up to me i'd say "sit" and put my hand up like i was showing them. i'd get laughed at by all of them including by their parents. is that some kinda inside cat joke cause apparently you can't teach them how to sit?? i've seen one sit before so i know it can be done
GUARDIAN said:
False. You can't get them to do tricks on command, but you can certain train them. None of my kitties ever put their nose above the table line and learned to wait patiently till dinner or whatever meal was over and they would go to the kitchen and wait for their treats. You can't handle them the way you do dogs, but they aren't untrainable.
H
heatherrae
Guest
That's how cats are. It isn't that they are stupid. It's that they don't WANT to mind you.pdaddyII said:Any tricks to get these fuggers to listen to you? Bish keeps jumping on the kitchen table, tried yelling no while clapping my hands, squirt gun, coffee can with coins in it. Are all kittens so thick headed or did I pick out a dummy?
I had two bad ass farm cats growing up... they were always catching birds, mice and other small animals. They were trained to stay away from the ranch house... dunno they just somehow new they belonged down in the barns and sheds.
CAT 101 (sorry about the length, too much coffee):pdaddyII said:Any tricks to get these fuggers to listen to you? Bish keeps jumping on the kitchen table, tried yelling no while clapping my hands, squirt gun, coffee can with coins in it. Are all kittens so thick headed or did I pick out a dummy?
You're really going to need to look at this from a cat's perspective (in as much as we can understand their mind). Kitty jumps up on the couch, the bed, the coffee table, the book case, the ottoman, the t.v., the mantle, it's all the same to them: Up is Up, in their opinion.
Cats CAN be trained but what they can be trained to do is entirely different from what dogs can learn. The first thing to learn is you have to train an animal within it's natural behavioral patterns. Cats live a much more vertical existence, so it is overall much more difficult to train them not to go to certain vertical places as opposed to others. You know how it's relatively easy to teach dogs to not go UP on things (the bed, the sofa, etc.?) but more difficult to train them not to go out the door, off the yard, off the property? Same thing with cats only in the reverse. It's relatively easy to teach them to stay away from the front door, say, but not to stay off the sofa.
I really don't like squirting them with water, I think it makes them twitchy and I don't think they "get" it anyway. I prefer sound, but not every animal retreats from the coins in a can. I use the sound compressed air makes. I've yet to find a cat that doesn't thoroughly dislike that sound and once you get the hang of it you can make the sound yourself without carrying something around (handy if you have cats that like to hang out around your feet when you're going down the stairs).
You might be able to teach the cat to stay off the kitchen table by making it unpleasant for him to step on. To do that you cover the table with aluminum foil (slightly crinkle it and then straighten it out) and leave it covered constantly for at least one month. You may have to periodically recover the table if the cat starts jumping up there again. It might work. Otherwise, you just might have to get into the habit of wiping the table off before dinner. I promise you that you can teach them to stay off the table when you are using it, they GET that concept (and I have no idea why). You just have to put them on the floor when they jump up on it. They will also learn No if you use it consistently. So if the cat jumps on the table WHILE you're using it, say "No," firmly. If the cat just looks at you, say "No" again, pick it up and put it on the floor quickly. Be consistent and don't let it associate "No" with you petting or holding it.
BTW, get a scratching post, ASAP, if you don't have one. Once they scent mark furniture by scratching it you're screwed.
As for sit, stay, lay down ... again, not in their nature. It's much easier to teach cats to jump up, jump down, come to you, jump up on you, speak on command, stand on their hind legs, or go to the bathroom in specific areas, just try teaching Rover to use the toilet
PM me if you want. Cat behavior is intriguing. If you take the time to try to understand (and respect) their psychology you end up with a sane animal that is a pleasure to own and who enjoys your company. My cats follow me and my husband around the house, fight over lap space, and are always happy to see us when we come home from being out.
yeah, but they were all friends, always laying on each other and snuggling when it was cold out.musclemom said:
I love cats, I am def a cat person rather than dog...
It is still a kitten therefor it is extremely playful and it will not understand that you are trying to set limits. I would not yell at it, nor squirt it with water as it will in the end turn it against people and it will run every time a person comes around. For now while it is still young just pretend it is a toddler. Remove it from the situation then while removing it off the table firmly say " (kitty name) no" Eventually it will get the hint that it is a no-go. Try possibly going to the pet store and getting it some kick ass toys, they have "condo's" for kittys that they can climb all on and stuff. Also do what MM suggested and make it an uncomfortable situation for the kitten, leave things on the table that it wont like. For right now it is young, and it probably finds it as funny as a child who repeatedly throws a toy while the parent continuously hands it back..LOL
Just bare with it for a bit, it will end eventually.
It is still a kitten therefor it is extremely playful and it will not understand that you are trying to set limits. I would not yell at it, nor squirt it with water as it will in the end turn it against people and it will run every time a person comes around. For now while it is still young just pretend it is a toddler. Remove it from the situation then while removing it off the table firmly say " (kitty name) no" Eventually it will get the hint that it is a no-go. Try possibly going to the pet store and getting it some kick ass toys, they have "condo's" for kittys that they can climb all on and stuff. Also do what MM suggested and make it an uncomfortable situation for the kitten, leave things on the table that it wont like. For right now it is young, and it probably finds it as funny as a child who repeatedly throws a toy while the parent continuously hands it back..LOL
Just bare with it for a bit, it will end eventually.
fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
when i say, no. my cat knows i mean no. listens most of the time.
all the whey
New member
billfred said:
That is the correct answer.
Bikini Mod
New member
Male or female?
In my limited experience the males were the crazy ones. We had 3 cats, one female and 2 males. The female was THE COOLEST pet on the planet. The males both hadda be hauled off by animal control.
In my limited experience the males were the crazy ones. We had 3 cats, one female and 2 males. The female was THE COOLEST pet on the planet. The males both hadda be hauled off by animal control.
calveless wonder
New member
squirt guns works well on older cats. they hate being sprayed for some reason
he's just a kitten, don't traumatize him
he's just a kitten, don't traumatize him
Bikini Mod
New member
And billifred is 100% DEAD ON.
calveless wonder
New member
billfred said:
a cats respect has to be earned, which is why i like them. they're very intelligent animals (smug,yes) but they're very selective of who they like.
all the whey
New member
calveless wonder said:
Exactly.
I know people who took great care of their cat. But, the cat never liked them.
I also know some cats that just didn't like their owner and bolted.
You feed a dog and he is your friend forever.
all the whey
New member
calveless wonder said:
He needs to try the squirt gun on his gf.
NO we are not going to Ikea. squirt
No we are not going to "accidently" walk by the jewlery store in the mall. squirt
No you are not going to "forget" to take your birth control. squirt squirt squirt
all the whey
New member
PuddleMonkey said:
Exactly
I had a kitten that would fetch as good as any dog. But, within a yr it figured out that it really didn't want to do it. And, it knew I would go get it eventually.lol
fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
is there a cat whisperer you can hire? 
Cesar Millan needs to work on cats too.
Cesar Millan needs to work on cats too.Bikini Mod
New member
all the whey said:
I don't care who you are. That was fukkin funny. ^^
calveless wonder
New member
sigh, i need to adopt a kitty 
hate not having an animal
hate not having an animal
If you get your hands on a cat after it's 9 months old the personality is set (this is true of most animals, actually) and if that cat had bad experiences with people it will have issues forever, it's virtually impossible to alter their personality. If you get them younger than six months, the personality is still fluid. The one cat I have that was totally wild until it was 9 month old will never been completely tame and is much more skittish than the others. She is very affectionate with me and my husband, and now will even come up to strangers and ask for scritches, but you can't touch her tummy or pick her up.all the whey said:
You can't treat most cats like dogs (there are exceptions to every rule) but you just can't tell some people how to act. They're too rough, too loud, too aggressive, too unpredictable. Cats are a predator that is the size of prey. Their instinctive action when frightened is NOT to confront, but to run and hide. Cats that run from their owners have been frightened by people in the past and no longer trust humans. If the person owned the cat from the time it was a kitten the owner did it, that's all there is to it. That's why the worst thing you can do is terrorize a young cat on purpose, swat at it or hit it it will learn to not trust you. If they are frightened repeatedly by one gender, they will learn to prefer the opposite gender (the classic stereotype of cats preferring women stems from women being generally quieter and more gentle than men).
musclemom said:CAT 101 (sorry about the length, too much coffee):
You're really going to need to look at this from a cat's perspective (in as much as we can understand their mind). Kitty jumps up on the couch, the bed, the coffee table, the book case, the ottoman, the t.v., the mantle, it's all the same to them: Up is Up, in their opinion.
Cats CAN be trained but what they can be trained to do is entirely different from what dogs can learn. The first thing to learn is you have to train an animal within it's natural behavioral patterns. Cats live a much more vertical existence, so it is overall much more difficult to train them not to go to certain vertical places as opposed to others. You know how it's relatively easy to teach dogs to not go UP on things (the bed, the sofa, etc.?) but more difficult to train them not to go out the door, off the yard, off the property? Same thing with cats only in the reverse. It's relatively easy to teach them to stay away from the front door, say, but not to stay off the sofa.
I really don't like squirting them with water, I think it makes them twitchy and I don't think they "get" it anyway. I prefer sound, but not every animal retreats from the coins in a can. I use the sound compressed air makes. I've yet to find a cat that doesn't thoroughly dislike that sound and once you get the hang of it you can make the sound yourself without carrying something around (handy if you have cats that like to hang out around your feet when you're going down the stairs).
You might be able to teach the cat to stay off the kitchen table by making it unpleasant for him to step on. To do that you cover the table with aluminum foil (slightly crinkle it and then straighten it out) and leave it covered constantly for at least one month. You may have to periodically recover the table if the cat starts jumping up there again. It might work. Otherwise, you just might have to get into the habit of wiping the table off before dinner. I promise you that you can teach them to stay off the table when you are using it, they GET that concept (and I have no idea why). You just have to put them on the floor when they jump up on it. They will also learn No if you use it consistently. So if the cat jumps on the table WHILE you're using it, say "No," firmly. If the cat just looks at you, say "No" again, pick it up and put it on the floor quickly. Be consistent and don't let it associate "No" with you petting or holding it.
BTW, get a scratching post, ASAP, if you don't have one. Once they scent mark furniture by scratching it you're screwed.
As for sit, stay, lay down ... again, not in their nature. It's much easier to teach cats to jump up, jump down, come to you, jump up on you, speak on command, stand on their hind legs, or go to the bathroom in specific areas, just try teaching Rover to use the toilet
PM me if you want. Cat behavior is intriguing. If you take the time to try to understand (and respect) their psychology you end up with a sane animal that is a pleasure to own and who enjoys your company. My cats follow me and my husband around the house, fight over lap space, and are always happy to see us when we come home from being out.
Wow, very insightful and thorough, your time to respond in depth is very much appreciated. Your vertical/horizontal theory makes perfect sense, it simply isn't in their nature to be able to distinguish what is and isn't OK to jump 'up' on, it's all jumping 'up' to them.
In regards to the scratching, he has just kinda/sorta started doing it. We bought a scratching post the same day we picked him up, however I have yet to see him use the damn thing. I did read somewhere that it's a good idea to rub catnip on the post, but then I read that they're not turned on to catnip until they're the age of 6-8 months (Jackson being only 2months).
His first checkup is this Friday and we are going to see about perhaps getting those adhesive tips applied to his claws...do you have any experience with these? Also what do you recommend getting for the compressed air sound, or did you always just make it with your mouth?
nefertiti said:
how many kitties do you have?
Honestly, he's young enough I'd say learn how to clip his claws yourself. It's not hard, you can see the quick really easily and with two people and a young animal you can turn it into a reasonably pleasant experience. Get bird claw clippers, they look like small scissors. Have your vet show you how to do the job so you don't have any unpleasant experiences and how short to snip them. If you turn it into a relatively pleasant experience it's way less expensive than trying to deal with glue and stuff.pdaddyII said:
As for scratching posts, I've never had cats that liked the ones with rope wrapped around them. I have this:
Not cheap, but EVERY cat I have loves it and uses it (I actually bought two). I got it from here:
http://www.topcatproducts.com/
Some cats never get turned on to catnip, and it's true about the age thing, so you won't know until he's older than 6 months old.
For the compressed air sound, just get a couple of cans of air like you clean the computer with. Once he learns that sound, you can start making it with your mouth. He'll learn.
the_alcatraz said:
Now, none. I miss having animals quite a bit, but I don't really think now is the best time to get a pet. I grew up with three, though, and after the last of them passed on about a year ago (
she was my baby), my parents got two more. The two they have now are hilariously entertaining things. The boy actually plays this kind of hide and seek/chasing game. Like, you chase after him, then turn and run away and hide behind a corner or door...and he'll come looking for you till you jump out of your hiding spot and he runs away again. Rinse repeat. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen a cat do.
musclemom said:Honestly, he's young enough I'd say learn how to clip his claws yourself. It's not hard, you can see the quick really easily and with two people and a young animal you can turn it into a reasonably pleasant experience. Get bird claw clippers, they look like small scissors. Have your vet show you how to do the job so you don't have any unpleasant experiences and how short to snip them. If you turn it into a relatively pleasant experience it's way less expensive than trying to deal with glue and stuff.
As for scratching posts, I've never had cats that liked the ones with rope wrapped around them. I have this:
Not cheap, but EVERY cat I have loves it and uses it (I actually bought two). I got it from here:
http://www.topcatproducts.com/
Some cats never get turned on to catnip, and it's true about the age thing, so you won't know until he's older than 6 months old.
For the compressed air sound, just get a couple of cans of air like you clean the computer with. Once he learns that sound, you can start making it with your mouth. He'll learn.
I actually already tried making the compressed air sound when he was trying to climb into my bowl of soup and it seemed to work, sweet.
I have decieded to fully nurture his 'virtical' way of thinking and am currently on the market for a super obnoxious kitty gym/condo. I want one with all the bells and whistles ie. hammock, ropes, multi perches, 72"+ in height. It will be quite the eyesore, lol
Stefka said:
He also loves peek a boo. I stand at the top of the stps beyond the corner and he's at the bottom and I poke my head around real quick and hide myself again. I do it maybe two or three times before I just stay hidden and I can almost sense his growing sense of "where did she go?!?!" and next thing I know he's zooming up the stairs to find me.
