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Cat and Kitten Behavior as Family Pets from Families Online Magazine

Cat - Kittten - Behavior

Cats love to jump. You would too, it you were a cat! They also like high places where they can view their territory from relative security. Cats are naturally curious, and there are a lot of interesting things on counter tops, including food. A one-time discovery of a food tidbit will become a powerful reinforcer for dozens of future explorations.

Your presence can affect a behavioral change if your cat insists on jumping on counters, cars, and furniture. When you are not at home, the only way to keep her from jumping on these things is to booby trap the place or to isolate her. The bottom line is: If you own a cat, you must accept and live with the fact that she will occasionally jump up on things.

Of course, it is best not to leave food on the top of counters or tables. This is just too tempting. It is much better to give your cat permission to jump up on specific high places. For example, my cat liked to sit on top of the washing machine in the kitchen next to the sink and watch me wash dishes. I gave her permission to jump up and sit there. Whenever she tried to move beyond that point to another part of the counter, I said, "NO," and blocked her way, forcing her to get back to the top of the washing machine. Also, I reinforced her staying there with a food tidbit. The key is to allow your cat to do what she innately needs to do but to limit her to a certain space.

Punishment in the form of yelling, chasing, hitting, or squirting water at a cat to force her down off the car or the furniture will only increase her stress and create more problems for you. A cat will become shy, sneaky, or aggressive after being punished. In other words, she will not trust you. The cat thinks to herself, "If she likes me, then why is she yelling at me for doing something natural like wanting to be on high place with her?"

The best way to teach your cat is to give her a verbal reprimand like "OFF!" followed by "Good Kitty!" when she has jumped off. If she jumps down quickly, give her a nice food treat followed by "Good Kitty." Sometimes a loud clap of the hands will be a sufficient reprimand.

Punishment which is administered by the environment, not by you, is very effective as illustrated in the following example. Put a couple of strips of double-back tape on the counter. After a jump or two, she will be discouraged from that adventure. Pop a balloon in her presence, then tape several balloons to the counter, car, or furniture. Cats do not like loud noises and will associate the noise with the balloon and avoid the area. Spraying white vinegar on the counter top will keep some cats away. Place a layer of paper on the car with mousetraps set upside down and another layer of paper on top of the traps. When your cat jumps on the paper, the snapping of the traps will frighten her off, and after a few times she will not jump up again. Pyramid empty pop cans on a counter with food attached to the end of a string taped to a "key" can so that when she pulls on the baited string the cans some tumbling down. The new electronic vibration alarms work effectively for keeping cats off of counters and cars. In each of these instances, you do not need to be nearby for the learning to occur. When the environment teaches your cat, the bond between you and her is not broken!

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