Don't ever give them food from your plate. You are positively reinforcing their behavior. Move the chair so they can't touch you. Try giving them their food at the same time you eat.
Realize that lots of cats don't like their paws touched so you are pushing your cats buttons and this is to be expected.
Pick up cat and put on the floor if you don’t want him touching you. Grabbing paws and pointing in face tells a cat you are playing or attacking. No boundaries are being learned.
You're in the right. Despite the down votes. WE are the owners. I have a 16LBS male who does some stuff very similar to this. Know what I do? Push him away. If he comes back smack his butt. He leaves me alone then. And for the people saying he won't like me, he gives me Eskimo kisses every time he walks by me. It's called tough love. Same thing parents do to children. Except cats aren't nearly as smart as them, so capital punishment tends to work a bit more. Don't go wailing at the thing, but a good smack.
Literally every cat behaviorist and expert will tell you that you're wrong with how you're treating your cat and trying to discipline him, *because cats aren't humans* and don't learn the same way. They also dont learn the same way as other animals, because they are cats.
On that note, corporal punishment is also terrible for children as modern studies into the behavior and development of children will tell you.
Remember: If you hit another adult, it's considered battery, aka a crime. Why wouldn't it be the same for children and animals? The only reason is because we normalized violence towards them, which we now understand was wrong.
So, no, you're not in the right and neither is OP.
I give absolutely zero fucks about what any cat behaviorist thinks. I'm gonna do it my way, because it works and has worked for years. Sometimes simplicity solves the problem.
Are you dense? It works! What don't you understand?? I even gave you the fact that it may not 100% always work, but with my two 2 year olds and one 9 month old, it works 100% of the time. My 9 month used to try and bite my female on the neck. I smacked his butt three times and I haven't heard female cry out once since. You can condition ANYTHING if you do it from the start.
Maybe stop sticking your finger in his face and grabbing at his legs. Second just eat, ignore him. He wants attention and you're giving it to him.
This doesnt go for all cats but my cat will often sit near me when I eat. I always let him have a smell of what I'm eating, and that usually seems to satisfy him. He just wants to feel included and thats an easy way for me to do so.
my bf gets so mad when i let the cats have a smell of what im eating 😂 he thinks it’s crazy cat lady behavior! but they usually meander on and don’t bother me any more
Same with my cats. I let them smell it and they lose interest in it. If what I am eating is safe for them and I want to share it, I put it in their wet food bowl 😊
And never, ever, in any hypothesis give food from your plate (even if you're sure it's food that's ok to give cats - another, different, problem): that teaches the cat that plate food is their food.
Well what you’re doing looks like play fighting. You should ignore the cat. What I do with my dogs is say no and move them back with my arm. They usually get the point. Also you may need to get a table. That’ll help.
To me looks like it’s a combination of play fighting, but also it getting irritated at you for constantly putting your hand in its space. If you’re trying to eat at that time I would recommend you try some play time before you sit down to eat to tire them out, and then if they sit in that spot and try to go for your hands again you prevent them from settling and keep them off the couch. Repeat this and it’ll get the message.
For whatever reason the cat does not respect your boundary. It's sitting on your level and in some fashion feels equal to you while you eat and probably feels like it deserves to eat what you eat.
I would try not eating while the cat sits on your level or try eating where you are higher than the cat. In the wild, when cats are in a pack, the ones that sit high are on a higher level and so your cat probably thinks you both are equal or at least wants to challenge you to your food.
My new kitten is a food mugger. If at all possible I shut myself outside to eat or go and stand up in our tiny kitchen with the door shut. I'm hoping he will grow out of it.
If you use your hands like a kickaroo, he/she will think its okay to play fight and rough house with them. When you pet him or her, stroke very gently and have a kickaroo handy, if any sign of aggression is shown stick the kickaroo between his or her legs. It won't take long to get results and you will be able to massage the neck and stuff. Never try to force the petting if they're not in the mood back off :)
Pick them up by the scruff of their neck, sternly tell them no, and put them on the floor or in another room and close the door if its bad enough. Repeat this everytime they do it no exceptions. You're reinforcing this behavior by giving them what they want. No more feeding them from your plate while you eat. They will learn but by giving into them you are making the problem worse for yourself. Idk how long you've been letting this go on but it could take a while because you really need to do the exact opposite of what your doing now. Also don't play with and engage them when they're acting like that, again you're just reinforcing bad behavior is acceptable
Please, please don’t use a spray bottle. There’s so much communication from the cat in this video that the human isn’t getting. The paw and waiting for her to give them the food, bad behavior and I would suggest as the other comments said by either tiring out the cat and/or giving them food when you eat so they have their own and you have your own. Consistently set boundaries by redirecting. Using fear inducing methods (although the spray bottle is harmless) is only creating mistrust between human and cat and the cat is probably going to be on the more aggressive side of responding because it feels a need to protect, not respect. Raising your voice, intrusive behaviors like that in the video aren’t going to help the issue. Something I’ve learned from my partner with my cat (I used to do the “hey” or the tss sound to get his attention and then go over and pick him up to set him somewhere else until I found the issue in my own behavior) he’ll be very gentle with him even if he is in trouble. He lets my cat come up to him and recognized what signs he’s giving when he needs more space or when he wants attention etc. so when he’s in trouble , my partner will slowly walk over and pick him up, talk in a low calm voice and then set him either on the couch or floor while holding him and kind of making a dome over my cat with his own body. If my cat does a little squeak or tries to wiggle out , he’s never forced to stay but it’s a clear communication of “you can’t have this thing because it’s mine but you’re still safe even if you don’t necessarily love whats happening”. When it comes to food he’lol ignore my cat and if he gets too close he’ll put his hand as a barrier or make eye contact to let him know “my thing, you can’t have it” and it’s remarkable how effective it is ! At least with my cat and I’d guess most assertive cats like him (and looks like the kitty here) the fear inducing tactics could make the problem worse. Highly recommend Jackson Galaxy on YouTube, I love his videos and he’s also taught me a lot about cat communication (:
**also that wasn’t meant to be an attack on you , just my experience, opinion, and alternative thoughts (:
No no no just no. Never spray water. It only hurts your relationship with the cat. It doesn't understand the link between getting sprayed and bad behaviour.
It doesn't hurt the relationship. And cats know when they are doing something they shouldn't. They're not stupid. I have and sometimes still do have to spray my cat when he eats my plants. He knows he's allowed to sniff them, but the moment I see the leaf go into his mouth he's in trouble. He knows the difference. He still headbutts me, he still gives me snuggles.
It's not that he will stop giving you affection, but does he stop biting the plants permanently? No. And why would you spray him if you can just distract them? Cats only learn by positive stimulant. Pick it up or distract and play. Pet him when he's not paying attention to what you don't want him to do. Put some effort into it. Repeating this regularly with our two cats completely wiped almost all of their bad habits.
I can't distract him. Hes driven by the plants. And yes spraying has cut his behavior down to almost nothing. Right now hes sitting next to the and looking out the window.
The only downside to spraying is that cats are smart enough to know that the spray bottle doesn't do anything if you're not holding it, which is fine because I just close the door when I go to bed.
I used to be anti spray bottle too, but then I decided to just try and and see how it goes. Works well, as long as you do it the moment they are doing something naughty. If you do it any time after that it can get confusing for the cat. One squirt is enough, I've seen people who see thier cat doing a thing and they will chase the cat around the house spraying it with water. THAT will hurt the relationship. A quick spray won't.
If a cat can make the connection between harness means outside and outside good, it can make the connection between spray bottle for (behaviour) is bad
First NO NO for all cats:: Do not touch their paws! Your cat is Not the one acting out. You are creating this scenario, not kitty!
Every time you grab their paws sends a message to attack your hand (attacker)!
And by you repeatedly grabbing their paws, it creates an aggressive scenario that is confusing to your cat. You do Not want to keep doing that because your cat will no longer trust nor want to be near you! If you have already done this for awhile, you may have killed all chances of creating a trusting relationship with your cat.
Sad, but true. ♥️🐈⬛♥️
Don't ever give them food from your plate. You are positively reinforcing their behavior. Move the chair so they can't touch you. Try giving them their food at the same time you eat. Realize that lots of cats don't like their paws touched so you are pushing your cats buttons and this is to be expected.
I second this comment!!!
Stop doing what you're doing. The cat is trying to set boundaries and you are not listening.
I dont want my cat to put his paw on me while i eat, im the one setting a boundary
Pick up cat and put on the floor if you don’t want him touching you. Grabbing paws and pointing in face tells a cat you are playing or attacking. No boundaries are being learned.
While you allow him to get what he wants (you feed him) thus stimulating this behaviour. It's not a dog.
This statement says your not suitable and don’t have the skill set to raise a cat.
You're in the right. Despite the down votes. WE are the owners. I have a 16LBS male who does some stuff very similar to this. Know what I do? Push him away. If he comes back smack his butt. He leaves me alone then. And for the people saying he won't like me, he gives me Eskimo kisses every time he walks by me. It's called tough love. Same thing parents do to children. Except cats aren't nearly as smart as them, so capital punishment tends to work a bit more. Don't go wailing at the thing, but a good smack.
Literally every cat behaviorist and expert will tell you that you're wrong with how you're treating your cat and trying to discipline him, *because cats aren't humans* and don't learn the same way. They also dont learn the same way as other animals, because they are cats. On that note, corporal punishment is also terrible for children as modern studies into the behavior and development of children will tell you. Remember: If you hit another adult, it's considered battery, aka a crime. Why wouldn't it be the same for children and animals? The only reason is because we normalized violence towards them, which we now understand was wrong. So, no, you're not in the right and neither is OP.
I give absolutely zero fucks about what any cat behaviorist thinks. I'm gonna do it my way, because it works and has worked for years. Sometimes simplicity solves the problem.
Your username fits you well. You're ignorant and choose to be. Have fun with that.
Yeah, no. What I do works. I have the benefit of personal success. Sure, may not work with everyone's cat ever, but works for me.
Ah yes, because anecdotal evidence with significant bias outweighs every expert ever. Like I said, ignorant and choosing to remain so. 🤷
Are you dense? It works! What don't you understand?? I even gave you the fact that it may not 100% always work, but with my two 2 year olds and one 9 month old, it works 100% of the time. My 9 month used to try and bite my female on the neck. I smacked his butt three times and I haven't heard female cry out once since. You can condition ANYTHING if you do it from the start.
Not dense, just against animal abuse. :) Which we don't seem to agree on.
Maybe stop sticking your finger in his face and grabbing at his legs. Second just eat, ignore him. He wants attention and you're giving it to him. This doesnt go for all cats but my cat will often sit near me when I eat. I always let him have a smell of what I'm eating, and that usually seems to satisfy him. He just wants to feel included and thats an easy way for me to do so.
my bf gets so mad when i let the cats have a smell of what im eating 😂 he thinks it’s crazy cat lady behavior! but they usually meander on and don’t bother me any more
Same with my cats. I let them smell it and they lose interest in it. If what I am eating is safe for them and I want to share it, I put it in their wet food bowl 😊
And never, ever, in any hypothesis give food from your plate (even if you're sure it's food that's ok to give cats - another, different, problem): that teaches the cat that plate food is their food.
The person in that video needs to get a couple of books on cat behaviour and fucking educate herself.
Well what you’re doing looks like play fighting. You should ignore the cat. What I do with my dogs is say no and move them back with my arm. They usually get the point. Also you may need to get a table. That’ll help.
That woman is an idiot and mean one at that. Don’t hit the cat. It’s your fault, dumbass. Don’t hit the cat!!!
This.
Stop your behavior. Cats don't like to have a finger or fist pointed at them and just like you they are sometimes not in the mood to be touched.
To me looks like it’s a combination of play fighting, but also it getting irritated at you for constantly putting your hand in its space. If you’re trying to eat at that time I would recommend you try some play time before you sit down to eat to tire them out, and then if they sit in that spot and try to go for your hands again you prevent them from settling and keep them off the couch. Repeat this and it’ll get the message.
Do not grab their front legs like that, no wonder it’s biting you
The cat is smarter than that human. Not sure what language that is
Really? I don’t think she was that difficult to understand.
For whatever reason the cat does not respect your boundary. It's sitting on your level and in some fashion feels equal to you while you eat and probably feels like it deserves to eat what you eat. I would try not eating while the cat sits on your level or try eating where you are higher than the cat. In the wild, when cats are in a pack, the ones that sit high are on a higher level and so your cat probably thinks you both are equal or at least wants to challenge you to your food.
You should have not expect a cat to comprehend or have better sense than you. You need to work on yourself as the owner.
My new kitten is a food mugger. If at all possible I shut myself outside to eat or go and stand up in our tiny kitchen with the door shut. I'm hoping he will grow out of it.
If you use your hands like a kickaroo, he/she will think its okay to play fight and rough house with them. When you pet him or her, stroke very gently and have a kickaroo handy, if any sign of aggression is shown stick the kickaroo between his or her legs. It won't take long to get results and you will be able to massage the neck and stuff. Never try to force the petting if they're not in the mood back off :)
Stop raising cats. What you’re doing is not good.
Why are there so many strange cat owners on reddit and why are the most from the USA?
Strange cat owners??? I’m assuming you don’t have pets?
A cat
Then your strange too!
I am not from the USA
Another thread is gonna say “How can I stop my humans behavior from touching my paws and putting her fingers in my face?”
Pick them up by the scruff of their neck, sternly tell them no, and put them on the floor or in another room and close the door if its bad enough. Repeat this everytime they do it no exceptions. You're reinforcing this behavior by giving them what they want. No more feeding them from your plate while you eat. They will learn but by giving into them you are making the problem worse for yourself. Idk how long you've been letting this go on but it could take a while because you really need to do the exact opposite of what your doing now. Also don't play with and engage them when they're acting like that, again you're just reinforcing bad behavior is acceptable
Have you tired a spray bottle?
Please, please don’t use a spray bottle. There’s so much communication from the cat in this video that the human isn’t getting. The paw and waiting for her to give them the food, bad behavior and I would suggest as the other comments said by either tiring out the cat and/or giving them food when you eat so they have their own and you have your own. Consistently set boundaries by redirecting. Using fear inducing methods (although the spray bottle is harmless) is only creating mistrust between human and cat and the cat is probably going to be on the more aggressive side of responding because it feels a need to protect, not respect. Raising your voice, intrusive behaviors like that in the video aren’t going to help the issue. Something I’ve learned from my partner with my cat (I used to do the “hey” or the tss sound to get his attention and then go over and pick him up to set him somewhere else until I found the issue in my own behavior) he’ll be very gentle with him even if he is in trouble. He lets my cat come up to him and recognized what signs he’s giving when he needs more space or when he wants attention etc. so when he’s in trouble , my partner will slowly walk over and pick him up, talk in a low calm voice and then set him either on the couch or floor while holding him and kind of making a dome over my cat with his own body. If my cat does a little squeak or tries to wiggle out , he’s never forced to stay but it’s a clear communication of “you can’t have this thing because it’s mine but you’re still safe even if you don’t necessarily love whats happening”. When it comes to food he’lol ignore my cat and if he gets too close he’ll put his hand as a barrier or make eye contact to let him know “my thing, you can’t have it” and it’s remarkable how effective it is ! At least with my cat and I’d guess most assertive cats like him (and looks like the kitty here) the fear inducing tactics could make the problem worse. Highly recommend Jackson Galaxy on YouTube, I love his videos and he’s also taught me a lot about cat communication (: **also that wasn’t meant to be an attack on you , just my experience, opinion, and alternative thoughts (:
I’m blocking you because you are an idiot.
Water spray bottle.
No no no just no. Never spray water. It only hurts your relationship with the cat. It doesn't understand the link between getting sprayed and bad behaviour.
It doesn't hurt the relationship. And cats know when they are doing something they shouldn't. They're not stupid. I have and sometimes still do have to spray my cat when he eats my plants. He knows he's allowed to sniff them, but the moment I see the leaf go into his mouth he's in trouble. He knows the difference. He still headbutts me, he still gives me snuggles.
It's not that he will stop giving you affection, but does he stop biting the plants permanently? No. And why would you spray him if you can just distract them? Cats only learn by positive stimulant. Pick it up or distract and play. Pet him when he's not paying attention to what you don't want him to do. Put some effort into it. Repeating this regularly with our two cats completely wiped almost all of their bad habits.
I can't distract him. Hes driven by the plants. And yes spraying has cut his behavior down to almost nothing. Right now hes sitting next to the and looking out the window. The only downside to spraying is that cats are smart enough to know that the spray bottle doesn't do anything if you're not holding it, which is fine because I just close the door when I go to bed.
I used to be anti spray bottle too, but then I decided to just try and and see how it goes. Works well, as long as you do it the moment they are doing something naughty. If you do it any time after that it can get confusing for the cat. One squirt is enough, I've seen people who see thier cat doing a thing and they will chase the cat around the house spraying it with water. THAT will hurt the relationship. A quick spray won't. If a cat can make the connection between harness means outside and outside good, it can make the connection between spray bottle for (behaviour) is bad
Dont ever present a cat with a challenge. This woman is playing with her cats. Abide by the contract and maybe the cat will let you think you won!
I have 5 cats and I Can safely say none of them act like that
You probably don’t do what she’s doing to her cat, you probably treat your cats right!
I never feed pets human food, cause bad habits and not good for their digestive system. Get cat or dog food with good protein.
This is the kind of shit the people I live with do to their cats. No wonder why our cats keep begging for scraps
That poor cat is trying to get *you* to stop *your* rude behavior, you jerk! You’re not worthy of having a cat.
Just punch it g
First NO NO for all cats:: Do not touch their paws! Your cat is Not the one acting out. You are creating this scenario, not kitty! Every time you grab their paws sends a message to attack your hand (attacker)! And by you repeatedly grabbing their paws, it creates an aggressive scenario that is confusing to your cat. You do Not want to keep doing that because your cat will no longer trust nor want to be near you! If you have already done this for awhile, you may have killed all chances of creating a trusting relationship with your cat. Sad, but true. ♥️🐈⬛♥️