Another cat help thread

[Swarley]

Any sort of negative punishment for the behavior isn't a great idea. The yelling and tapping in the act says "Don't poop at all". Picking up the cat and placing him in the box during the act is a better option.

If it is constipation, you can try adding canned pumpkin to the food as a fiber boost. Metamucil is vet approved, but you shouldn't use it without a proper dosage first.

[Amelya]

well 1 I don't like the master techniques with dogs (I'm all about positive reinforcement techniques), BUT that is besides the point. Cats do not take training the same way dogs do. Especially since dogs are trained from puppies with the "rub their nose in the poop and a smack on the butt" technique. Cats were never trained that way to use the bathroom. They do it by smell. All you basically do is put them in the litter box maybe 2-3 times and your golden. So when you punish a dog they know because they learned about it when they're little. When you have a cat for 12 years who all of the sudden is getting smacked, they don't necessarily associate it with the crime.

Any person who educates themselves on dog training will not rub their dog's nose in their shit, or hit them. It doesn't work with dogs any more than it does with cats, and can actually be quite counter-productive to house training.

Unless you can catch them in the act, any type of punishment is not going to be associated with the behavior you're trying to fix. I would agree with Swarley, just pick the cat up and put him in the box if you see him start to poop. Any sort of negative punishment is just going to make him even less likely to use the litterbox. I would try a different litter or box and see if he prefers it. As far as cleaning, I use Nature's Miracle for puppy accidents, but I haven't tried it with cats.

[Ksandra]

Any person who educates themselves on dog training will not rub their dog's nose in their shit, or hit them. It doesn't work with dogs any more than it does with cats, and can actually be quite counter-productive to house training.

that was my point about not liking it lol. as I said I only like/use positive reinforcement training. BUT that for those that do at least it's something the dog has previous experience with unlike a cat. I'm not saying it's a good method for either, I was just pointing out the flaw in thinking it'd work the same way.

[Guyverarmor]

Has there been any new additions to your house/ apartment? I know when we brought our son home from the hospital, gizmo started pissing and pooping in any area we had our son in. Caught him once or twice, and actually bopped him on the nose. Doesn't do it anymore now after that was done..

[Corrderio]

Not really, however I'll try to toss him in the box next time I catch him in the act.

[Lyrai]

I'm a professional dog trainer, and what it is, is them responding to your body postures and tone of voice. They show submissive postures, not guilt or anything like that. We incorrectly interpret it as guilt or admittance of doing something wrong. By hitting or using other forms of negative punishment, they develop fear for what they're doing and will then go behind your back and do it.

Cats on the other hand, are much more independent, as they've been bred to be companions, but not "work" like dogs have with people in the past. Cats are very trainable, but good luck getting them motivated enough to learn, or to continue to follow directions. Dog's aren't as simple minded as you might think (Their intelligence is compared to that of a 3 year old, very black and white reasoning) but they're much more eager to please and motivated by attention and company. Cats are much more likely to bite or scratch in retaliation of any kind of physical punishment.