Success With Spraying Cat With Water?

Question

I have gotten fed up with my cat regarding his morning habits. I try to play with him before I go to sleep to tire him out, and don't let him take catnaps after I get home from work. I also put food in his bowl around 11.00. Usually he is up by 5am whining about some food, then whining about wanting to play, ect.

So I took an old spray bottle and cleaned it out. This morning when he started complaining, I sprayed him with some water and he bolted out of the room. He came back a little while later and I repeated the process.

Will the spray bottle work to a point where he isn't bugging me until 7am? Have you had success with the spray bottle?

http://tazzycat.blogspot.com/ - Pics of my cat

Answer 1

I found this a good technique to stop my cats jumping on the kitchen work surface and dinning table when!!

Answer 2

Lovely cat!!

I do  not argee with spray bottles!! get him a kitten to play with from the rescue.Good luck.

Answer 3

Sounds like your cat is just about as needy as mine. Usually if your cat acts like a baby, and there are no other animals in the house, he probably gets bored. I have two, so they take up each other's energy and time.

Try feeding your cat earlier, that way he can burn off the calories he just took in while you keep him occupied before bedtime.

As far as the spray bottle goes, it is really only effective if A: the cat doesn't see that YOU are spraying it unless, that's what you want to associate the water squirting with (being associated with jumping into bed with you) and B: If you cat hates water.

My cat unfortunately likes water. Other things you can do is to just scare him with noise (beans in a soda can) every time he hops up. Cats are persistent so it may take weeks before it sinks in.

Make sure the spray bottle is on a direct spray instead of a mist, so he really feels it.

Beautiful cat, by the way!

Answer 4

I won't use the spray bottle. You might create an anti-social cat, since he might began to associate you with the spray bottle and then he will not want to play with you anymore. There are electronic food bowls that you can buy and set to feed your cat early in the morning. You might also want to buy some cat toys to keep your cat busy. My cat has a cube with a feather thing hanging from it. It keeps her busy in the morning and it only cost me $4 from Wal-mart. Find a toy that your cat likes and that will keep him busy.  

Answer 5

You don't let him take naps? Are you nuts? Cats sleep most of the day so you trying to prevent it will not change his habits one bit. You will just make him an insecure cat.  Your cat is not whining, He just wants companionship. Unlike you, he is friendly and doesn't understand your meanness. Let him sleep with you and he should be happy. You need to read a book on what cats do.

Answer 6

i have used it to train the cats from the christmas tree--it worked!

Answer 7

I had a similar problem with one of my cats, and the spray bottle alone didn't work, mainly because she so often harassed me from places I couldn't spray.

What did work though is crating her at night in a place where she can see me and I can spray her if I need to. She actually enjoys going in there now because she recognizes it as her "den" and goes to sleep straight away. It's really helped us sync our schedules.

Answer 8

Dude, it's a cat.  I won't go so far as to say you're abusing your cat, but I think you're being a little mean.

Preventing your cat from napping?  That's mean.  Punishing him for coming to you for food and/or affection?  That's mean.

All you're teaching him is that you don't like him.

Really, just shut your door.  And please don't consider crating him up at night.  That's rather mean too.

Maybe you're just not cut out for cats?  I mean, I don't blame you for wanting to get your sleep, but this kitty is in your care and deserves as much consideration from you as you want from him.

How would you like it if your mommy had slapped you in the face for coming to her for your breakfast cereal?  That's kind of in effect what you're doing.

A better solution than punishment is distraction.  Either shut your door (prevention) or maybe get him another kitty to play with.