Spraying cats with water from a squirt bottle is not a reinforcement; it's a punishment. Giving your cat a choice of ways to express his behavioral needs and then rewarding his use of the choice you prefer is the best way to encourage your cat's “good” behavior.
Our team of vets agree that using water bottles to discipline cats isn't the best course of action. According to Dr. Dwight Alleyne, “Spraying cats with water can create a negative association with humans. As a result, they may become more anxious or even aggressive over time.”
No. Here's the problem with spraying a cat with water: The only thing the cat learns is that when he sees the water bottle, it's time to run. “Run whenever you see this bottle” is not a particularly useful cue to teach, and running to escape punishment is not a positive way to interact with your cat.
It is true that cats never forget when someone inflicts pain or forces her to do something. But in the case of a water spray, if you do it right, the cat will not associate the spray with the person spraying it. Just do it from a distance and make sure there are plenty of options for the cat. No, it is not abuse.
Most importantly, never punish your cat for spraying (yelling, hitting, spraying with water, etc.). This will not reduce the behavior and will make them scared of you and more stressed.
Never Physically Reprimand a Cat
Hitting or shaking your cat can scare them, create hand-shyness or potentially cause harm. You're more likely to experience these unintended consequences than to teach a lesson. Similarly, yelling at your cat can stress them out and over-emphasize the attention to bad behavior.
Overhead movements or certain noises may frighten an abused cat, triggering a long-term memory of prior trauma. It's possible your cat will carry that unpleasant memory for the rest of his life. On a more positive note, cats are able to remember their cat parents, even when they've gone away for a time and return.
Every cat is different, but there are a few feline behaviours that may be your cat's way of saying they'd like to patch things up. They include, Approaching you (it's a little gesture, but it means they feel safe) Head butting and rubbing.
Spaying prevents uterine infections and decreases the incidence of breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
Cats urinate by squatting onto a horizontal surface; spraying occurs standing up. The cat makes a treading motion with her back feet and quivers her tail, leaving her scent mark on a vertical surface. If your cat has begun urinating outside of her litter box, be sure that the box is regularly cleaned.
Using negative reinforcement.
Yelling at, hitting, or otherwise harming or acting roughly toward a cat when they are doing something you don't want them to do doesn't work. The kitty won't understand the message you're trying to send about the behavior, but she will develop fear and stress directed toward you.
Skunk spray to the face is as painful as pepper spray in the eyes. If your cat was sprayed in the face, you may notice redness or swelling around the eyes—even temporary blindness. And if spray got into the mouth, your cat may experience drooling or vomiting.
It is safest to separate two cats who are fighting using a thick blanket or by gently pushing a soft bristled broom between them. Don't try to pick them up with your bare hands as you might get hurt by accident.
Most pet cats are neutered and do not spray indoors, probably because they do not feel they need to. Spraying indoors is a sign that the cat is feeling stressed and needs to make itself feel more secure, surrounding itself by its own scent. As indoor spraying indicates that the cat feels threatened by something.
For many cats, minor misdemeanors seem to fall in the short-term memory category so it is likely all will be forgiven within a few hours to days. Kittens have a relatively short memory and can appear to be more forgiving than older cats.
“Cats don't forgive, and once they realize a person is causing them anxiety or hurt, they keep away.” So says John Bradshaw, an anthrozoologist at Bristol University and author of “Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet.”
Famously independent, sometimes falsely assumed to be immune to feelings, cats are in truth super-sensitive to emotions, sound, and stress. Perhaps because felines lack the eager-to-please openness of their canine colleagues, humans overlook the big and small ways they can break a cat's spirit.
Anyone simply "present" in their life is someone they may remember, but not associate with any emotion. But as long as you and your cat have shared a pet or two, and as long as you fed them a few of their favorite meals, your cat will remember you as well no matter how long you are gone.
Do cats forgive abuse? - Quora. Cats are TRAUMATIZED by abuse, as ANY human or other animal would be. ABUSE causes emotional and mental scars -- there is NO “undoing” it -- only hopeful HEALING, if possible. It's NOT about conscious “forgiveness” -- it's about FEAR, pain, loss of trust in others.
A cat can be aggressive for many reasons, including pain or illness, fear, stress, or overstimulation. If your cat is lashing out, check in with your vet first, particularly if the aggression is a new behavior. The cause can be medical, so your vet will first look for a health issue.