Oops..I lost my temper dammit

On 2005-01-18, Jim Lawton penned:

But, you've got to know cats are much cleverer than dogs :-) - and so if
you aren't there, they'll still apply their rules, not yours, if you leave
food out with cats about, you're right - you need a bit of training.

Dogs do exactly the same thing. Have you never seen the videos showing what
the "perfectly behaved dog" does while mommy's gone?

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

On 2005-01-18, mystro penned:
I'm a new first time cat owner who adopted a nice 1 year old male who for
the most part is very happy and contented but certainly likes to push the
limits.

He's a young cat. This is normal.

I lost my temper last-night when he grabbed some hamburger while I
was out of the room..I ended up slapping him and putting him in his carrier
then putting him outside for an hour..it was cold

If this post is true and not a troll, then I highly recommend getting
counseling for your anger problem. You should also learn about cats. A good
book for new owners is The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier. It will help you
learn about cats and what works best in training them. Physical punishment
will not work. The cat will only fear you. Imagine a being 10 times or more
your weight hitting you. Get the picture?

If you can't treat the cat with kindness, I suggest you find him a good home
where he will be treated right.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecatjournal.com/articles/claws.htm

That is pretty cruel to put him outside in a carrier in the freezing cold,
especially when someone could just walk off with him or he can encounter a
predator and have no means of escape. I recommend defrosting your food in
the refrigerator overnight and then keep spraying him with a squirt bottle
full of water and back that up with a firm NO.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

"mystro" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm a new first time cat owner who adopted a nice 1 year old male who
for the most part is very happy and contented but certainly likes to
push the limits. Not knowing better,I allowed the cat to roam mostly
wherever it wanted when it first came home but now he
wants to get in the way in the kitchen and that includes grabbing meat
or fish that is defrosting on the counter..I lost my temper last-night
when he grabbed some hamburger while I was out of the room..I ended up
slapping him and putting him in his carrier then putting him outside
for an hour..it was cold and I couldn't leave him any longer and I'm
not sure that will do any good anyway. I've tried putting sticky tape
down,spraying him and yelling NO when I catch him but to no
avail..somewhere I read I need to train ME..any suggestions.

Try doing that with a Japanese Bobtail. My Icarus is pretty stubborn when
you yell at him to get down and give him a firm NO. Back it up with a squirt
bottle and he gets the message. Of course a few days later he is back up
where he shouldn't be if I am not in the area. Then I end up repeating
everything. Of course, Icarus is starting to do it less frequently now.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

"Mike" wrote in message news:gH7Hd.228
I agree, whenever the cat jumps on the work surface just shout "NO" and
move them down. Remember their hearing is about 10 times more sensitive
than humans so don't shout too close to their ears.

Mike

From: "RobZip"

My tribe cannot stand the sound of my wife sneezing.
All I have to do is mimmic one of her sneezes and they leave the area
immediately.

That's funny! When I sneeze, one of my cats comes running TO me, acting very
concerned.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecatjournal.com/articles/claws.htm

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "RobZip"

My tribe cannot stand the sound of my wife sneezing.
All I have to do is mimmic one of her sneezes and they leave the area
immediately.

That's funny! When I sneeze, one of my cats comes running TO me, acting
very
concerned.



When I sneeze Cheeks looks alarmed and comes to peer
into my face, like, "Are you OK??" Buddha on the other hand
stops whatever she's doing and looks at me until she had decided
I am not going to blow up or something. I can just see her
thinking, "Hmmm ... should I run? I'm awfully comfortable ...
let's just wait and see ..." Buddha is a very contemplative
creature.

I'm a new first time cat owner who
adopted a nice 1 year old male who for
the most part is very happy and
contented but certainly likes to push
the limits.

The first thing you need to understand is that what some people perceive
as a cat "pushing the limits" is in reality a cat just being a cat.
Taking a cat's natural behavior as a personal affront can, and already
has, taken you down a dangerous path that has resulted in this poor cat
being abused.

Not knowing better,I allowed
the cat to roam mostly wherever it
wanted when it first came home but now
he wants to get in the way in the
kitchen and that includes grabbing meat
or fish that is defrosting on the
counter..

A cat doesn't know that the meat you left out is off limits. If you
don't want your cat to get into food, don't leave it out. You can put it
in the microwave, a cupboard, or another option is get a small plastic
shoebox size storage box with a tight lid and put whatever you're
defrosting in there.

I lost my temper last-night
when he grabbed some hamburger while I
was out of the room..I ended up slapping
him and putting him in his carrier then
putting him outside for an hour..it was
cold and I couldn't leave him any longer
and I'm not sure that will do any good
anyway.

If this is the way you responded for something as small as him getting
into food left out, you really should find a new home for this cat.
Abusing a small animal the way you did is inexcusable and your havng
this type of reaction to what was a small infraction leads me to believe
you have some pretty serious anger management issues. If you intend to
keep this cat, you should seriously consider getting some counseling.
You are also going to have to learn and understand cat behavior, and
learn to handle things in only a positive manner. Hitting your cat and
then putting it outside in a carrier where there is no escape in
freezing weather is extremely cruel and will only cause your cat to fear
you. You must never, ever do this to him again.

I've tried putting sticky tape
down,spraying him and yelling NO when I
catch him but to no avail..somewhere I
read I need to train ME..any
suggestions.

Someone in the group has had luck with this product:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...Np=1&N=0&Nty=1

If you want a cat to stop doing something, your best bet is to distract
him using positive means (a happy voice, toys treats, etc.) and get him
involved in something else. Yelling, squirting and other means of
"punishment" do not work and will make your cat fear you. If your cat
likes to be on counters, it may be because he likes to be up high. A
*tall* cat tree placed by a window with a good view is one of the best
things you can give your cat and will be much more attractive than the
counter.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Thanks to everyone who contributed some thoughts not only on my cats
behavior but also mine..I've learned
several lessons here and I will certainly make some changes that both
me and "pete" can live comfortably with.

PawsForThought wrote:

On 2005-01-18, mystro penned:
(...)

I lost my temper last-night when he grabbed some hamburger while I
was out of the room..I ended up slapping him and putting him in
his carrier
then putting him outside for an hour..it was cold

If this post is true and not a troll, then I highly recommend getting
counseling for your anger problem.

Bad advice, unless the OP has a history of lost temper after but minor
provocation. We all lose our tempers from time to time, and the OP
obviously realised that his actions were incorrect. You do not know the
OP's situation at the time, and are in no position to give a diagnosis
- even if you happened to be a shrink.

You should also learn about cats.

That'll be why he posted here, then.

book for new owners is The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier. It
will help you
learn about cats and what works best in training them. Physical
punishment
will not work.

Well, the bigger picture is: physical punishment that's associated with
the owner will not work in the way the owner expects! But your shorter
line gets to the heart of the matter.

(...)

If you can't treat the cat with kindness, I suggest you find him a
good home
where he will be treated right.

Er, the OP knows he did wrong and is here for advice - suggests he's at
least open to suggestions, and to treating the cat with kindness.
Suggesting he give up the cat is a bit of a bloody silly suggestion
really, based on the evidence so far.

Steve.

From: "Steve G"

PawsForThought wrote:


On 2005-01-18, mystro penned:
(...)

I lost my temper last-night when he grabbed some hamburger while I
was out of the room..I ended up slapping him and putting him in
his carrier
then putting him outside for an hour..it was cold

If this post is true and not a troll, then I highly recommend getting
counseling for your anger problem.

Bad advice, unless the OP has a history of lost temper after but minor
provocation. We all lose our tempers from time to time, and the OP
obviously realised that his actions were incorrect. You do not know the
OP's situation at the time, and are in no position to give a diagnosis
- even if you happened to be a shrink.

Firstly, I did not give a diagnosis. In fact, I recommended he go to a
professional for help. Secondly, sure we all lose our tempers, myself
included, but most of us don't take it out on an innocent animal by hitting the
animal, caging it and putting it out in freezing weather. Don't you think that
is a bit extreme for just losing his temper? I sure do.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecatjournal.com/articles/claws.htm