Our one year and two month old neutered male F5 Savannah, Rudie, is starting to push the boundaries of the house rules. He's not allowed on the counter, chew wires, play with the blinds, etc. When he was younger, a spray bottle with tap water worked well as a deterrent. Could I add vinegar or lemon juice to the water to up the ante? I'm not sure if this is safe. He gets lots of attention, has tones of toys and loves to play with our 7 month old Weimaraner puppy. He's an awesome youngster. Best cat we've ever had! Thanks very much for your thoughts.
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Curbing unwanted behavior.
- Thread starter ska
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Welcome to the world of Savannah slaves, you're in good company! It's fine to add a splash of vinegar in the water, although you will only deter his behavior when you are actually there to see it. Chewing wires can be dangerous and you can purchase wire protectors at your local electronics (e.g., Best Buy) store. Depending on what he's doing to the blinds you can keep them up/open and loop up the pull strings so that he can't reach them. Alternatively, you can consider putting a scat mat in front of them to see if that will keep him away.
Of course, all of these actions are negative responses and any cat behaviorist would say that that you should never use negative behavior to correct a cat, but using positive type activities, such as distracting with a wand toy or treat might also serve as a reinforcement to that behavior so a bit of a catch-22...
Of course, all of these actions are negative responses and any cat behaviorist would say that that you should never use negative behavior to correct a cat, but using positive type activities, such as distracting with a wand toy or treat might also serve as a reinforcement to that behavior so a bit of a catch-22...
Patti has some good suggestions, but at the end of the day sometimes cats train us too. You might not want him on the counter, but you may only be able to deter him when you are in the room. Sometimes you just have to accept limitations and that may be that when out of the kitchen, the cat will likely be on the counter.
Spray bottles often only work if the cat minds being wet. Adding vinegar or lemon juice might help, but you also want to be sure he doesn't start avoiding you because he thinks you are always looking to punish him. You want to keep your overall relationship positive.
Chewing wires, I would simply look into covering wires and preventing access. And blinds... plenty of cat owners have had to try different window coverings until they found one that doesn't get destroyed. I went through three different curtain and blind combinations to find ones that work for mine... one day I'd like to just get plantation shutters all around and be done with it!
Spray bottles often only work if the cat minds being wet. Adding vinegar or lemon juice might help, but you also want to be sure he doesn't start avoiding you because he thinks you are always looking to punish him. You want to keep your overall relationship positive.
Chewing wires, I would simply look into covering wires and preventing access. And blinds... plenty of cat owners have had to try different window coverings until they found one that doesn't get destroyed. I went through three different curtain and blind combinations to find ones that work for mine... one day I'd like to just get plantation shutters all around and be done with it!
Ninja-n-Bear
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How long have you had the puppy? Maybe he's seeking extra attention? If that's the case any attention at all would be reinforcement, like Patti said. Maybe try ignoring the behavior, but cover the cords for sure!
Sorry, but your blinds are probably toast, it's an addiction. We had to remove ours.
Sorry, but your blinds are probably toast, it's an addiction. We had to remove ours.
Thanks for the suggestions!
We got the puppy in the middle of August. They love each other. They wrestle, play chase and even play with toys together. Rudie talks to the puppy - It's so very cute!
The cords on the blinds are the best fun. He finds a way to get at them, then chews the cord.
We got the puppy in the middle of August. They love each other. They wrestle, play chase and even play with toys together. Rudie talks to the puppy - It's so very cute!
The cords on the blinds are the best fun. He finds a way to get at them, then chews the cord.
