timeout for "bad"behaviour?

[Xtine]

hey all,
Malia,who now runs the household,can go
a little too crazy and jump on us with claws or
just pace run around fast.
it's like she needs to chill.

I have given her 20 min timeouts in the bathroom
where she haves her food and litterbox as well as a bed
and a toy.what do you guys think about this?
is it too much of a "punishment"?

I want to add that shes calm and loving when we let her
out again.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I wouldn't call what you describe as "bad" behavior, rather it is kitten behavior and she will probably calm down a bit by the time she's 1 yr. If what you're doing with the time-outs is working, then no reason to change it. Sometimes they just need to chill on their own. When my guys are really bad and do stuff that they know is wrong, I put them in a dark room (our powder room) for a few minutes. There are no toys or comfort stuff in there. It is more like a short term prison sentence.​

 

[Xtine]

thanx,this is my first cat!
everyday I'm learning more and getting
closer with Malia.she doesnt play much with me but
sits in my lap for hours at a time.

 

[Patti]

20 minutes of time out is too long for a cat - she will have no idea of why she's there after so long. Also, putting her in a room with food, water, and litterbox is not really 'punishment'. If you feel you need to use a time out on her then I would suggest you crate her for five minutes tops and completely ignore her during this time.

However, I think a better alternative is first trim the nails on a routine basis, and second when she jumps on you scruff her, say 'NO' loudly, put her down and walk away from her and again completely ignore her for about five minutes. An even better alternative would be, if you see her getting ready to jump on you distract her with a wand toy, however you need to be always on the ready for this technique to work.

 

[Kristine]

I think

hey all,
Malia,who now runs the household,can go
a little too crazy and jump on us with claws or
just pace run around fast.
it's like she needs to chill.

I have given her 20 min timeouts in the bathroom
where she haves her food and litterbox as well as a bed
and a toy.what do you guys think about this?
is it too much of a "punishment"?

I want to add that shes calm and loving when we let her
out again.

I think that rather than a time out, when you notice her being crazy kitty, just pick up a wand toy and play with her until she gets tired, she is being a very typical kitten, she just wants more play, or maybe a kitten companion of an equally high energy breed.

 

[cheech and anna]

hi
i grab mine by the scruff and hit my hand that has hold of them and shout 'no, bad cat',,,feeding time was a nightmare, both of em jumping on kitchen surface, knocking things over, trying to climb my legs, i think i used this method 3 times, feeding is a dream now, well behaved, very meowing kitties, if they are about to wreck plants or something, just the use of, 'bad cat' is enough to stop them,,,,,,, they are really intelligent animals, the best.

 

[Xtine]

re Kristine,
we are already thinking about a kitten companion.
just saw one I fell in love with.
I feel like Malia deserves to have one of her kind to play
with as well.

 

[Xtine]

It is official, we are getting or second F3 baby girl on or a little after Feb. 1st. She is a silver Savannah and she is of course beautiful.

 

[Katniss]

We now just reach for the water spray bottle and instant "angels" hahahhaha

 

[John Popp]

Chongo has done very well with time outs. At first in a larger bathroom, and since his surgery in a carrier. He really was able to determine the length of his time outs by when his crazed actions and sometimes sounds would subside. Most of the time 5 minutes were good, and other times he just kept the frenzy motor idling.

Chongo is the first cat we've ever had that doesn't respond at all to scruffing. While he'll chill out while he's scruffed, the moment he is let go it's game on and a stepped up effort of maniacal behavior. Non malicious and jovial pouncing at your face was an early thing that needed remedy and only since his surgery is he comprehending what "NO" means.

Time outs are definitely a last resort for us. We need to have exhausted the other routes of distraction as the primary behavior modification method. Chongo can dial himself in on whatever he was doing before being distracted like a laser beam. It can easily be 20 or 30 minutes of playing with him and the second you stop he immediately returns to the frenzied behavior, object or place he isn't supposed to be. I guess that's the program we signed up for when the breeder's 5 year old daughter said "that one likes to play a lot".