How to Stop Bad Cat Behavior with Water

Most cats do not like water, and that is precisely why using water to train a cat works. Obviously, you cannot use water to train a cat to do things like sit or roll over, but you can use a water bottle to discourage them from displaying any unwanted behavior. For instance, they tend to use furniture as scratching postsand they tend to jump up to places they do not belong such as kitchen tables or countertops. These are perfect examples of when it is appropriate to spray your cat with water.

To use this method, simply keep a clean water bottle filled with clean water. Whenever you pet displays this unwanted behavior spray him or her with a few squirts of water. Your pet should immediately stop doing the negative thing. After a few times or repeatedly being sprayed little kitty should learn to associate that behavior with something unpleasant and no longer do it. 

On the other hand, some experts warn that using this method may backfire and instead teach the cat to associate the squirt bottle wit your presence since it cannot spray when you are not around. Thus, instead of stopping the unwanted behavior altogether, the cat may either just avoid doing it in your presence or avoid you altogether. These same experts say to try something else to make the behavior unpleasant such as putting foil over the areas of furniture the cat likes to scratch. 

No matter which technique you choose, remember to always reward your kitty for displaying good behavior. Give him lots of praise and attention when he does something like use a littler pan instead of the floor or use a scratching post instead of a couch. Like children, pets love to receive praise and attention.