[Sca-cooks] Robin the Bandit's kitten showers

[Suey]

Helen and Stefan wrote:
> Helen replied to Suey with:
>
> <<< OK, Suey-it is time for lessons in Kitten training.
> Do you have a spray bottle you can fill with just plain, clean water?
> When you catch him in the act of doing something he should not do,  
> shake the bottle, and then spray it, towards his face.
> This works beautifully, but you must be consistant! >>>
>
> Yes. With rewards it helps to be inconsistent, but with punishment  
> you need to be consistent.
>
> <<< I am in the midst of domesticating feral kittens, and it works  
> like a charm. It is keeping them from clawing furniture, staying  
> under the furniture and it is keeping the Grown cats from beating up  
> on the baby kittens. >>>
>
> Yes. We also found that temporarily covering the sofa and chairs with  
> two-sided tape, also available in wider sheets from pet stores, did a  
> good job of persuading our cats not the scratch things they shouldn't.
>
> <<< In fact, if you use this, and a cardboard scratching post, there  
> will be no need to declaw your kitten. If it worked with my 9 year- 
> old Siamese, it will work for Robin. >>>
>
> We use both carpet and/or rope wrapped vertical cat scratching posts.  
> They need to be tall enough that the cat can stretch all the way out  
> and still have room on the post.  We;ve also found that the combo  
> scratching post/platforms work well. They also give the cats a place  
> to escape to from the dog.
>
> Our cats also like the cardboard boxes filled with vertical  
> corregated cardboard, with the edges up. These lie horizontal on the  
> floor rather than being vertical. Sprinkling the cardboard with  
> catnip was also useful in attracting the cats to them initially and  
> we still occasionally dribble some more over them. (the boxes of  
> cardboard strips, not the cats)
>
> <<< Get a spray bottle filled with plain water and keep it with you. >>>
>
> Yes, having it at hand is one of the problems.  You need to spray  
> them while they are doing the wrong thing.
>
> <<< You may need to go back to the whole seat for a while. A lot of  
> cats do not take well to change of any variety.. A new person or just  
> changing the furniture around, can get them upset and they regress in  
> their training. >>>
>
> Suey, have you been using the shredded newspaper before you opened  
> the hole in the seat? If not, then the two changes together are  
> likely too much change.  I also wonder if you kitten just doesn't  
> like the newspaper as litter.  Some cats are picky, even about the  
> brand of litter in their box. How fine do you have it shredded? It  
> may not be shredded finely enough for your kitten to see it as  
> litter, especially if you've previously been using one of the clay  
> litters.
>
>   
No, I did the two changes at once.I was wrong, thank you Stefan for 
pointing that out.  Also as for Helen's suggestions what we were not 
doing before we are doing now. I wrote her personally to thank her. The 
funniest was going to Starbucks this pm to fetch a covered mug. Robin 
loves going out with me and jumps into his bag as soon as I put it in 
front of the door and off we go to Pilates or wherever. When I explained 
the reason for buying a covered mug was to protect myself from my glass 
drinking kitten all the staff and all the clients at Starbucks howled. 
Everyone kissed Robin and wished me luck against 6 o'clock kitten showers.
Suey