A Few Random Questions

[Neph]

Hi there, I'm new here. I got Nefertari on the 8th and we're figuring things out.

1. What is a good way to discourage bad behaviour? (With fuzzy kittens I'd spray with water but I want Nefertari to like baths, so clearly that's out).

2. She tends to attack everything - cords and plants being the most problematic. I saw posts about a bitter spray, and I may try that. Yesterday I tried lemon oil around the plant pots but that didn't stop her for long. Any other suggestions?

3. I'm wondering if it's possible to keep her out of our room at night, as unfortunately she makes us a bit itchy. On the first night I brought her bed into our room, since it was her first night away from her family. She cried out a few times... I directed her to her litter box and food/water just in case, but in the end she landed up in our bed. By the second night she figured out how to jump up into our bed and basically slept through the night. I love her snuggles but I don't love the itch and not quite sure where to go from here.

Any sort of advice would be much appreciated!

PS. The breeder said she was not a fan of baths, but last night she tolerated it!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Personally, I have found that my hissing at them when they do something wrong works very well. That is the natural sound a mother cat makes to correct them. When our Bengal was majorly into everything and never listened to a word we said, I used canned air and it worked like a charm. Just the simple canned air you would buy to clean a computer keyboard with.

BTW welcome to Sphyxlair!!!

Patti

 

[oliveandalex]

Personally, I have found that my hissing at them when they do something wrong works very well. That is the natural sound a mother cat makes to correct them. When our Bengal was majorly into everything and never listened to a word we said, I used canned air and it worked like a charm. Just the simple canned air you would buy to clean a computer keyboard with.

BTW welcome to Sphyxlair!!!

Patti

Hey Patti, I wouldn't advise using canned air on a living creature. That stuff is actually really bad to get on your skin (or your cat's!) and can cause damage if inhaled. When the air comes out it's super cold and can cause a lot of irritation or even frostbite.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

LOL...would never suggest spraying it at them lol. I mean just spray it in the air,,,the hiss sound is what scares them, not the air. Sorry I did not explain fully. Also look up the SSScat system it is along the same principle.


Patti

 

[oliveandalex]

LOL...would never suggest spraying it at them lol. I mean just spray it in the air,,,the hiss sound is what scares them, not the air. Sorry I did not explain fully.


Patti

Oh! Thank goodness!! Definitely misread that! Sorry Patti!

 

[GoldHazel]

Hi there, I'm new here. I got Nefertari on the 8th and we're figuring things out.

1. What is a good way to discourage bad behaviour? (With fuzzy kittens I'd spray with water but I want Nefertari to like baths, so clearly that's out).

2. She tends to attack everything - cords and plants being the most problematic. I saw posts about a bitter spray, and I may try that. Yesterday I tried lemon oil around the plant pots but that didn't stop her for long. Any other suggestions?

3. I'm wondering if it's possible to keep her out of our room at night, as unfortunately she makes us a bit itchy. On the first night I brought her bed into our room, since it was her first night away from her family. She cried out a few times... I directed her to her litter box and food/water just in case, but in the end she landed up in our bed. By the second night she figured out how to jump up into our bed and basically slept through the night. I love her snuggles but I don't love the itch and not quite sure where to go from here.

Any sort of advice would be much appreciated!

PS. The breeder said she was not a fan of baths, but last night she tolerated it!

@Neph hello and welcome to the Lair.
I know it's difficult, but also being consistent with your rules will help. If you let a bad behavior slide once, they are smart enough and will do it again and again.

About the plants, I hope they are not toxic/poisonous to a cat. The electrical cords need to be bundled up or use PVC to conceal them. There are companies that make items for this. Just google it.

Also, divert attention away from the "bad" and encourage play with something positive they can play with. A young animal needs to learn from positive things too. People can't just tell them, "NO!" and expect them to figure out what is acceptable to play with. You can give them certain toys that are not out all the time to play with. There are some battery operated toys that cats love and taking them out is a great way to divert their attention towards something that they can play with.

Can you try putting a t-shirt on Nefertari when you go to bed? Would that be enough to keep you from being itchy at night? Maybe her bath will be all you needed for now.
Personally I don't have the heart to keep my nakeds out of my room at night, so I don't have any tips for you other than a bath and her wearing a t-shirt.

Let us know how things are progressing.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
You need to get rid of your live house plants also.
Many many plants are poisoning to cats. Cat proof your home.
With the cords, etc. Just like with a baby. Blind cords also.
Plastic plants, make sure your baby isn't taking a bit out of
them and eating them.
Hair ties, strings, yarn, ribbon, if they eat these, they very well might
have to have surgery to remove the blockage. That has happened
a few times here, with other's babies.

 

[Neph]

Thank you everyone for your advice! Today I went and got the bitter spray (accidentally tasted it myself, yuck!) and put balloons in the pots to take up space. So far so good!

 

[Neph]

@Neph hello and welcome to the Lair.
I know it's difficult, but also being consistent with your rules will help. If you let a bad behavior slide once, they are smart enough and will do it again and again.

About the plants, I hope they are not toxic/poisonous to a cat. The electrical cords need to be bundled up or use PVC to conceal them. There are companies that make items for this. Just google it.

Also, divert attention away from the "bad" and encourage play with something positive they can play with. A young animal needs to learn from positive things too. People can't just tell them, "NO!" and expect them to figure out what is acceptable to play with. You can give them certain toys that are not out all the time to play with. There are some battery operated toys that cats love and taking them out is a great way to divert their attention towards something that they can play with.

Can you try putting a t-shirt on Nefertari when you go to bed? Would that be enough to keep you from being itchy at night? Maybe her bath will be all you needed for now.
Personally I don't have the heart to keep my nakeds out of my room at night, so I don't have any tips for you other than a bath and her wearing a t-shirt.

Let us know how things are progressing.

I love the t-shirt idea, I will give it a try. Thank you!

 

[GoldHazel]

I love the t-shirt idea, I will give it a try. Thank you!

@Neph you are welcome. If the t-shirt sort of works, but you need "more", then try a pair of tiny p.j.'s for dogs. Those have arms and legs covered.