Disciplining a cat

[Sonique]

Okay here's the deal, my one cat is being a little poop head lately. He's always trying to get into cupboards in the kitchen. I thought he might be doing this because he was hungry, so I'd feed him if he did it, but that doesn't seem to be the problem anymore. It's one thing when he does it during the day but he's CONSTANTLY doing it when I'm trying to sleep. I've actually taped most of the cupboards shut so I don't have to listen to him trying to get them open constantly. He still tries though. I have like two cupboards on the bottom shelf or whatever you wanna call it that have nothing in them. If I leave them open for him, he'll close them, then try to reopen them.

Now I've tried a water bottle but that doesn't seem to phase him much at all. I tried yelling at him but he just looks at me funny... I also tried growling on the advice of a website but again, I got funny looks. FINALLY I seemed to get through when I tried hissing, but he's not listening to the hissing anymore.

This has been going on for weeks and I just don't know what to do anymore . What's the best way to discipline a cat. I'm sure you shouldn't hit them in anyway, but I'm tired of having to get up several times in the night to stop him.

I've never seen a cat with as much energy as he has. His younger female friend that I have doesn't have as much energy as he does. He's always on the go... it's unreal.

So any ideas would be appreciated, thanks.

[MJ]

Feeding him when he did it was probably a bad idea to start with... It may have reinforced the behavior because he saw it as a way to get something out of you.

He may need more toys/exercise/personal attention. Especially in the evening before bed time, because cats tend to get hyper around then and tiring them out before bed can be helpful.

I'm sure Traci or someone can give you much more detailed advice in a while though.

[Cindy]

any chance there might be a MOUSE in those cupboards?

[mamabear]

any chance there might be a MOUSE in those cupboards?

This would be my first guess. OR some animal.

We had a dalmation and good Lord he tore a hole in the wall and dh was mad as heck. He fixed it (eheeeem it took him almost a year to do) but about the same time as the dog had done the first one as soon as that was fixed by dh the dog did it again in another wall in the same room he was in. Come to find it was mice and we were so thankful that we had not done anything like get rid of him for doing it.

I can't imagine the stress of having to hear that noise and not be able to do anything about it. AND not have anyone else be able to hear it and the cat/dog is thought to just be a pain in the butt.

Not saying this is it but its the only thing I can think of.

Have you taken kitty to vet and made sure everything else is ok?
Is there a possibility that there are mice around? We have a home and never thought we'd have em but guess what we sure did, they come in in the winter time.

[Traci]

I have to ask, who is giving you advice to growl/hiss and yell at him? That's about as counterproductive as you can get.

If you determine there are no mice/bugs in the cupboards, then chances are, he is simply bored. As MJ said, devote more quality time with him before you retire at night, with playtime/activity, keep interesting toys available to him during the night, keep a small amount of food available to him at night, try keeping on a nightlight in another room, etc.

[E's]

My junior cat Pinto did this for a while. It was DEFINITELY for attention, therefore any kind of attention was what he was after - like a kid, he took even yelling and b-mod bottle squirts as a positive answer!

I had always before raised my cats from kittenhood, but Pinto was nearly a year old when I got him and renamed him. His affectionate nature and liking everybody he sees was obvious when he was still in the window at PetsMart - it was certain this cat had been reared mostly indoors by good people He fit right in with me and my other neutered male cat. He was well trained for litterbox; the wanting to go out the apartment door soon went away...

But he WOULD bang cabinet doors in the night! Kitchen lower, kitchen above refrig, bathroom lower - any cabinet he could reach! I bought babyproof cabinet fasteners but never got around to installing them... meantime I just started blocking each cabinet with such things as a small icechest, a plastic step, waste baskets with something heavy inside (like a bag of chow) or jugs filled with tap water... and began ignoring him at night if he tried this form of getting my attention. I don't recall exactly how long it took, but it wasn't very long before this smart guy understood: fooling around with cabinets doors etc. did not get him anyplace! These days it is only once in a great while Pinto tries something like that... most nights he sleeps all night in his bed on my bed, or in my desk chair. If it will show up, here is a pic of Pinto when he was still being a brat

[MJ]

My cats actually open the cupboard doors all the time as well. Sometimes to go in there and sit in an open space, sometimes just because they wanted to look inside. And since I'm, well... Very laid back and spoil them, I've never tried to stop them. Haha. I just try to keep dangerous things out of the accessible cupboards.

It was kind of funny the time that I had a "disagreement" with my older cat in which he rolled open a drawer and I closed it and he opened it again like 10 times in a row. :P

Of course, they also do things like steal spoons from the sink and other weird things to entertain themselves sometimes. Hahaha.

[Sonique]

I have to ask, who is giving you advice to growl/hiss and yell at him? That's about as counterproductive as you can get.

I looked up "ways to discipline a cat" on google and this was the first result:
http://www.clydesight.com/livecat/catdisc.html

If you determine there are no mice/bugs in the cupboards, then chances are, he is simply bored. As MJ said, devote more quality time with him before you retire at night, with playtime/activity, keep interesting toys available to him during the night, keep a small amount of food available to him at night, try keeping on a nightlight in another room, etc.

Funny story
Last night I made sure to play with him and his favorite toy for about 10 minutes before I went to bed. Right before I turned the light out I said to him, "now are you going to be good?"
And he just sorta sat down and looked at me like saying, "yes"
And he was O_O
He didn't try to get into cupboards all night. I was very pleased.

Thanks for the advice, I feel bad that I wasn't spending enough time with him ;_; I really do love him but sometimes life just gets so full you forget about what's important. So thanks, hopefully I've solved the problem.

[mamabear]

I'm sorry I have to laugh with the whole pulling drawer in and out like 10x's.....ROFL>.. Man I miss my cats!!!!!

I do hope you will be able to spend more time with kitty so the behavior at least at night stops.