Expert: Tomay - 5/18/2005

Question
Hi there, I have a 6 months old baby girl kitty and she climbs on everthing.  If we yell at her she will hiss, but saying NO or clapping hands does nothing.  She finds the high places like my entertainment center and my wine rack, and knocks stuff over.  I don't know how to make her stop, mostly when we are not there..
Also, she is an indoor cat and I was wondering if getting another kitten would help her from being board.

Answer
Hello Letitia,
As you know, yelling at a cat does very little good!  I have found that a spray bottle of water, a squirt gun, or a can of air, are all effective deterrents to undesireable behaviour, such as climbing on everything.  It may become necessary to keep her in a 'safe' room while you are gone.  A bathroom or other space where she cannot get into trouble.  Sometimes getting another kitten can help to keep her otherwise occupied, and hope that she doesn't 'teach' the new kitten her bad habits!  But the air and water sprays seem to work well in retraining this kind of behaviour.
Good luck!
Thank you for your inquiry,
Tomay