Off-topic post: Cat behavior modification

by The Major

First, the Major will be the first to admit he made some mistakes with his cat, Furball. Furball, as far as he can tell, is a Norwegian forest cat. She is very furry and looks  lot like a Maine Coon.

The Major made the mistake of letting the cat outside on a screened porch. He thought she wouldn't get fleas, but she did. Cats are semi-domesticated animals so once you let them outside, they aren't happy when kept inside (for flea control).

The Major's spouse made the second mistake. She started feeding the cat on the kitchen island. Once he cat started jumping up on the kitchen island, it could see all of the food preparation that was going on in the house. It associated any activity in the kitchen with being fed.

So the cat started jumping on the island out of habit with the assumption it would be fed. When it wasn't fed, it started caterwauling. After a couple of water hits with a spray bottle, the caterwauling stopped and more polite 'meows" followed.

The Major thought the cat might have a tapeworm because it constantly begged for food. But then he noticed the cat's bowl still had food in it.

A search on the Internet indicated this is a common problem. In some cases a vet may need to look at the cat. In many cases, the cat simply needs to be kept off of kitchen counters and off of the kitchen table.

If you have a cat box in your home, it should be apparent why you don't want your cat anywhere in the kitchen but on the floor. 

Always feed the cat on the floor rather than on the counter. The Major  rearranged some chairs on the kitchen to make it harder for the cat to get onto the kitchen island.

One article the Major read said cats don't like to walk on tin foil so  I covered the cat's landing zone on on the kitchen island with tin foil.

So far so good. Furball still meows politely for food, but she is not as annoying as she used to be.

What are the lessons learned on cat behavior. First, never let a "house cat" outside. Not only will the cat get fleas, it will also caterwaul to get outdoors afterwards.

Second, feed cats on the floor and keep them off of kitchen counters and the kitchen table. This will keep your cat happy and your kitchen sanitary.

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