Kitten training advice please!

[stirling]

Hello,

A contact of a friend has had an unwanted litter so I've finally plucked up the courage to get one! We're v excited, the kids and I.

How can I train the kitten not to go upstairs? My son has allergies and I'd rather not have pet hair /dander in the rooms where we sleep. It'll be easier for me to vacuum the downstairs every day.

How can I train the kitten not to scratch my sofa? The current owners believe that cat posts are useless as they "encourage scratching" ?

A friend who's a cat lover /owner said that a good way to teach the cat what not to do is to spray a little mist of water from a plant spray bottle when cat does something you don't want it to do.

Any advice from mumsnet cat owners much appreciated!

Oh and anyone know anything about cats and burglar alarms? Will I never be able to use mine again? Or am I going to need to invest in a whole new system. ? I think the sensors are high, but then cats like going high don't they?

Thanks

Upstairs - get a stair gate, and make sure Kitty can neither squeeze through the bars nor jump over it. You may need to invest in some chicken wire or similar. It won't look pretty, but it will do the job. However, someplace out of bounds is likely to be VERY attractive to Kitty so you'll have to make sure you keep the gate closed at all times.

Sofa - you could try putting double sided sticky tape or foil on it as cats don't like the feel of them. Or spray with citrus.

Burglar alarm - my mum had one, which was only activated at night or when the house was empty. At those times the cats were shut in the kitchen and morning room where there was no sensor. They had a catflap, so were able to go outside if they wanted to, but also had the option of a bed by the radiator in the morning room.

To be honest, though, unless you have a really placid cat you'll discover that Kitty lays down the rules and you learn to adapt around them!!!

Timeihad that's so funny!

Some really useful suggestions there. Yes I could eventually install a cat flap and lock the kitchen door...

I think spraying a cat with mist is likely to make them associate the spray with you and avoid you, rather than them understanding you don't like the behaviour. Cats need to scratch - but if they're adult, outdoors cats they'll do a lot of this outside. Kittens can't go out until they've had all their jabs, and also need supervision outside (like kids) to start with. So you're going to have a cat scratching something inside, and I think it's best to provide something acceptable. I bought some rope and twisted it tightly around the stairpost and my cats loved this! They still have a go at the laundry basket as well, which I don't mind. I found that propping a cushion against the bit of sofa being attacked worked really well, because it fell over as they started scratching, and then they didn't try that spot again.

Be aware that cats will learn to jump over the stairgate, and will be desperate to sleep on the beds they're not allowed to sleep on - so I'm not sure how long you'll manage to keep them out. On the plus side, I'm allergic to cats (when I don't live with them), but my allergies subside when I live with cats (my immune system seems to settle down) - so maybe your son will be lucky this way.

Ah, thanks for that v helpful reply. Yes unfortunately we've completely fallen in love with the kitten, and I also noticed I was a bit wheezy after my visit the other day, but it was also a day when I'd been out in central London - which always triggers my asthma. So I'm hoping that we won't both be reacting.

You can't train a kitten. I've been lucky I suppose neither of mine scratch furniture but that might be because I'm forever tripping up over scratching posts. They are your best investment.

Are you wise getting one though with so
Many stipulations? What if he's badly allergic?

To avoid scratchign the sofa your best bet is to have LOADS of scratch posts nad pads of differing kinds and redirect the cat onto one any time they go for the furniture.

Cats are little buggers tho... mine never scratches any furniture except my bed at 6am because he knows it gets a reaction!

Thank you! Valid point eachandeveryone, I do have so many stipulations... Going to think this through seriously tonight.

Thank you! Valid point eachandeveryone, I do have so many stipulations... Going to think this through seriously tonight.