It is also the only way.
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Negative discipline is when we try to respond to a cat’s misbehavior in a punitive manner.
While punishment is often the first thing we think of, it’s not that great a teaching tool. It actually makes little sense even for their own good; we don’t want the cat to get hurt on a hot stove, so we hurt the cat? That’s a disconnect in logic that anyone would have trouble following.
Positive discipline is discipline that teaches.
Communication is our greatest tool. If we cannot convey to the cat that we don’t want them to do that, how are they ever going to know we want them to stop doing that?
Gentle kitten raising, the kind that is neither permissive nor punitive, creates cats who will look to us for guidelines about their behavior. With adults, it’s even easier. Grown cats want to know the rules of the house, and we should convey them as quickly and easily as we can.
Cooperation works both ways. If we have the litter box or food dish in a bad place, our cat will try to convey that information to us.
It may look like misbehavior, but if we reflexively, and constantly, treat it as such, we will only frustrate both of us. Cats only know they need to have their needs met. Displaying the inadequacy of the present setup might be the only way they know to get that point across.
Redirection is the best response to a cat who keeps going after something they shouldn’t. While they have the last word on their care, we can have final say on our own stuff.
But what the cat is asking for is amusement of their own. We should give them some.
Negotiation is the process by which both we and the cats get what we want. A cat relationship is not going to work if we insist on always having our own way. This is also the cat’s attitude.
But with mutual admiration, respect, and love, we can both get our way.
We can both get what we want.
See Best Way to Discipline Cats. Read all my posts on Positive Discipline.
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