Kitty Time Out?

[jennielynn1970]

Just wondering... does anyone here use a "Time Out" type punishment for bad behavior in their cats??

Zachariah, my big lovey foster boy, is also one big bully! I trying to use a time out for him when I catch him in the act of bullying. Right now he's in a large crate, and is not happy at all (he's yowling piteously). It's only been 10 minutes, but I don't think it needs to be really long for them to get the hint. I'm just so tired of him cornering my cats and harassing them!

[catmandu]

I HAVE TO CASTISE MIQUELITO ONCE IN A WHILE AND HE FIGHTS LIKE TUBSTER PANTHER AND CHASES POUNCIERGE AROUND. HE TRIES WITH SCRAPPY 2 BUT SHE MAKES WITH HER RIGHT PAW AND CREATES A TIME OUT OF HER OWN!!
POW WHAM, SOCK!!!!!
:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/catmandu/Picture325.jpg

[Freedom]

Oh yes, time out here! I use the bathroom, as I don't have any crates, and keep the carriers put away. Crystal was such a rambunctious kitten she was a regular. That's her calico coming through! :rolleyes: I liked the bathroom as they have NO stimulation in there. Can't see other kits, can't see toys, etc.

I do make a point to set a timer, as I am afraid I would forget otherwise and that is not the point.

When putting th cat IN, I hold them by the scruff to get them to calm down and pay attention to me. My other hand supports the body because, as you well know (but someone else reading this may not be aware) you will hurt the cat otherwise. Only kittens can be supported by the scruff. Anyway, I hold the scruff, lift up and forward and look the cat right in the eye and say NO! Probably a human thing and pointless with a cat, but who really knows?

I usually did 5 to 7 minutes, depending what I had going on ( or how many broken things I had to clean up!)

[Medusa]

Oh yes, absolutely! The only time I didn't enforce it is this last episode w/Yodie and Puddy. I had to put Puddy in her room to isolate her when Yodie picked on her but that's because Puddy's so fragile right now. But ordinarily, the offender gets put in a carrier and they don't like it one bit but they get the message. People are always trying to tell me that cats aren't that smart. Gimme a break! Clearly they aren't cat owners.

[jennielynn1970]

Ugh... Zach is ticking me off!!! He keeps going after Honeybun, my old guy! I put him in time out, let him out after about 15 minutes. Ten minutes later, he has Honey cornered again! He's back in the crate now. He's HOWLING, but I'm ignoring him.

[Medusa]

Try moving the crate to a room where he's completely isolated. Sometimes that does the trick for me.

[Laura's Babies]

I put up with Samantha bullying when she first came to live with Amy and Giz, Chester was here but she was use to Chester and didn't try it with him. I put up with it until she singled Amy out and I started the time outs in another room with the door shut. The first time, she was happy and contented to be in there and stayed a long time... Hummm... that wasn't effective at all now was it? Next time I put her in there for time out with the door shut, I made sure she heard me playing with the rest of them and loving on them, it was obvious she didn't like that!... That worked but not good enough because the third day, she started on Amy again. In the room she went with me scolding her all the way and shut the door, came back in here and played with them again. Within minutes, she was screaming to get out but I made her stay unti I was ready to let her out.. The third day worked and there was NO MORE of that!!

However... that did not work with Boo. :( Nothing I tried worked until Nancy was brought in and she handled it and it's been uphill ever since. :D

Think about this, what does their Mom do when they are bad as kittens? She shoves them away from the rest and growls at them. A lady at the cat show told us that is what to do, grab them by the scruff of the neck, growl and say "NO!" and seclude them for awhile. But you HAVE to be consistant! Even if you put the victem in another room, still seclude the offender. Remember, they all hate being in a room with the door closed!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Yep, Chester is usually the one who gets time outs here. Just the other day he was beating on poor old Leonardo. Usually, I put him in his carrier for a while (they like sleeping in it) but he ran into the kitchen so I just shut him in there.

He needs something like that to change his way of thinking. He gets something in his brain and won't give it up unless something makes him think of something else. He has a one track mind and I have to derail his brain train. :D

[krazyaboutkatz]

Yes, I used to have to do this with Storm especially when I still had Cirrus. He never got it though and it wouldn't stop him from chasing Cirrus.:( Now I may have to start doing this with Sunny. This morning he jumped on poor Storm and it was almost a major cat fight.:eek: If I hadn't been there to break it up I don't know what wouldn've happened. Sunny still thinks that he should be the alpha cat. He doesn't realize that he just isn't cut out for this position because he's a goofball not a leader.

[jennielynn1970]

Honestly, his bullying is the major reason why he is still a foster and that I am not considering adopting him. He's so bad with the girls, and now starting on Honeybun (who is old), I just don't want to have to put them through that for the next 15 years.

He's had 3 time outs today. After the 3rd he came and cuddled with me on the sofa, and then he went to sleep on the one cat bed on one of the other sofas.

I've been using a squirt bottle too, but usually by the time I've grabbed it, he's run out of the room. He HATES the squirt bottle. I use this on him when he uses my sofas as a scratching post as well. He's so bad, but so darn sweet, it's hard to stay mad at him! :rolleyes:

[Craftlady]

Skinny loves to get up on the dresser and cause havic at night.
Smart guy, I sit up in bed and he jumps down LOL
Normally I will get up and put him on the bed, he usually settles down and goes to sleep. HOWEVER, lately we play "the game" jump on dresser and 3rd time your in computer room for the night. I pick him up and say "sorry for your luck" and close the door.
Sometimes he has a buddy in there with him, Ms. Cindy (I now turn light on real quick and do a check if anyone else is sleeping in the room) knows how to bust open the door (we live in old house, doors are warped) and springs Mr. Skinny, he hasnt figured out how to do it himself.

It's hard to do all this quitely while hubby is sleeping LOL

[rg_girlca]

I had problems with Sades & Mooky getting into it with each other and I mean getting into it. It sounded like two male cats fighting outside. Would scare the living daylights out of me when it would happen around 3 in the morning. Anyhoo, they would both get time out in separate rooms with the door closed. It was mostly Sades who was the aggressive one, so he was the one who got the time out most of the time. It ranged from a day, up to 3 days in the room. The last time it happened, he was closed in the room, with my son, for a week. It's been quite a while since I've had to do that.
Now whenever they to go to pass each other, or decide to lay on the bed, couch, table or wherever, I just tell them to be good and when they are, I give them a treat and tell them what good boys they are.

Even though Zach runs from the room when you grab the squirt bottle, I would still run after him and give him a shot. This is what I had to do.

Maybe Zach would be better if he was an only cat, like my rescue Chester is.

Prayers on the way that things will work out with Zach and the rest of your crew.

[Randi]

Well, I don't have the problem you, having only one cat, but IF Fister does something he shouldn't, which is very rare, he will know it and race off to hide somewhere.

I would not use time out in any case, because what I might think is wrong, is probably perfectly normal behaviour to him. :)