It’s easy to feel fed up and frustrated with your cat, especially if he isn’t behaving properly. That frustration can often turn into physical punishment, but nothing could be worse for your cat’s behavior.

Physical punishment instills fear in your cat, which in turn will cause your cat to fear you. Prolonged physical punishment will negatively affect your relationship as your cat learns that bad things happen when you’re around. Some cats will just get sneaky and do the thing you hate when you aren’t looking.

Rarely, if ever, does the negative punishment get associated with the behavior, which means you aren’t altering your cat’s behavior at all. If you do want to use negative reinforcement techniques, use a squirt bottle instead.

To learn more about positive reinforcement techniques, or for a list of cat trainers in your area, visit with your vets Monaghan, ON.