There’s really no such thing as successfully disciplining a cat. They can be trained to do (or not to do) certain things with positive reinforcement, but they can’t be shamed or punished into behaving as you wish.

Swatting or hitting your cat or rubbing their face in a litterbox miss is abusive and does nothing to fix the problem. Yelling only makes things worse as well.

Here are 5 reasons why you’re wasting your time and harming your relationship with your pet when you use punishment to try to modify a cat’s behavior:

1. It’s not about you

Peeing on your bed probably feels like a personal attack. But even though we often call them “jerks” in jest, your cat isn’t spiteful. That’s a human emotion. Cats also don’t have malicious intent. They do things as a response to their environment and, frankly, their brains aren’t capable of that much more thought about their actions.

Your pet’s behavior in on you and the way you’ve treated them. It’s also about how they view their environment (which you agreed to make comfortable for them by taking on the responsibility of getting a cat).

Without affection, stimulation, protection, and just plain old cleaning out the litterbox regularly, you can’t expect a cat to behave as you wish. Do your part first.

2. Your cat has no idea why you’re angry

If your cat peed on the floor or scratched a chair and more than a minute has gone by, there’s no chance it will connect your cruel behavior with its own actions. They simply don’t understand the world that well – “consequence” is not in their vocabulary.

Furthermore, things we call “bad behavior” are often our cat’s attempts to communicate a problem, whether it’s their anxiety, a health problem, or overall unhappiness with a disruption in their routine or home life.

When your cat acts out, they probably need your affection more than ever because something is wrong. Use their behavior to figure out what that is and talk to a vet if you need assistance. It might be something as simple as not having a clean enough litterbox when they defecate elsewhere.

3. It will only make things worse

If your cat is sick, anxious, or upset, being yelled or swatted at is only going to make them more on edge. Then you simply end up with even more bad behavior since you’ve only compounded the situation.

Anything that upsets your pet and makes you feel better is probably a bad idea – using your cat to quell your own frustrations is never appropriate and could be considered animal abuse.

4. You’ll turn your cat against you

Would you like to be around someone who is always angry or treated you poorly for reasons you don’t understand?

No, of course not. And neither does your cat.

The minute your cat starts associating you with being punished, they won’t consider you part of their pack anymore and you’ve simply turned your pet into a bad roommate.

Even worse, you didn’t solve the real problem, so the behavior is likely to continue.

5. You have responsibilities

If you agreed to adopt a cat into your home, you’re responsible for treating it well. Cats don’t change without careful and deliberate actions that are in their best interests.

Meanwhile, you’re a fully grown adult who understands your responsibilities and the fact that punishment does no good.

Solving the problem for your pet or getting them the help they need (even if that’s understanding that they get too lonely while you travel and getting them a catsitter) is your job.

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Cats can do all sorts of things that annoy us. But they’re just trying to live their lives, stay stimulated, and keep themselves safe.

We might not always like the way they choose to point out there’s a problem, but it’s pretty clear that the solution is empathy and not punishment.

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Source: I Heart Cats