To help train their cats to stay off furniture or to stop scratching drapes, many people keep a squirt gun around. When the cat starts doing something the owner doesn’t approve of, they spray the cat with water from the squirt gun. The idea is that the cat won’t like the water so it will stop the behavior.
However, spraying a cat with water can annoy and traumatize it. Now instead of training the cat to stop its behavior, squirting water simply trains your cat to fear you. A far better approach is to find another way to redirect your cat’s behavior without squirting it with water. After all, how would you like it if your boss squirted you with water every time he or she thought you messed up?
To learn more about the dangers of squirting a cat with water as a training tool, click here.