Trust is important aspect to any relationship and may not be easily or quickly gained from many cats. Here are two common mistakes that I have encountered that can cause a feline companion to be less trusting.
Don’t yell or scream at your cat. Keep in mind that your cat does not speak or understand your spoken language (and you probably sound to them like Charlie Brown's teacher from the Peanuts cartoon). Most cats won’t be able to make the connection that their actions are making you yell at them. Instead try “growling” at your cat when they are doing something wrong- like hopping up onto your kitchen stove. Or better yet, add a growling tone to the word “NO” to help make it clear that the kitchen stove is off limits. Do make a loud noise such as snapping your fingers or clapping your hands to get their attention- before you growl at them, and if possible make direct eye contact. Growling is as close as we can get to “speaking” the cat language. Cats are accustomed to seeing non-verbal cues and we do not have the ears or tails to help facilitate that process.
Don’t squirt your cat with a water bottle. While this trick may yield immediate results, it can make your cat become fearful or worried about being sprayed by you. From your cats point of view they do not understand why you would squirt them and may be distrustful of you when the water bottle is nearby. Moreover, your cat will still be inclined on doing that unwanted behavior- especially when you aren’t watching. Keep in mind your cat probably does not make the connection as to why they got sprayed- only that YOU sprayed them. If your cat is venturing into unwanted areas- then perhaps a motion-detected sensor that expels a puff of air would be a good alternative. This way, your kitty will learn the consequences of that behavior without associating you for penalizing them.
In general cats are extremely respectful of boundaries. It’s how we communicate and convey what those boundaries are to them that is the challenge.
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