Spraying cats with water from a squirt bottle is not a reinforcement; it’s a punishment. Giving your cat a choice of ways to express his behavioral needs and then rewarding his use of the choice you prefer is the best way to encourage your cat’s “good” behavior.
5 Reasons To Stop Spraying Your Cat With Water
Due to their high sensitivity to environmental stressors, cats can become anxious over even the smallest of things. Stress in cats can be caused by a variety of factors, including moving, loud visitors, a new baby, or aggressive neighborhood cats that threaten their territory. However, even something as basic as how you discipline or train your cat can cause stress in cats.
Your cat will be startled and surprised by a quick burst of water. They will probably flee and hide since that is how they typically handle threats. Your cat may run away into the garden for the entire night or hide for hours because they are afraid to come back.
In addition to these symptoms and behavioral issues, stress can also cause increased aggression, urinating or defecating outside of the litter box, and spending an excessive amount of time hiding away. Stress can also lead to a variety of other health issues in cats, including lower urinary tract disease, which can be challenging and time-consuming to treat.
2. It Doesn’t Work
Water spraying may appear like a safe and sensible method to stop your cat from engaging in certain behaviors that we find objectionable or problematic. Although this training method is based on the theory of negative reinforcement, it is generally no longer regarded as a good idea when it comes to your pet’s welfare.
Cats are naturally inclined to climb on surfaces and scratch furniture as these are their innate behaviors. We must seek out different and more efficient strategies to deal with and change these behaviors in our homes. Giving them a painful water spray every time they do something causes anxiety and tension when, in reality, they should have another choice or solution available to them.
The occasional water squirt when you’re around to do it doesn’t really have much of an impact over time because cats need a lot of positive reinforcement and repetition to form associations with good behaviors and rewards.
5. It Can Lead Your Cat To Avoid Water Altogether
Since cats don’t like the water anyway, spraying them has been considered a good deterrent or punishment in the past. However, a bad encounter with water can turn them off to all types of water, including their water bowl.
Cats with a water phobia may be afraid to walk outside in the rain or to approach the kitchen or bathroom sink. Of course, cats can drown in water, but we don’t want them to be afraid of specific rooms in the house or reluctant to drink from their own bowls.
FAQ
Does spraying cats with water help train them?
Can I spray my cat with water when it misbehaves?
Can I spray my cat with water to stop meowing?