My friend hits his cat to punish him. Any alternatives?

?
Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone!

So, yesterday I was at a friend's place. He has a gorgeous 3-year-old cat who is quite a big lad and can jump really high.

Since his flat has a large balcony, he’s trying to train the cat not to jump while they're out there, as he's terrified he'll jump onto the balcony wall and fall.

Anyway, at one point the cat tried to chase an insect and did a massive jump of about a metre high, and then, I couldn't believe what I saw... My friend grabbed the cat by the scruff of his neck without supporting his legs (the poor thing had to take all his own weight), then he went to get a spatula to hit him with 😯 (and he hit him hard, too!!)

Seeing that I was absolutely appalled, he then laid out all his arguments for why this method works, acting very proud of the fact that he "doesn't use his hand so the cat doesn't associate him with the pain"... Honestly, I couldn't believe my ears.

He told me he’d tried the water spray technique (squirting a bit of water when the cat misbehaves), but it had no effect as the cat actually seems to quite like it.

I've never seen anything like it. I've owned and been around plenty of cats, and none of them ever needed that to understand the word "no".

I was so shocked and angry that I couldn't think of any proper alternatives to suggest, as I've never had to deal with this issue before.

So I’m coming to you for help—to stop a cat from jumping when they're on the balcony, there must be other ways?!!

Thanks in advance for the sake of this poor cat, and have a lovely day!

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

9 answers
Sort by:
    • T
    Turkiye ne mutlu turkum diyene Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    What a total waste of space that bloke is!!! A cat is as fragile as a baby, so definitely take the cat off him or give him a smack in the face so he sees how it feels.
    Translated from French
    Tania28
    Tania28 Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    So, was that talk actually constructive? If not, ditch the guy and take the cat with you – that’s my alternative...
    Translated from French
    N
    Negrita2 Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    It’s ridiculous to hit your pet, no matter what it is – it’s actually pathetic.
    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hi everyone!

    Thanks for your replies. Now I just need to have a proper chat with my friend and try my absolute hardest to make him understand that you can’t just override an animal's nature, especially not through violence...

    Have a lovely day, everyone!

    Translated from French
    Energiesolaire
    Energiesolaire Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Since you’re asking for an alternative... What this person is trying to do is train their cat this way. They’re trying to get a point across. It’s quite a mission! I think if we want to succeed at this, we have to admit that nothing beats the mother when it comes to training kittens and making herself understood. If a kitten wanders off into a danger zone, she just picks them up and brings them back. Simple as that. They wander off again, she brings them back again. What else do you expect her to do? She isn't going to whistle at them; she knows they won't have a clue. If it takes 10 goes, it takes 10 goes; if it takes 30, it takes 30. And if the kitten doesn't learn and ends up dying one day, well, they die. In other words, you can’t really do much more to get a cat to understand than just moving them. They jump, you bring them back; they jump, you bring them back. If one day they jump and kill themselves, well, you’ve tried everything you could... using that approach. But we’re humans. We’re very intelligent. We tend to try and "manage" things instead—arranging the environment to avoid these situations in the first place. Managing the problem is always the best way to go.
    Translated from French
    Energiesolaire
    Energiesolaire Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    No, short of putting up some wire mesh, you can't stop a cat from jumping. He'll end up hurting or killing it eventually, but the cat is still going to want to jump. And your "friend" is a disgraceful owner, not to mention incompetent and a total *****.

    An owner who is perhaps more typical than you’d think.

    I have to admit, I had a bit of a chuckle when I read that. I'm trying to put myself in the cat's shoes, getting whacked with a spatula without having a clue why.

    In any case, if I were that cat, I’d be very wary of that human.

    It’s funny how different people have such different reactions to the same issue. It would never even cross my mind to "beat" my cat to teach her basic safety rules.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Yeah, I completely agree. In fact, I’ve been questioning the whole ‘friend’ thing after what I saw.

    I told them I didn’t see the point in having a pet if you’re just going to mould them into whatever you find ‘convenient’...

    Mind you, the cat seems fine – he plays, he eats and he’s very cuddly, it’s true.

    But I’m not sure that justifies carrying on with this absolutely mental training method...

    Translated from French
    Docline
    Docline Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    No, short of putting up some wire mesh, you can’t stop a cat from jumping.

    He’ll end up injuring or killing it eventually, but the cat will still want to jump.

    And your "friend" is a rubbish owner, not to mention incompetent and a total *****.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Hi, I’m absolutely fuming about what your friend is doing to their cat, it’s outrageous!! Cats love climbing, jumping and getting up high. Apart from cat-proofing the terrace, I can’t see any other solution!! Maybe other members will have some ideas??
    Translated from French

  • 9 comments out of 9

    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more