How To Tell A Cat Not To Do Something?

How to tell a cat No? Not only how to say to them NO but how to make them understand NO. If you're with a cat for longer than 20 minutes, you probably had to discipline your pet or at least attempt to do: 

“No, get off the sofa!”

“No, get off the bed!” 

“No, don't claw the carpet!”

“No, don't claw my face!” 

Cats have minds of their own, and they're not very good at speaking our language. Imagine that. So just the word No really doesn't translate too well, it can take effort to get the message across, and in some cases, it can seem like a never-ending process of training and stress. 

Cats don't understand the word NO. Therefore, the way you say it to your cat is crucial. When disciplining your cat with commands, you can use a firm and authoritative tone. But keep in mind that you don't change the way you say it. That way, your cat will understand what it means to use dominant body language techniques and look into your account size while you give the command hissing like a cat. 

So when you tell a cat No, it all comes down to how you say it, the voice tone consistency, and the body language that comes with it. I mean, what is NO? It's a sound. And that's the foundation you must start with when attempting to crack the code and discipline your cat. 

The sound of the note must carry some weight and identification. Just like positive sounds for your feline, you want the sound of the NO to have some force. At the same time, the goal is certainly not to scare your pet into submission. But when you say no, you want your cat to stop immediately and change course at once. 

How does a child learn no and the importance of the word? How does a child learn to cease negative behaviors? It's just the word alone. Is it the tone? Is it the body language? 

Well, It's not just the word, but how you say it, the force behind it, and the body language you use, and the Aftermath. 

Sometimes Aftermath can play a huge role here. Again, the teaching methods are pretty similar in telling your cat not to do something. 

The importance of verbal command so much of cat ownership is all about what you say and how you say it, the positive and the negative. But this is also how a cat learns its name, making the sound have a unique impact compared to everything else you say. To your cat, your casual language probably sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher. That's why certain words need to carry some level of power and influence so that your cat can distinguish them from a sea of noise. 

So how do you say no to your cat? How do you do it? Well, here are a few helpful tips:

The authoritative voice is the authoritative voice that is all about pitch and tone. The no head has to be distinct. You can't use the same tone and pitch to say no was the same you would when you were telling your cat's name, but they can't sound the same. All that does is muddy the waters. The firm no highlights your displeasure. Your cat will know this sound is different if you only use it for this single word. Use this information as your backbone. Next up is a consistent tone. Once you've locked down the authoritative tone, practice that consistent tone. I love my sports analogies. So for any basketball fans out there, think of consistent tone as shooting a free throw. You've got your routine, and you wouldn't step up to that foul line and do something different each time, right?

You need consistency. The same holds for the tone of No. I mean, you could probably take a harsh tone in 500 different ways. Well, your cat will also view it in 500 different ways, thereby making your tone lack weight. Keeping a consistent tone allows your cat to commit to the sound of the word and the tone of the word. They can commit all of that to memory. 

Next up is body language. And while body language is essential, you don't need to get too carried away here, which means waving the arms and stomping around is not recommended. Although it can be tempting, I've been there for sure, believe me, body language. How about that index finger, the power of that index finger put it to use, look your cat directly in the eyes point with that index finger. And let's say your cat's on the sofa point to the floor. Your goal is to stop your cat in its tracks, not due to fear. But due to command of attention. Get your cat locked on you by the measure of authority, consistent tone, eye contact, and that finger point let you feel I know that you're the boss, you can certainly still love your cat while also allowing your cat to understand who runs the show around here. 

Always remember, your cat is living with you. You're not living with your cat. Those crazy cats that you see on TV just tear up a whole house. Yeah, that's typically the result of a cat getting too much getting being allowed to take too much. And you are taking ownership of almost everything. Very early on is critical to let your cat know that you are the authority. Here again, back to the small child analogy. I mean, you wouldn't let a toddler control your entire home and do whatever they wanted. The same applies here. 

A measure of tough love. So you're probably asking, Well, what if none of this is working for us? Well, this is where you use a deterrent. It can come in handy. Shake out an entire can of pennies or slap your hand on the table, but make sure you get your cat's attention healthily and positively. And our final tip is all about redirecting that attention I. This could play into your hands. Hey, look over there, Garfield food. Sometimes you have to play with your cat's mind the use of food. Toys and games can get your cat off one thing and onto another. Felines are easily distracted. You can play into this if needed and use this quality in your favor.

So why don't cats just listen? Why is this process of learning notes so tricky at times for felines in my cat care? Why won't my cat just pay attention to me? It can be a tough road, and most cat owners have been there at least on some level. As for the reasons why cats just don't listen to commands, we offer the following. 

How about this lack of understanding? They just don't get it. That's why you have to teach them, and while it can be annoying, at least on this front, you have to get on their level of understanding. I mean, we don't understand the cat language, right. So in fairness, it does go both ways. That's why teaching is so critical. Next up is age, not kittens, but rather senior cats. Many older cats are just set in their ways, and they're not willing to take any orders from anybody or anything. It's just the way things are.

Additionally, some older felines fail to respond to commands due to cognitive decline. They don't understand because they no longer have the ability to understand hearing loss. If this is the case, we can also be a factor. If this is the case, simply go easy on your pet from a discipline standpoint, as a lot of sympathies is an order for all that we've spoken about today. 

Other measures will have to be taken, and depending on what the adverse action is, unless it's something totally out of balance, you might just have to let go. 

Another reason why some cats refuse to obey commands is simply due to a lack of motivation and incentive. One of the best ways to train a cat is to offer up some rewards for good behavior.

A celebration of good behavior, those incentives coupled with a lack of negative tactics. What is a negative tactic? Well, how about using a spray bottle to make your cat get off the sofa? Tempting? Right? But that's a no-no. If nothing positive is offered up, then your cat could simply lack the motivation to do right. Some cats just need a boost, and simply learning the word NO and still not enough for some felines. And our final reason as to why some cats do not respond to commands is that they simply don't view you as the boss. Cats will often ignore people if they don't see them as the boss, like a substitute teacher in school. We all have these stories from our childhood, or your class would let its guard down and perhaps do a little more little over the top because the real teacher was gone. It's a tale as old as school itself. The same can apply to your cat. If your pet doesn't view you as the boss or your cat feels like it owns you, you got some problems, my friend. You got some significant issues. 

Remember we said earlier, your cat lives with you. You don't live with your cat. Gaining control is critical because nothing can be done without it.