Should I spray my cat with water?

Regardless of what other pet owners, veterinarians, and pet trainers might say, we recommend you do NOT spray your cat with water in order to discipline or train them. It may be effective to use squirt bottles to spray your cat, but it comes at the price of not being a close to your pet cat.  Cats are a lot like children.  They are sensitive, intelligent, and perceptive. Should I spray my cat with a water bottle as a form of discipline? NO. Let me explain a little more about cats and why the answer is No.

Why would I ever spray my cat Mo with water?

My cat Mo was a stray and had trouble bonding with me at first.  Then one day he got his foot chewed up really bad by a dog.  I could tell that Mo was in pain and concerned about his foot.  I nursed him, patiently cleaned and tended his wounds, laid with him, gave him love, and showed my concern for him.  Mo recognized my sincerity and love for him and we have been incredibly close ever since. I’d like to stress that if I sprayed Mo with a water bottle, it would be offensive towards him. He is communicating his needs with my through his actions and subtle gestures. If I can’t read his subtle body language and I chose to resort to crude methods of discipline like spraying my cat with water, then Mo and I would never be as close as we are now.

As an Alternative to Spraying your Cat with a Water Bottle, Know your Cat!

Cats possess emotional bank accounts just like people do. You cat will remember if you hurt, ignore, or bully them. They don’t understand the world in quite the way you do, so try to be aware and sensitive to your cat’s needs. If I spray my cat with water once a day, would that help me be close to my cat?

The key to a healthy relationship with your cat is to share a strong bond. Like with Mo, I had a similar bonding experience with my cat Padme.  She didn’t trust people, but she was intelligent and communicated in the ways she could. The key is to recognize that cats don’t have a voice, but they are communicating with actions.  Cats are sensitive animals because they are keenly aware.  Cats communicate in subtle movements because of their nature.  Padme communicated with subtle body language and I listened. As a result, we had a very close bond up until her death. You can read more about Padme by reading her epitaph.

So in conclusion, please don’t use a spray bottle to squirt your cat with water when they are scratching or getting up on the table. Spraying them with water might produce results, but it will also compromise that trust you can have with your cat.