Scaredy cat

[Geggy]

Due to my dad's health problems, my parents recently gave me their 11 year old cat, Snookie. I've never been much of a cat person up until now. I'm totally clueless to how I'm supposed to take care of it so I use some of the methods I'd use on dogs which I have a lot of experience with. Just last night, after watching a movie, I took out my hearing aids, put them on my coffee table and fell asleep. Next morning, it was gone. I searched for my hearing aids for over an hour until I found one under my couch. Few minutes later I found the other one hidden inside the kitty litter box, with the ear mold partly gnawed off. How am I supposed to punish this cat? I've heard people throwing thier cats into the washing machine and leave them in there for an hour as a punishment. I'm considering on doing that but I really want to get along with this cat. Help!

[pjalne]

I recommend you put the hearing aids somewhere the cat can't find them and throw the cat off any tables it walks on. Not lifting it off, throwing it off. But keep small, valuable things away from it. Cats don't know toys from hearing aids.

[sadie]

yah. definitely cat-proof your house. as far as punishment for tearing up your hearing aids goes, though, after the fact, it's really difficult to reprimand animals; they don't usually understand what it is they've done wrong. but if you catch them in the act, you can speak firmly and deeply, "NO!" and you can use a water gun to discipline them from getting on furniture, etc.

[kellychaos]

I concur. At best, showing the cat the ear plugs in the litter box is probably going to leave him/her with the thought "So I'm NOT to supposed to shit in there? Oh well, your shoes will do just as nicely." Punishing them in the act, especially when the situation is repeated, will eventually teach him not to continue that behavior ... well, at least when you're there anyway. Nowadays, if my cat jumps on the table, a simple look will cause him to jump down.

[Kitty of Doom]

Does Snookie have claws? If he/she does it would be a good idea to get a scratching post if you don't already have one. Eating a hearing aid? That sounds more like something a dog would do. My dog eats anything that is not nailed down like flashlights, socks, lipstick, kitty dookie, napkins (oh he loves napkins),and pencils just to name a few.

[Geggy]

Watergun? hmm....that could work. Snookie has the tendency to wake me up 5 oclock every morning for feeding time. A watergun laying on the night table by my bed could put a stop to that. I haven't had any good sleep in a week! Die, snookie, die! squirt squirt.

There's something about the ear mold of my hearing aids that attract the animals. It's got to be the odor of the ear wax that drives them wild. I'm surprised they haven't gone for my head yet.

Oh, btw, my cat doesn't have claws.

[AChimp]

Does it have one of those ID tattoos? If not, you could just leave the cat outside one day and hope it runs away.

Otherwise, I suggest taking a shit in its litterbox to show him who's boss.