This isn't anxiety or stress, this is his personality lol. And you haven't done anything wrong... we're past the 'adjusting' part now and into the 'how do we all live together' part. There are a few things going on here...
Originally posted by DanieMarie
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Also pay attention to whether he's a vertical or a horizontal scratcher... some cats like to stretch up tall while others like to stretch out along the ground and scratch the corners of the couch etc. Make sure that his cat tree allows him to do that and is in an area where he can do his thing without being disturbed. Sometimes we put cat trees in corners or next to doorways, which means that when they try to stretch out, they get interrupted when people walk past, or they can't get quite the angle that they're after... and so they use the furniture instead because it works better for them. If he likes to scratch at the carpet then he needs a patch that he IS allowed to scratch at... like a rug or square of off-cut carpet that he can use.
Next, get some clear contact or double sided tape, and some cardboard sheets... cover the cardboard so that one side of it is has the sticky stuff out. Then lay it over all your furniture and rugs that you don't want him scratching at. It's a right pain, but what it does is make all the other surfaces not attractive to him, while 'his' surfaces are.
Reward him when you find him using 'his' surfaces... this is hard to do with cats, because they are much harder to motivate than dogs and aren't usually that fussed about food rewards. But if he's affectionate then just a pat and some praise can work, or engaging in play with him while he's playing with 'his' things. If he's motivated by affection and attention then that can make a difference to him.
Originally posted by DanieMarie
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If his instinct is to get up high, then you need to give him an acceptable outlet for that. Trying to stop it completely is very difficult and usually fails or ends up ruining the relationship.
Originally posted by DanieMarie
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BUT... with this style of re-training you have to make sure that you aren't triggering or creating anxieties. It doesn't sound like it is in Albert's case, but I've seen lots of people actually create more problems by doing this, because the cat then gets anxious and therefore starts other things like urinating in inappropriate places or becoming antisocial.
This is actually not our preferred method of re-training. It's funny, because this sort of thing is completely out of favor in dog training and behaviour, but is still 'acceptable' in cat training. If you're going to do this than I would say use a water squirter rather than a noise generator. But be aware that on it's own it may not be enough.
Originally posted by DanieMarie
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Stop playing with your hands. Use toys, sticks with string, little laser lights... remote play rather than up close and personal play. If he bites then play stops, stand up and walk away. IGNORE him when it swipes at you to make you come back. Make sure that you reward the not-biting play by engaging with it and stopping when he starts biting. Hopefully he will learn that biting gets him nothing and gentle play gets him play an attention.
This right here is the hard part about getting an older pet... their personality and preferences are already developed, and you're asking them to come into your house and change their lifestyle to suit yours. Some adjust and conform to your rules. Some get anxious and don't cope with being unable to live their own lifestyle. Some get stubborn and expect YOU to do the changing. My philosophy is generally one of compromise... he's an adult cat and yes, he needs to learn your rules and live by them if he wants to stay, but we also need to accept that he is a living creature with his own personality and preferences and see if there is some room for you to meet him in the middle, so to speak. Unfortunately we don't speak cat, so we can't sit him down and go through the 'housemate rules' lol.
I'll check with my behaviour vet tomorrow to see if she has any other tips for you. I know there's a website that she often recommends to our cat behaviour consults, but I can't remember what it is off the top of my head.
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