Putting Cats in "Time Out"?

Okay, so my younger cat was very bad, and bit the bejeezus out of the older cat when he went to eat his food. It was very strange, because she has never done that before! And it wasn't a matter of him getting the food first, because I fed her first! So, because she bit him so hard that the old man BLED, I locked little girl in the bathroom for 15 minutes. To both separate them, so the older cat couldn't retaliate, and so the little one could learn her lesson.

I recorded this video of her so I could show someone, so I decided to show you folks. (Also, I'm sorry about the title, it's an old joke between a bunch of my friends. There's nothing mean behind it.)




So yeah. Do you think putting her in "time out" was a good idea? I mean, after I let her out, she started acting normal again and hasn't bit the old man since! And this was about a week or two ago.

Do you put your cats in "time out"? Do you think "time out" is a good idea or a bad one? :coffee:

Lmao, that's a great video. I put my kitty in time out all the time using a laundry basket. I turn it upside down and put it over him for 2-3 minutes when he's being scratchy. It works pretty well.

(05-26-2014 06:48 PM)Ofnir Wrote:  Lmao, that's a great video. I put my kitty in time out all the time using a laundry basket. I turn it upside down and put it over him for 2-3 minutes when he's being scratchy. It works pretty well.

See, I've tried to do that before, but my cats are ninjas or something, and they always manage to flip the basket and get out again. Locking them in the bathroom prevents escape, but it also prevents the other cats from smacking them while they're in "time out". The basket thing only really works if you only have one cat, cause with two cats, the one that is not in time out will come over and try at bat at the cat under the basket, Or maybe my cats are just butt heads, haha.

I think that if it is working well for you, then it is a great idea. I know that when I livd out in the country, if there was some kind of a fight with the cats, or even with the dogs, the aggressor was promptly thrown out the back door and left out there to think about his rowdy behavior. Usually, it gave them the idea that they were not the king/queen of the house, and could not get away with just bossing the other cats or dogs around.
By feeding the younger one first, if you always do that, then she probably assumed that she was the number one cat, and had the right to all the food, so she decided to show the older cat that he could not eat unless she allowed it.
When you put her in time-out, she had to realize that she could not behave that way.

Very funny video! I think kitty time outs are great. I'm currently trying to teach my cat to stay off my tables. She gets anywhere between 15 - 30minutes in the cat room which is a short hallway leading to my basement. The only problem is she goes there so frequently that I think she's starting to like it. So I need more ideas for discipline because my feline friend just seems to get used to whatever I do. Believe it or not she's even gotten comfortable with being sprayed with water. I've got me a renegade cat.

The video is hilarious. I think that it is a good idea. I mean, you could kind of tell that she was itching to get out of the bathroom / if her behaviour was better after it seemed like maybe it was working?

I have attempted to put my cat in "time out" usually when she's super rowdy or behaving in a way she knows is bad! (also known as, coming in to my room when I'm sleeping, jumping onto my dresser / knocking everything off in sight, so that I will get up and pay attention to her) But, unfortunately, it did not really seem to have any sort of effect, so I gave up. Maybe I was not persistent enough. I usually felt pretty guilty after a few minutes for putting her in the spare bedroom, because she'd meow and claw the door excessively. She pretty much gets away with everything

When I had cats, time out was never very effective. Mostly because none of my cats cared if they were where all the "action" was or not. They were very independent. What worked better with them was the water sprayed in the face trick. That was something none of them cared to have done. Of course, you have to have spray bottle placed in different areas of the house for easy access.

Evelyn, I am with you all the way about spray bottles being both harmless and effective ! I have used them on dogs, cats, horses, and probably even my kids. They always seem to shock the misbehaver right out of whatever they are doing, and they will stop right away. Even though it doesn't really hurt; it seems to stop everything but a very serious fight, and the animals soon learn not to do the offensive behavior.
It will get cats off of the counter top, dogs off the bed or couch, and if they are arguing, it will also stop that if done soon enough.
I have never even tried an actual "time-out", just putting the offending animal outside of the house for a while until they settle down. I don't know if it actually teaches them anything, but it does stop the behavior and gives the cat or dog time to settle down again.

Cute video, but I rather doubt the time out changed the cat's behavior. When I used to have a daycare I found distracting kids from their bad behavior worked better for the little ones than a time out.

I think that is what you did. My reasoning? You were talking to her the in a nice friendly voice! She was probably thinking "hahaha I got meowmie's attention all to myself!"

People say cats aren't smart. I disagree. Thanks for posting the cute video, pretty cat you have there.

I think the time out isn't a bad idea in terms of separating the cats so that the situation doesn't escalate, but I don't think it will do much good in terms of teaching the cat a lesson. It's been my experience that cats don't really understand the cause and effect process that humans do--and generally dogs can also follow it I think--so when the cat was in time out I wonder whether or not she realized it was because she misbehaved. I employ the time out tactic when my cats are playing and things start to get a little rough, I like for them to play but only if it's playing the second one of them looks unhappy I separate them because I don't want either one to develop aggressive behavior, but I don't think the cats put 2 and 2 together because it does not stop them from rough housing a few minutes later.

I tried putting my cat in the bathroom as a time out a few years ago when I first got him because he was acting up. It only seemed to work for a short time. I would try feeding your cats at the same time, but have their food bowls in different places if you don't already.

I also agree with the idea of distraction. If your cat is acting out, he/she might just want some play time.

By the way, your cat is adorable!! I love Tuxedo cats! Mine is named Milo.

We used to have to put one of our cats in time out every time we ate dinner. We got her as a stray from a shelter, and she had HORRIBLE manners about food. She would jump right onto the table and knock the fork out of your hand with her paw! And she was persistent about it, no amount of squirting with a water bottle, or throwing her on the floor, or shouting "NO!" at her would dissuade her. Finally we had to give up, and we started shutting her in the bathroom at the first sign of trouble. Once she was in there, we wouldn't let her out until we were done eating. Then, as a reward for good behavior, we started saving a little morsel for her if she behaved herself. Eventually she figured it out, and started behaving better. Now we only have to put her in "time out" once in a while.

I saw that someone mentioned laundry baskets above, my "naughty" cat LOVES laundry baskets! We used to call it "kitty jail" when we'd put a cat in there, but she'll tip it over and trap HERSELF in there. And she'll just curl up and lay there, happy as can be. Such odd creatures.