Finally found a trick to stop my cat from knocking stuff off tables

My cat Milo kept swatting my coffee mug off the nightstand every morning at 5am. I tried double-sided tape and those motion sensor cans but nothing worked. Then I read online about placing a few empty soda cans stacked on the edge. He knocked them over once, the clatter scared him, and now he avoids the whole spot entirely. Has anyone else used a cheap noise trick like this to train a stubborn pet?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan1mo ago

Funny how the simplest tricks with the cheapest tools always seem to work better than the expensive stuff. It's like humans overcomplicate everything and the animals just need a sudden loud noise to figure it out. Probably applies to people too if you think about it.

adamthompson1mo agoTop Commenter

Loud noise isn't quite the same as an immediate consequence though, the can crash still happened right when Milo made the wrong move. Cats connect that sound to the action because it happens in the same split second, not because it's fancy or expensive. A delayed punishment wouldn't work half as well, the timing is what does the trick not just the volume.

nancy8171mo ago

Huh, that's a good point... do you think the whole "punishment has to be immediate" thing is overrated then? Like, Milo knocked the cans over once and that was enough, even though the scary noise didn't happen while he was actively about to swipe the mug...