It is necessary for every cat owner to understand what normal behaviours are necessary for cats, which behaviours are normal for cats and which behaviours need to be taught by the owner.
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Firstly, we cannot expect to train a cat in the same way as we train a dog. Unlike dogs, cats form society by respecting their respective territories, not by respecting the alpha dog as dogs do. So if you try to train cats by being condescending or intimidating, you will only make them resent you more and avoid you, rather than change their behaviour in any way.
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Here are a few principles that may help cats to be less destructive to their homes.
1. Cats hate scares, water bottles, loud pats or other sudden noises such as a thick book hitting the floor. You can use these sounds to stop things you don't want your cat to do. But it is important to make the noise at the same time as the cat is 'doing something bad' so that they associate the annoying noise with what they are doing.
2. When the cat does something wrong, push the cat's face with the palm of your hand and say "no" in a loud, stern voice, the pitch of which should be very different from the tone of your voice when you are petting them and playing with them.
3. In fact, the most important rule is the so-called "baby principle". Cats, like babies, have little behavioural control. When you have a cat, you can imagine that you have a baby crawling all over the house who can't control himself, and then put everything dangerous away where they can't find it. Put things that break easily in a cupboard, put food out of their reach and replace the rubbish bin with a hospital type with a foot on the lid.
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