Question
I have two cats, both under 6 months old (I guess you could call them kittens). I have used a spray bottle in the past as negative reinforcement, which worked great on one of them (the one that's scared of water) and less effectively on the other (which, for some reason really likes water).
Lately, this has proven to be less effective. The latter cat (water lover) is no longer responding to this bad reinforcement and doesn't seem to be fazed by the mist of water.
Can I add something to the water, without it being harmful to the cat, that will make it more uncomfortable for him and maybe react to the use of the bottle in the way I expect him to? (Maybe a tinge of lemon juice for sting?)
Answer
As Zaralynda said in this answer on another question, it's better if you can identify and address the cause of the bad behavior. But that doesn't always work immediately, and so in the meantime, there's the squirt bottle.
You mention the "mist of water" being ineffective. I use squirt bottles with adjustable flow; I can produce anything from a fine, broad mist to a narrow burst of water (think squirt-gun-sized stream). I've found the latter to be more effective; it's more concentrated and I think the cat notices more.
If you're not already using an adjustable bottle, try that first. It might do the job without any additives, at least long enough for you to find and fix the core problem.
Answered By - Monica Cellio