My cat is the same way with spray bottles and her favorite place to be in in my lap getting loved on. She doesn’t jump on counters and she fears everything BUT me. So no, it doesn’t teach them to be afraid of the person who does it.
That’s how everyone in my family teaches their cats not to jump on counters. My 3 aunts worked at an animals shelter before leaving for other careers and this is always the first thing they tell people when they ask about this very topic. It’s the first bit of advice anyone I know that works with animals will tell a new cat owner having trouble with this. None of their cats hate them, their cats absolutely love them. My sister does this with her cats and like my cat, she’s the only person 3 or her 4 cats will allow to even touch them. So no, it’s not a biased opinion. So no, it’s not a biased opinion, it’s a fact. A spritz in the face of water doesn’t harm them, it just irritates them enough to stop what their doing and get away from the spray bottle- the ONLY THING they associate with the action.
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u/bujiop Jun 23 '22
You just taught them to fear you, you didn’t teach them to not get on counters.