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Comment by castlecrasher2 | Hacker News Reader

Cruel as it may sound, you could try establishing dominance.

We have a male cat who would meow EVERY MORNING sometime between 2 and 4 am. We tried many kinds of discipline, but it didn't stop until one morning I chased him into hiding downstairs and it hasn't happened since. Every morning after for about a week I would go out of my way to thank him and give him attention.

I know many out there would say that running after him was cruel but it worked and he's still as friendly as can be, and we get to sleep through each night.

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This is something that comes up more with human/dog relationships but I think it’s worth mentioning here too: there’s nothing wrong with this as a training approach if, and because, the pet trusts you and baseline feels safe with you. If they feel unsafe or haven’t made that assessment it can be traumatic and even personality-altering.

I don’t want to discourage anyone from any kind of safe, instinct triggering corrective action. But I do recommend something similar to what people say about human child discipline: act consistently and with intent.

Don’t accept some instances of a bad behavior sometimes and correct others; if you’ve decided this is your approach stick with it unless you see harm in following through. Don’t overreact out of frustration; think through what you’re going to do, and be sure it’s safe and something you’re gonna be comfortable reflecting on when it’s over.

They say healthy expression of anger is an important tool even in human communication, to set boundaries/etc.

Angry cats chase each other. It doesn’t necessarily imply dominance.

I wouldn’t think this is cruel - it’s just a decent way to express your feelings on the matter to your feline, and he understood/learned.

Not the original poster but I’m going to seriously consider this. I’m at my wits end with a male cat who habitually meows at 2 am and 5 am point blank in front of my face.

Boop him on the snoot. It’s what mama cats do to kittens.

For about two weeks I'd chase her with a spray bottle of water whenever she meowed. sigh

I had a kitten that was relentless with her biting. One day she bit my hand, and without thinking I leaned down and not her ear. She never bit me after that.

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