I know a lot of you on here are cat lovers, and I have a cat of my own that I love very much. But he has got to be the most mis-behaving cat I've ever known!! Do you all have problems with your cats doing things they KNOW they aren't supposed to do? If so, how do you discipline them, and teach them not to do it anymore? I've read some places that spraying them with water works, and other places say you should NEVER spray them. I dont know what to do - he wakes me up every morning at 5:00 scratching at the (very expensive) bed skirt on my bed. I need a Super-Cat-Nanny!

Water punishment usually does the trick, but sometimes ignoring works better. Water punishment can be just a spray bottle, but if they've been really bad we give them a shower in the bath tub too. Nowadays they hardly ever do something to deserve that type of punishment.
With the spray bottle, if you yell at them, and then spray, they will eventually react to just the sound of the spray bottle, and if you're lucky they will react to just your voice if you sound angry.

Some cats never seem to learn though. One of our cats has been peeing on our doormat for the last 4 weeks or so, and since we can't catch her red-handed, we can't really punish her - but even if we could, she does it when we're not home, and we're at loss at how to teach her not to do that. So I hardly qualify as a cat punishment expert I'm afraid.

One of our cats, a Siamese, loves attention so much that any type of punishment (even water punishment) is actually a reward for her - it means she gets attention.
So the best way to get her not to do something is ignoring her - but that's very difficult. I also use her jealousy against her, I will praise one of the other cats for desirable behaviour, and then she'll display that behaviour too, because she wants that praise.

Some cats never seem to learn though. One of our cats has been peeing on our doormat for the last 4 weeks or so, and since we can't catch her red-handed, we can't really punish her - but even if we could, she does it when we're not home, and we're at loss at how to teach her not to do that. So I hardly qualify as a cat punishment expert I'm afraid.

Have you tried putting the litter box ON the doormat, so she has no choice but to use the litter box? Or maybe just hide the doormat from her. That's what I would do.

One of our cats, a Siamese, loves attention so much that any type of punishment (even water punishment) is actually a reward for her - it means she gets attention.

My cat loves attention too, and I think that's the problem. We yell, we squirt, and we've even stuck him in the bathroom for 5 minutes or so, but he just goes right back to doing what he was doing before once we let him out. He knows what he's not supposed to do, because we make it very clear to him, but he doesn't seem to care. We are convinced that he just enjoys making us angry.

Have you tried putting the litter box ON the doormat, so she has no choice but to use the litter box? Or maybe just hide the doormat from her. That's what I would do.

That won't work, the cat doesn't simply have to use the litter box, but what he/she is doing is spraying. And removing the doormat would not be much use because then he would spray on the door. When they spray they are either are in heat or marking their territory. I know little about this, because none of my cats have ever done that, so I wouldn't be much help on that. But I do agree with Marianne, if your cat likes attention, just ignore him.

I don't have cats but i've read somewhere that you must blow in their nose. Even their mom would do if the cat gets irritating.

That won't work, the cat doesn't simply have to use the litter box, but what he/she is doing is spraying. And removing the doormat would not be much use because then he would spray on the door. When they spray they are either are in heat or marking their territory. I know little about this, because none of my cats have ever done that, so I wouldn't be much help on that. But I do agree with Marianne, if your cat likes attention, just ignore him.she started doing it when we had my brother's cat staying with us for a few days. Whisky decided she didn't like our guest, so she got even with us for letting him in.
She only does it when she's angry with us (when we've gone on holiday, for example) - but the trouble is making her lose the habbit.
We can't move the litterbox there because then we wouldn't be able to leave the house.

And Sphere, true they don't like that, but most cats hate the spray bottle more.

she started doing it when we had my brother's cat staying with us for a few days. Whisky decided she didn't like our guest, so she got even with us for letting him in.
She only does it when she's angry with us (when we've gone on holiday, for example) - but the trouble is making her lose the habbit.
We can't move the litterbox there because then we wouldn't be able to leave the house.

And Sphere, true they don't like that, but most cats hate the spray bottle more.

Make sure that you give Whisky the same amount of attention as you do to your brother's cat. Cats do tend to get a bit jealous with new cats around. Sometimes if they really don't like eachother they will fight, but keeping them seperated helps with that. Bad habbits are very difficult to stop, especially when they have been doing it for a long time, if you figure out how to fix that, you're my hero... :P

So no new ideas on cat discipline other than spray bottle and blowing/hissing in their face? Unfortunately neither of those things works on my cat. He's very rebellious, which a lot of times is funny, but not when I'm trying to sleep. He wakes us up at the same time every morning by scratching the furniture in the bedroom. We didnt get him de-clawed, because we heard about how cruel that is, but he's really asking for it. He also starts meowing really loudly when he gets hungry (also very early in the morning), and won't stop until he is fed.

clip his nails every two weeks - that helps with the damage and prevents the need for de-clawing if you ask me.
I still think ignoring is a good thing to do. But other than that, no revolutionairy ideas, sorry!

And Magln, Whisky gets LOTS of attention hehe.