I recently adopted a 6 month old female, spayed. We have been having difficulty training her and I read to gently pop her on the top of her head with one finger, like her mother would do, and firmly say No. If that doesn't work, they said to hold her by the scruff of her neck and say No firmly. After holding her by her neck, she threw a while temper tantrum and started attacking herself, and became violent towards me. Of course, I won't be using this method of discipline, but what CAN I do to help?
Personally I've always found the VERY firm NO, & then picking them up & blowing in their faces &works best, an old Vet once told me that, & I've seen animal behaviour show on it too...........by blowing towards their nostrils, you over ride their scent with your own, which tells them that YOU are boss, they hate it & a dominant natured Cat may lash back, so make sure you restrain his paws so he can't scratch you...... that has been enough to train our new Cat off tables & kitchen work surfaces within a week of her arriving
Also if they persist, you can add gently flicking the tip of his ear, just enough to sting slightly, but not hurt can help tlet him know whose boss too
Not that we ever can be Boss with a Cat of course,...lol....but to get him to play by the house rules