GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

10-04-2003, 04:20 PM

In article m,
says...
On Mon, 7 Apr 2003 19:54:44 -0600, Huskies4all
wrote:

The only way the cayanne or other pepper would repel them is by the
smell. The cat's won't associate a burning mouth with the act of going
in the bed where the pepper is.

I know you base this on your work at the vets--but what specifically?

Animals just don't have the cognitive ability to make such connections.
The example I use a lot is the dog that acts like it's "in trouble" when
it knocks over the trash. The dog has no clue that the ACT of knocking
over the trash is what is the problem, it just knows that trashcan on the
floor = unhappy owner. This is why timing is so essential in behavior
modification.

The cats might associate the smell of the cayanne with a burning mouth,
but can't make the leap that if they'll stay out of the flowerbed, they
won't have a burning mouth.

importantly--do you think the smell of the cayenne would repel a cat?

I am not sure. Their sense of smell is so much better than ours, but I
don't know if the smell of the cayenne would be enough to make them avoid
the flowerbed.

CJ