Want to square up

That's on you. You should store your cocaine somewhere your cats won't be able to reach it.

Lol I recognize that container. It's not entirely the cats fault.

I have those same containers. Spent hundreds on an entire set.
Worst gimmick I've ever wasted money on. The lids do not seal at all; hell, they barely stay on. Never again.
- I have oxo pop ones that look really similar and they all seal really well. Are the ones in this image different or did I just luck out?

They look so sweet!

Furry up lol.

Beach day for the boys.

You know what I do?! I sigh angrily and clean everything up. 🤷🏻‍♀️ that's on me for adoptiong cats

I've been told it's acceptable to flick a cat's ears (gently, obviously) because that's what a mama cat does to her kittens when they do something dumb. Any opinions on this?

I personally don't use violence as a punishment, but a gentle ear flick is fine because it's not causing pain and, as you say, it'll communicate "don't" in a way they get without being likely to make them afraid of you.
I opt for a "tsst" sound instead.
- Mine are trained to understand that hissing = wrong, the kind you do when inhaling with your teeth clenched. Can recommend, you're very unlikely to make that sound by accident and afaik cats are great at picking up similar sounds (so it gets their attention better)
- I spray mine with water if they do something really bad. Like bite someone.
But cats can't flick things.
- Yeah, they more like swat at their ears. I've seen an adult cat do this to another when they did something they didn't like.
If it's something serious I take them to the scene of the crime, pinch the neck folds (do not ever carry them by that btw) and speak in an angry voice. Works best with cats that have more than 2 braincells lol
edit: mine would ignore the ear flicks, it's not even an annoyance to them

I smack my girl on the butt. The thigh, really. Not hard, there's no pain involved. It does annoy her though. I'm just letting her know, that was not cool. She understands.