Three Important Tips for Cat Training

Unlike dogs, cats do not get joy out of pleasing their master. In fact, they don’t believe they have a master. They love you, sure, but they seem to be of much more of an “equal” mind. They will come when they feel like it and expect your attention immediately. Despite all the jokes about cats, they are trainable.

Here are the biggest issues when it comes to training cats:

Cats should be trained through the use of natural consequences. If a behavior results in something they do not want, they will curb the behavior. It may take a few days or weeks to train your cat not to climb on your counters, but with the right consequences, they will learn. One way of doing this is to clap your hands together near enough to their ears to startle them every time you catch them where they are not supposed to be. A simple clap with a “no” tells them that counters mean a startle for the ears and the “no” is equated with that. After a while, they may try it out again. A quick “no!” is usually enough to get them to jump back down. Some cats are more stubborn than others. It isn’t that they are “stupid”. They simply have a mind of their own and it isn’t necessarily about doing what pleases or displeases you.

Unless you have a particularly stubborn cat, litter training is usually the easiest part about training a cat. Cats naturally look for dirt. When you are training your cat to go in the litter box, don’t leave large plants out and around the house. To a cat, dirt is dirt and any will do but they especially love the kind they may find outside. Show them the box. That’s it. Once they are using the litter box (this usually takes less than a day), you have to keep it clean if you expect them to continue to use it. Keep your litter box clean if you expect your cat to continue to use it. Cats won’t use a box that has an overabundance of urine and … stuff and what is an overabundance depends on the preferences of the cat. Some cats will hold it until they cannot hold it anymore and others will squat down in front of you and go on your carpet if they feel their litter box needs cleaning.

Scratching furniture comes naturally to cats. It isn’t fair to expect them to immediately understand why you are yelling at them and how “awful” it is to scratch your sofa. They don’t feel shame. They aren’t scratching your furniture to get attention. If they were outside, they would scratch at trees and logs. Inside, it is table legs, chairs and couches. Some cats respond to the clap along with a firm “no”. Others may need more reminders. There are sprays on the market that are made of natural ingredients and are considered deterrents for cats. If the area smells bad to them, scratching there will be unpleasant. Don’t just tell them “no” about scratching. Provide your cat with a scratching post. Placing two or three around the house is even better. Cats will follow their instincts and if you don’t cooperate with them, they will not cooperate with you.

Feline personalities are as individual as you can get. There is not one cat that acts exactly like another. You will notice this even if you have two cats of the same color and size. It won’t be long before you can tell them apart by their “attitude”. Cats may not be as eager to please as dogs, but they are great for cuddling and company. Some cats will even take to learning a few tricks -- that is -- if they are amused by them. For the most part, cat training is a fairly easy to accomplish.

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