Training Cats- How To Train Your Cat
December 9, 2008 by lucky
Filed under Cat Problems, Cat Training
Another misconception people hold about cats is that they are untrainable; they say that you can train a dog, but not a cat! Whilst a cat is a much more independent creature than a dog, and tends to be able to manipulate humans to her will, cats can be trained, and it can be pretty simple.
The first important point to remember however is that a cat cannot be trained like a dog- dogs think, learn and react in a very different way to a cat. They are very social creatures, who relish being part of a pack- to successfully train a dog, you must first become his pack leader. Cats are not by nature sociable animals, and are very self dependent. They don’t have the same need for a dominant leader that a dog does. The only way to train a cat is to find out what she responds best to and use it; each cat is an individual and is motivated by different rewards. Let your cat dictate the pace of the training, and only undertake training when she is awake and responsive. Don’t make training sessions too long or she will become bored and cease to pay attention.
Never physically punish a cat; they learn fear very quickly and will not make the connection between a physical reprimand and an action they have made which has displeased you. She will simply learn that you may attack her for no reason, and will lose all trust in you.
A far more effective technique is to make a loud noise when she is doing, or about to do, something she shouldn’t. A shout, clapping your hands or shaking a rice filled jar are all effective techniques. She will associate the startling noise with the action, and will cease to do it.
If she does something you wish her to do, praise her lavishly and give her a reward, such as a tasty treat or a playing session with a favorite toy. The most effective way by far of training a cat is to make it pleasurable for her to do what you want her to do. This will encourage her to keep repeating the action until it becomes a natural part of her behavior.
Everybody should be able to train their cat for the basics in life, such as using the litter box, and not scratching furnishings, some people even manage to train their cats to perform tricks. The first rule to remember though is that you will need plenty of patience.
Click here to learn more secrets of training your cat.
For more information on training cats and overcoming problem behaviors, see our new ‘Solving Common Cat Behavior Problems’ guide.
