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Cat training tips

Cat Training Tricks

There are several cat training tips and tricks that can help you train your cat.





The first thing that you may want to bear in mind is that you should NEVER hit your cat or use force or punish them harshly. Doing so, will not help them learn. In fact, it will worsen things and slow down the cat’s learning process because your cat will get confused and will begin to fear you.





Another point that you should remember is that cats only learn through their experiences. For example, if your cat hasn’t used a litter box (or a litter pan) ever before, they will not really know what they have to do, when they are expected to use one. Therefore, cat owners need to train them carefully, right from the beginning.





When you taken a kitten or a cat into your house, for the first time, you need to place them immediately, in their litter box or pan. If the cat does not need to relieve itself it will however refuse to sit in the litter tray, and it will tire of the exercise. The phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ did not come by without good cause, and you will find that the cat is not at peace until it has thoroughly explored the surroundings. Be patient and give the cat time to adjust to the new surroundings. Keep watch over the cat however, and whenever you observe it attempting to dig or paw at the ground rush it to the litter tray.

The advantage for you is that a cat will always attempt to dig out a depression before relieving itself, and this can be a good warning if you’re on the lookout. Gradually, after some time, the cat will figure out the purpose of the litter pan.

One problem is that cats do not respond to change very well. If your cat suddenly stops using the litter box properly, it could very well be because something has changed. In order to fix the problem, you may first need to identify what that change is.

Some training tips could also help you, when it comes to disciplining your cat:

  • Giving the cat your attention, after they have meowed constantly, tells them that if they start mewing continuously, they will get whatever they want.
  • Feeding the cat, after they rouse you from sleep in the middle of the night, is like rewarding them for having woken you up.
  • Mistakes like these could be the cause of bad habits in the cat. 
  • A trick you can use, while training you cat, is by using cat toys, to motivate them to do something.
 
  Submitted on May 7, 2010