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Having a well mannered pet is very important. Most people are familiar with how easily dogs can be trained, but not much seems to be known about training cats. However, having a well-trained cat is just as important as having a well-trained dog.
Does your cat claw up your furniture, or chew on your house plants? Does he or she roam on kitchen counter tops, dining room tables, or other places where you would rather they did not? If so, you and your kitty could benefit from some training. Despite how your feline may act, she is not the one in charge, and it is your job to let her know.
The key factors for training are patience and repetition. You will need a lot of patience while training your cat, and you will need to repeat the training continuously until your cat understands.
The main methods of cat training involve:
Reward for good, punishment for bad
When your cat does something good, reward him or her with a treat or petting. If your cat does something bad, tap him or her on the nose very lightly. Adult cats have been known to tap kittens on the nose when they misbehave, so they will recognize this scolding behavior immediately.
Vocal Commands
Cats may not understand human language, however, they can come to understand certain sounds and associate them with actions. You should use simple phrases, and a commanding tone (but do not yell, as this may scare your cat). Next time your kitty does something bad, firmly tell her “No”. At first, she may ignore you, but over time she will come to understand that this means to stop that behavior.
Substitution
Substitution involves stopping your cat when he does something bad, and showing him the proper thing to do. For example, if your kitty decides to chew on an electrical wire, remove the wire and replace it with a toy. Or, if your cat wants to claw up your new drapes, remove the cat from the drapes, and place him in front of a scratching post.
The most effective way to train your cat, is to use all of the above methods in conjunction. You can also utilize catnip for training, by rubbing the herb onto items you would like your cat to pay more attention to (such as the scratching post). Additionally, most cats dislike water, and you can quickly spritz them with water to get them to stop a behavior.
Many bad behaviors are instinctual, and so it is important that cats have substitutes that will be acceptable. Familiarize your cats with “cat grass” or toys rather than house plants, scratching posts rather than furniture, and tall cat condos or climbing poles rather than counter tops.
Additionally, it is important to implement training procedures immediately after your cat has performed the action. Even five minutes may be too long of a time between action and consequence, and your cat will not understand what they did wrong. Never train your cat by using fear, as this will cause your kitty to be fearful or unsociable. Never hit or pull on your cats tail, yell loudly, or otherwise scare him or her out of bad behavior. It is not an effective form of training, and will have negative side affects on your cats health and well being.
Once again, it is important to have patience. It may take your kitty some time to understand what is and is not allowed. The best way to help your cat through this process, is by enforcing repetition. Always use the above training methods when you see them doing something wrong. Additionally, if you have to be away from your cat during the day, keep them in a room or somewhere they will be less likely to break the rules (until they are well trained). Otherwise, most felines will not understand why it is okay to claw the furniture while you are at work, but not once you come home.
In the end, cat training is a long process, but it has many benefits. Having a well-trained kitty can make your life with your pet much more enjoyable and safe.
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