People often consider cats to be notorious for being hard to train. Often people think that, unlike dogs, they won’t get you the newspapers early in the morning or won’t sit, stand, jump, crawl or act dead on your commands. Many people who have an aversion to cats use such unrealistic excuses. Believe it or not, gullible cat parents continue to believe this. But here’s us bursting the bubble. Cats might be hard to train (depending on flexible factors), but It is not completely impossible. How to train your cat? But, if you train your cats correctly, they will pass the test with flying colors.
Firstly, cats are intelligent animals. Training will help them to be more social and less anxious. And let’s not forget, it’ll also be amazing for you. Pet behavior specialists say that training your cat will help you connect with them and strengthen your bond.
How to Train a Cat?
#1 Litter Training
How to litter train a cat? First and foremost, start litter training your cat. To your relief, it is quite easy. But it would help if you got litter boxes and treats from the nearest pet store asap. Cats have an innate instinct to bury the evidence after doing the deed.
Method
- Wondering how to train a cat to use a litter box? First, Get a litter box and let your furry feline examine it. Let your cat sniff the box so it can categorize it. Set the cat in one of the boxes right after eating or waking up from a nap. If you notice her behaving particularly, which usually involves sniffing or crouching in a particular area, immediately put her in the litter box.
- Reward your pet with cat favorite food every time you find her using it. Remember, you will have to be patient with cats. Scolding them or getting aggressive won’t help. We strongly advise starting her litter training at a young age to simplify things.
#2 Coming to you When Called
This command is a savior for all cat parents who want to leash train a cat, as we know how restless our cats can sometimes be. Be it her slipping out of the leash or hiding in inaccessible cozy corners, this command will help you get through all imaginable scenarios.
Method
- Firstly, decide what you would like to call her, if it’s by saying come kitty or by her name. Remember that whatever you’ll be training her on is what she’ll be responding to all the time. You can’t keep changing it unless they have trained her on those words.
- You must have noticed that instead of their name, young kittens usually come to you when they hear a familiar sound like the crinkling of a bell, or you taking out a treat from a bag full of treats. It could be different for all cats, and you must be vigilant to find out what works the best while you litter train a kitten.
- It would help if you made her understand the association between a treat and a call. Initially, stand near her and make the sound, then give her a treat. Then move a few feet away, call her and make the same sound. She would come to you, give her a treat again. Look for consistency. If your cat is consistent, then gradually keep increasing the distance.
- Once your cat has mastered this technique, you can try calling her from different rooms, and she’ll be there in the blink of an eye. This technique also works well if you are trying to clicker-train her. You’ll have to snap your fingers instead of calling her. Remember to keep the sessions short, at most five to seven minutes, but practice often so that your cat gets the hang of this new skill.
#3 No Biting, No Scratching the Furniture
It is one important command that all cat owners might want to teach their cats. Cats usually have a habit of scratching furniture. Often it tears away the fabric or has claw marks on it. To help you with this, here’s a method that will help you to train your cat on this.
Method
- Scratching is an innate nature of cats, although you can’t control it. You can certainly set limits on what is scratchable or a big no. Identify which corner of the house she sharpens her claws on, and cover this site with a loose weave, so your cat gets a message.
- Invest in getting her a scratching post. It is essential. If you find cat scratching furniture or anything in the house, you will immediately want to make it stop. And if you want to stop cats from scratching furniture, gently give her the cat scratching pad instead. You will gradually find her using the cat scratch pads. Also, please give her a few best cat treats for training in the initial days to encourage this behavior.
#4 Getting Inside a Carrier
Can you train a cat to get inside a carrier? Yes, it is possible. It could be a medical emergency, a trip to the vet, or shifting to a new home, but carriage need comes into the picture. It becomes even more essential if you love to explore new places but can’t leave your cat home alone.
Method
- Firstly, you’ll have to teach your cats to be comfortable near the carrier. Let your cat examine it. Once you feel your cat is comfortable, you can start the training.
- In an open space, spread a towel or a blanket. Spread it so that your cat is on one side of the towel and the other is the best cat carrier. It would help if you then placed treats on the blanket. But don’t put all the treats at once. Do it gradually so that your cat is a step closer to the carrier with each treat.
- Finally, your cat might feel a little anxious at the end of the blanket. Put a few treats inside the carrier to make her comfortable. It is a proven and effective way to give carrier training to your cat. After some time, your cat wouldn’t need treats to get inside the carrier. Just open it in front of her, and she’ll get in hassle-free.
Things to Remember in the Cat Training (Requirements)
For the cat commands mentioned above, you will need the following items:
- Treats: You’ll be using these as rewards, so make sure you get the ones that are your cats’ favorites.
- Bell: You can use a bell during sound-related training. Doing so will help your cat identify familiar sounds and associate them with the commands being taught.
- Scratching Pad: This is an amazing tool for cats who have a habit of scratching furniture.
- Litter Box: This is a must-have for all pet owners. This will make your work easier.
Points to Remember While Teaching your Cat
- Never punish your cats for not following your commands. Remember that cats don’t respond well to punishments.
- Keep the practice sessions shorter, as this might create aversion among your cats regarding training.
- Cats can be a little slow or stubborn sometimes, be patient with them and try not to lose your calm.
- Practice more often. If you take a long gap between practice sessions, you might have to start over again.
- All cats can’t do all tricks. Your cat might be good at learning and following a few commands, but sluggish for others. These things depend largely on individual personalities as well.
What to Do If Training Doesn’t Work?
“No training works on my cat” – this is a common complaint cat owners have. As we said before, cats can be a little tough to train, largely because of their innate stubbornness. However, we could be making mistakes too. If you are too aggressive with your cat, this might make her stressed. Being harsh will further increase redundancy.
Instead of getting angry at them or punishing and scolding them, try to understand them. Observe their qualities and start training her on the lines of the same. A positive attitude will help them to become more confident. If you still feel that your cat is not responding to any training sessions, you can meet a cat behavior specialists or pet trainer to look for a solution. You can start the initial training with the help of pet trainers and ask for suggestions to help later.
Cat training is not just about following mere commands; it holds more value for a healthy pet and owner bond. You will get to understand your cat better. Training our furry friends with patience and a positive attitude becomes great fun. It works wonders for anxious cats. You should start training your cats young; who knows, they might get better than your already-trained dogs.
Conclusion
This article about how to train a cat was helpful. Cats are intelligent creatures and can be trained to do various things, from using the litter box to fetching cat exercise toys. With patience and positive reinforcement, you can have your cat doing tricks in no time. So get started today and see what your cat is capable of!