Training Your Cat To Use A Cat Carrier

Training your cat to feel comfortable in the cat carrier can be easy and relatively painless. Training a kitten is easiest but training an adult cat is possible with lots of patience and love.

Cats of all ages should always travel in a cat carrier when traveling in your car and the carrier should always be on the floor so that it does not become a projectile if you stop suddenly.

The cat carrier can be an unpleasant experience for your cat mainly because it is not used that often and when it is used it is usually associated with going to the vet. Cats are quite perceptive and it does not take them long to connect their shots with the carrier.

How do you change this bad association? By training your cat to identify the carrier with positive experiences.

Training your cat to enjoy using the cat carrier.

The cat carrier needs to be familiar to your cat as much as any other part of the furniture so place the carrier on the floor in the room where your cat spends most of his time indoors and allow him to explore the carrier. Rub your cat with a blanket or old towel, to put his smell on the blanket, and then put it in the carrier. Leave the door open so he can come and go and after a week or so he will accept it like any other piece of the furniture.

When you see that your cat has accepted the carrier keep a close eye and watch for him to go into the carrier. When he does so, give lots of praise and a small treat. Repeat the treat every time he goes into the carrier and before long he will be looking for a treat each time.

After he has accepted the carrier you should be able to pick him up and place him inside the carrier. If he struggles and will not go in the carrier, leave him and try again in a week or so. If he goes in easily, make certain that you have a treat for being a good cat. Once he is in the carrier, close the door. Usually there will be no reaction to the closing of the door. Leave him there for a ten minutes or so and then let him out. Don’t shoo him out, just open the door and let him come out at his leisure.

Repeat putting him in the carrier once a day extending the time that he is shut in. After a few weeks the carrier will be accepted and he will be happy for you to put him in the carrier at any time.

Close the door and pick up the carrier. Walk about getting him used to the movement. If he is happy with being carried, take him for a short ride in the car. Make each new experience a pleasant one with lots of praise and a treat.

Just because your cat is very used to the carrier and is doing as he is told is no reason to let up on the praise and the occasional treat. Reinforcement helps keep him on the top of his game.

Don’t use the carrier just for going to the vet. If you are going for a short drive, take your cat if you can, but be sure that you do not leave the cat in the car on it’s own. You only want the cat to associate the carrier with pleasant experiences.  

Although it takes a while to teach a cat anything, you will find that with patience, plenty of loving and praise he will learn and learn well.

For more interesting information on training your cat visit http://shine.yahoo.com/event/pets/yes-your-cat-can-learn-to-love-the-cat-carrier-429339

Training Your Cat - Toilet Train Your Cat

Training Your Cat - Toilet Train Your Cat
An intelligent cat is not necessary for training your cat – even to toilet train your cat. My cat does not appear very intelligent but I still found it fairly easy enough to train her.
You need a litter box that gives your cat plenty of room to move and it must be low enough for your cat to climb over. Try an automatic cleaning box which can be bought for $70-$100 at any Target , Wal-Mart or pet shop. The automatic cleaning type has a rake that scoops the feces  into a storage bag.

Or you could use an old baking pan, a plastic container or a cut down cardboard box. Line these with plastic liners such as plastic garbage bags.

There are many commercial cat litters available. When training your cat, avoid scented litters. Many cats do not like the smell and so you may find it difficult to toilet train your cat. Also avoid using clay clumping litter for young kittens as accidental ingestion can be dangerous. You want to toilet train your cat, not kill him! You can use shredded newspaper or soil or sand from your garden.

Place the litter tray in a quiet area because cats like privacy and make sure your cat knows where it is.

Do not allow your new cat full run of the house. Contain him to the room you spend the most time in so you can watch him and make it easier and quicker to toilet train your cat.

To toilet train your cat place him in the litter box a couple of minutes after he has finished eating and a couple of minutes after he has awoken from a sleep. Cats  prefer to bury their urine and feces. His instincts may take over and he will begin to dig and scratch at the litter by himself. 

Give him some time to sniff around. If he doesn't start scratching, take hold of his paw and simulate a digging and scratching motion.

When your cat uses the litter box give him lots of praise. If he doesn't use it don't force him. You must never use a raised voice to toilet train your cat or you may make him afraid of it.

Establish a routine of placing your cat in the litter box each hour. He may not want to go every hour but this will reinforce the idea of where you want him to go. It also helps avoid too many accidents. If you see signs that he is about to go, pick him up without scaring him and place him in the litter box. Once your cat has used the litter he leaves the smell of  urine which will encourage him to use it again. Make sure the litter box is always clean as cats do not like using heavily soiled litter boxes. Scoop out feces frequently, change the litter and wash litter boxes once a week.

More interesting and informative information on training your cat can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_intelligence#Using_the_toilet

Training Your Cat To Stop Biting and Scratching.

When training your cat you will realize that it is normal for cats and kittens to bite and scratch. If your cat feels threatened or is frightened, it will defend itself. Touching your cat in a sensitive area may make him bite or scratch. He’s telling you that he’s had enough and the only way he knows how to make you quit is with his teeth or claws. Cats will also bite and scratch when playing. They are just acting out their hunting instincts.

When training your cat to stop this undesirable behavior you need to accustom your cat to being handled. Wait until you see that he is relaxed and then handle him in a way that you know he will like. Try stroking his head, down his body to the end of his tail. If you can get him to roll over give his tummy a tickle. While stroking, speak soothingly and give him lots of praise. If he is being a good cat give him an occasional food treat. Slowly increase the area being stroked and within a short time you should be able to identify your cat’s sensitive spots. When touching sensitive spots, usually around and inside the mouth, ears, paws and tail, touch your cat in these areas very briefly and, if no reaction, reward him with a treat. Gradually increase the time of contact, rewarding him with a treat each time. Eventually your cat will learn that you mean him no harm and will tolerate you touching him in sensitive areas.

Cats do not usually like their paws handled, so you need to take hold of his paw gently. If no reaction praise him and give him a treat. Repeat a few times then leave for later in the day. After a while you will be able handle his paws and spread his toes. Examine each toe and nail while stroking and praising him.

Once he is used to you handling his paws, try examining his ears. Gently fold back his ear so you can examine inside, all the while speaking soothingly and praising him. Don’t spend too long at first, but each time you examine his ears, make the exercise a little longer.

Now that he is accustomed to you handling his ears, try having a look at his mouth and teeth. Using the same method of soothing talk and praise, gently lift his upper lip which will expose his teeth and gums. Handle your cat slowly and gently with no sudden moves, praising and rewarding your cat’s good behaviour.

You provide your cat with all his meals, so he does not need to catch birds, but his hunting instinct still exists and it is very normal for cats to practice their hunting skills. Providing your cat with a play session each day should give your cat enough opportunity get rid of this energy.  Tie a screwed up piece of newspaper to a piece of string and drag it past your cat with slow pulls and sudden jerks. Your cat will soon learn to stalk and attack the newspaper rather than you.

If your cat becomes over excited and attacks you during playtime, tell him firmly, “no” and stop the session and ignore him. Only begin again once he has calmed down.

 Like all training sessions, time and patience makes all the difference. Be prepared to spend about ten minutes training you cat each day and you will soon have a good mannered well trained cat.

For more on training your cat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_training

Training Your Cat To Do Tricks

Contrary to what many people will tell you, training your cat is not difficult. Most animals can be trained and your cat is capable of learning clever and amusing tricks.

One of the easiest tricks to teach you cat is to come when he is called. Simply call your cat’s name moments before you feed him and call his name when he is eating his meal. After a few days he will associate his name with his meal and will come expecting to be fed. Once you have trained him to come when called, call his name and when he comes, give him lots of praise but no meal. In this way he will learn to come when called at almost anytime, but remember that cats spend a lot of time having a cat nap and, through the daytime, may find sleeping preferable.

Training your cat to sit can be combined with feeding. Once you have successfully trained your cat to come for his meal when called, you can then teach him to sit. Call your cat and when he arrives by his food bowl, expecting to be fed, push his bottom gently to the floor with the command, “sit.” Reward him with praise and his meal. Repeat the exercise each mealtime until he responds without your help.

Teach your cat to roll over by making use of the fact that he does roll over of his own accord. Most cats love their stomach being scratched and so when he rolls over to have his tummy tickled, give the command, “roll over” as he does so. It should not take long for him to associate the command with the action and when he does so, give him lots of praise and perhaps a small treat.

You can teach your cat to sit up by dangling a toy or treat above him. Your cat will stretch up on his hind legs and then sit back. When he does sit back say, “sit up.” As with other tricks, lots of praise and a small treat reinforces the command.

You can teach your cat to shake hands simply by touching his paw as he is sitting. He will lift his paw and when he does so, shake his paw and say, “shake hands.” Once again, you should use lots of praise and a small treat.

You are able to teach your cat other tricks by observing his behavior. When you notice him doing something, such as coming in the front door, say, “In you come,” and after a while he will come in on command.

Make training times short and frequent and within a few weeks you will have a trained cat that will amaze your family and friends.

You can find out more about training your cat by visiting   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_training

Training Your Cat To Behave

If you have a cat that jumps up on the kitchen counters, climbs up on the couch, scratches the furniture or has other undesirable behaviour, you need to read the following on training your cat to behave. 

When training your cat to stop undesirable behavior you should keep your cat in the same room as yourself and keep a rolled up newspaper at hand. When you see your cat misbehaving, slap the newspaper loudly in your hand. The sharp noise will startle the cat and he will stop what he is doing instantly. Do not slap the newspaper at any other time and he should come to associate the loud sharp noise with his naughty behavior. Most cats need to be dissuaded more than once so you need to be continually on watch for his bad behavior. If you become tired of watching him then it  may be time that you put him away in a place where he cannot get up to any mischief so you can have a rest from constantly watching him. And you do have to watch him constantly as he needs to be disciplined every time he misbehaves.

For the times that you are unable to keep an eye on your cat, it may be advisable to deter your cat from counters, couches or windowsills by leaving citrus fruit on the counters, etc. Cats are repelled by the acidic smell of citrus fruit and so will avoid  areas so treated.

An alternative to citrus fruit is double sided sticky tape. Cats do not like having sticky substances on their paws. Or you could leave utensils like eating forks on the counter. Cats don’t like getting their paws pricked, but if they do stumble over the forks, the noise will scare them away and alert you to their misbehaving.

It is best to not let your cat know that you're the one making the startling noises. If he  relates the noise to you he may only misbehave when you are not around. You want the behavior to stop all the time.

Teach your new cat right from the first day home. Do not feed your cat on or near the counter or table but make sure that he is fed on the floor only, otherwise he will associate these places with his meal which is why he may jump up on the counter or table.

If you want to keep your cat from scratching the furniture you need to give him an alternative. Cats need to scratch so you need to have a scratching post available for him. Usually you only have to show your cat the scratching post once and he will get the idea. If he does not seem to be catching on try treating the scratching post with catnip.

If you think a scratching post too expensive you might consider buying the cheaper scratching mat. Alternatively you could make a scratching post out of a long piece of wood to which you could glue some old strips of carpet.

If you find that, even after successfully training you cat to use the litter box, you find that he does his business elsewhere, it may be because you have neglected to keep the litter box clean. Cats are fastidious and will not use a dirty litter box. Alternately, their reluctance to use the litter box may be down to the fact that you have recently changed your brand of litter and they may not like the smell.

While you may feel that chastising your cat physically is a good idea, it never really works. Making a loud noise to startle them works much better than physical admonishment, besides you will most probably make the cat afraid of you and you want the cat to be your friend.

Cats do not like loud high pitched noises, so a squeal from the wife or daughter or blowing a whistle should startle the cat into stopping the undesirable behavior.

For further advice on training your cat visit http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortraining/ht/ScruffingCat.htm

Training Your Cat To Come When Called

Many people will tell you that training your cat is difficult if not impossible. While it is true that training a cat may not be quite as easy as training a dog, they are, nevertheless, able to be trained. If you are persistent and consistent, training your cat to come when you call will be relatively simple.

Since cats, unlike dogs, rarely do things merely to please their owners, you will need a feline-based system of positive reinforcement to train your cat.

Training Your Cat. Have you noticed that your cat magically appears when you open the fridge door at or near his mealtime? He relates the opening of the fridge door to his meal. Do you tap the side of the bowl with the spoon as you dish up his meal? He will come to know that sound as well and will be there looking for his meal. You have unconsciously been training your cat to come for his meal. If you can do that well without trying, think of what you can do if you put your mind to it!

Next time you feed your cat, call his name as you prepare his meal and call his name a few times as he eats. He will soon learn to associate his name with his mealtime. Training your cat takes patience and persistence and after a week or so he will come when you call his name, even if he is outside. Cats are like humans in the respect that some learn quicker than others and so it may take longer than two weeks to train, but if you are determined, training your cat to come when called will succeed.

Continue to call his name a few times when he is eating to reinforce the training.  When training your cat to come when called it is also a good idea to feed your cat at a set time each day. In that way you will be training your cat to appear, most times, at meal time without calling. How handy is that?

After you have trained you cat to come for his meal, try calling him, but give him lots of cuddles and praise instead of his meal. As long as he has a pleasant experience – praise or a meal – when he arrives, you will find that he comes when called most of the time. Don’t expect a cat to come every time. Cats are independent animals and are frequently too busy, most probably having a cat nap, to be bothered all the time.  

For further information on training your cat, visit http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-animals/how-to-train-your-cat-to-come-when-you-call

Training Your Cat to use a Cat Door

Training Your Cat to Use a Cat Door

Why does a cat who has just come in, want to go out again – and vice versa? Is he trying to drive you mad?

Cats like to keep an eye on their territory and if their territory includes outside as well as inside, they usually like to check it often. And after they have checked outside, what’s going on inside? The cat needs to come back in again to check.

Installing a cat door should end your days as a door opener, giving your cat the choice to come and go as he wants. But that is not the only advantage. Cat doors are large enough for a cat but too small for most dogs and if you are worried about next door’s cat, or even raccoons, skunks or opossums using the door, you can buy a cat door that works automatically, opening only for your cat who is wearing a collar with an attachment that releases the door catch.

After you have your cat door installed, leave it for a week or two until your cat takes its presence for granted. Cats are not too keen on change and it may take you cat a while to become used to the new cat door.

When training your cat to use a cat door, tape the flap up securely for a few days so that he can see that he can come and go when it pleases him. Make certain that the flap is taped up securely. If the door falls down and hits your cat it will take a long time to coax him near it again.

Once he has found how convenient it is to come and go at will, remove the tape and with the door closed, gently push your cat through the door to the outside, using your hand to help your cat open the door. When your cat is halfway through the door, allow him to complete the manoeuvre by himself. Once through the door, give plenty of praise and perhaps a tasty treat. Repeat the exercise from the outside. When training your cat continue to help your cat through the door a few times until he gets the idea. When training your cat go over the lesson in short sessions over several days until it is obvious that your cat has the idea. Cats learn quickly which means that a week of training will most probably be sufficient.

It is always a good idea, when training a cat, to do so before a meal when you know that your cat is hungry. In this way it is easy to tempt him to come through the cat door with his favorite treat. Make certain that he receives a reward each time he gets it right.

If you already have a cat that uses the cat door, you usually don’t have to do any training as your new cat will usually learn from the other cat.

Patience is required for training your cat to use the cat door. Do not scold when he gets things wrong but use lots of praise when he gets it right and before long your cat will be coming and going of his own accord, leaving you in peace.

For more information on training your cat and the history of cat doors visit, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_door target ="_blank"