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"