Cat Discipline

The arrival of a kitten in your home will determine its future behavior. A kitten is very playful, very curious, fearless and liable to do all sorts of silly things to get rid of its excessive energy. He needs toys, balls and string will be ideal.

Initially, at least for the first week, you should supervise the newcomer. He will want to explore his new home and all the nooks and crannies, which he will visit during his first few days. You will have to let him inspect everything but make sure that he isn't urinating everywhere. That is the way that he marks his territory. You will have to catch him in the act as even ten minutes later is too late as he'll have forgotten what he did. To teach him that he isn't allowed to mark his territory inside the house, put him in the litter tray or outside, if he has access to the garden.

On no account should you hit the animal, in extreme cases you can spray him with a little water if you catch him in the act. He will associate the naughtiness with the unpleasant feeling of being sprayed and will not want to do it again.

You should also know that a cat is an animal which can damage your house. He needs to sharpen his claws regularly so provide him something to scratch, such as a scratching post or a post of wood covered with carpet. Otherwise he will scratch the carpets, the curtains or the settee.

Make sure you keep the litter tray clean as the cat is a very clean animal and if you don't provide him with a clean place to do his business, he will do it round the house. If he is to go outside, make sure he has an easy access to the garden.

When your kitten arrives, make sure he has a dish of fresh water that you change regularly, a bowl of biscuits and/or some tinned meat. Make sure you wash his dishes frequently.

He needs a corner to call his own, perhaps a basket. It must be comfortable as the cat sleeps on average 16 hours a day. You could give him an old piece of clothing that he can impregnate with his own smell. You need to decide if he is to be allowed access to your settee or beds. If you allow him to go on them in the first few days, it will be very difficult to prevent him from going back on them.

The cat is a very clean animal but it is not a very good idea to let him sleep with you as there are diseases he can pass on to you, so you have to decide where he is going to spend his nights.

For obvious reasons of hygiene, it is imperative from the very start not to let the cat up on the table or on the kitchen worktops. If you have children, take care not to let them annoy your new kitten, which will irritate it (the cat is not known for its patience!) which could lead to the kitten biting or, more seriously, scratching your child. Generally cats avoid children as they are much too noisy and decide to ignore them.

If you have another pet, a cat or a dog, it is preferable to let them get accustomed to each other without disturbing them, as this doesn't go well at the start, they will end up not getting along. Once everyone has sorted out their pecking order, the worst case scenario will be that they ignore each other.

You aren't sure whether to let him go outside or not? You're worried that once your cat has put his nose outside, he'll always want to be outside but if you don't have a garden because you live in a flat or you think the road is too dangerous, he will be just as happy. This decision will have to be made in the first few days.

While education your cat, make sure that this small animal doesn't take over your life. Don't give in to all his demands (which are numerous!) and systematically give him fresh food every time he mews pitifully. Except if his dish is empty, or the food has dried up as can happen in summer or through central heating, don't always be changing his food. Your cat can be very difficult and sulky if he decides he doesn't like what's in his dish but if you stay firm and he's hungry, he'll end up eating it.