Cat Training Made Easy

Natural Instincts
Before you start training your cat, you must know first its natural instincts and behaviors. As cat owners, we must respect what is natural to every cat so we don't encroach into those natural instincts. A cat can jump and land on its feet as this is a natural instinct for a cat. Cats also have a natural instinct that will lead them to climb and scratch.

Scratching
Cats scratch for a variety of reasons. It is natural for cats to love to scratch furniture and other objects. Your cat will not know from the start that it has to use a scratch post to sharpen its claws. Scratching is an enjoyable activity that a cat likes to do. You can scratch with your own nails too, as the noise will make the cat curious. You can try this with any type of scratcher your cat prefers, just make sure you put one handy in the room she likes to scratch up. If your cat refuses to use the scratch post, then it may not like the fabric that covers it. In this case you may want to find a different fabric to cover the scratch post with, or another alternative for your cat to scratch on.

Whenever you catch your cat scratching the rug, yell at her and then go over to the scratcher and scratch it yourself. Another thing that you can do when teaching a cat not to scratch your furniture is to wrap the furniture in aluminum foil. Curtains might be a way to dress up your windows to you, but to your cat they are a fun thing to climb up on and shred with their claws. Cutting your cats claws to a proper length is another thing that will help. Now that you know why your cat scratches, you can train him or her to scratch appropriate objects and not your prized furniture.

Litter
At the end of a long day, who wants to sift through a messy litter box. In fact, there's an underground alternative designed for those of us who are ready to kick the litter habit: toilet training your cat. Think Fluffy has what it takes? Any cat that already knows how to use the litter-box can be reconditioned to use the toilet instead. During the process of potty training your cat, your cat will learn to put its waste in water instead of in litter. This will save you a considerable amount of time and money. Once the cat has been trained to go into the toilet, you will be able to eliminate the cat litter and the smell associated with it.

Training
Have your cat checked out by a vet before you start any kind of training. Depression and anxiety can play a part in trying to train your cat, so do not start out by scolding your cat for all the mischief it has gotten into while you where gone. Rewarding your cat when it has good behavior is best. If your cat becomes too reliant or dependant on you, separation anxiety can develop. Typically this is set off when the owner goes to leave the cat at home, and can even start when the cat senses or sees small signs that the owner is leaving the house. However, a cat when suffering from separation anxiety may become extremely anxious. In some cases, the cat can become extremely ill, stop eating, or suffer from depression. Separation anxiety, also known in the animal training world as owner absent misbehavior, is one of the most frequently encountered problems in the world of animal training. Crating your cat when you leave it home alone might seem easier, but it may not be the best approach to keep your cat out of trouble.

Give your cat attention, but if it decides to walk off and curl up in a corner to sleep, let your cat be. If he does not follow you when you leave a room, don't encourage him to do so if it is not necessary. When you leave the house, it is nice to know that your cat goes to his favorite spot and sleeps peacefully until you return. Your cat is a social, pack animal who relies on the others (you) for individual protection and security.

A final piece of advice on training is to start when the cat is young as it is easier to train a kitten than an old cat. At this stage the cat doesn't have any programmed behaviors so you can try to mold him to what you want him to do. You will want to start training your cat or kitten almost immediately after you get him or her, but you may want to wait until it is at least 6 months old.

In conclusion, cats learn the same way dogs and people learn; they repeat behaviors that have a pleasurable result. The best way to train your cat is to reward her when she does something right.