Important Tips to Consider when House Training Your Cat

When it comes to cat training, here is exactly what you need to know. In this article I will uncover many different ways to train your cat. By the time you are finished reading this article you should be able to train your own cat, or even someone else's.

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. One of a cat's natural instincts is to be able to jump from almost anywhere and land on its feet. Cats also have a natural instinct that will lead them to climb and scratch.

Scratching
Cats scratch for a variety of reasons. A cat's love for scratching furniture and other objects is built in to their make up. You will have to teach your cat from the start that it has to use a scratch post to sharpen its claws, cats do not automatically know to do this. Scratching is something that all cats like to do. You can try scratching with your own nails also, this noise may make the cat curious.

You can try this technique with any type of scratcher that your cat prefers. If you find that your cat refuses to use the scratching post, it may be that your cat does 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 are a nice finishing touch to any room however to a cat they are a fun toy to climb on and play with. 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. There is now an alternative for those of us who are ready to do away with the litter hassles, toilet training your cat. Do you think your little 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 alot of time and money. Once your cat has been trained to use the toilet, you can then get rid of 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 dependent 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 your cat does not follow you out of a room, don't encourage him to do so unless it is absolutely 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 last piece of advice when it comes to training your cat is to make sure that you start training when the cat is young. This just makes it easier as a kitten will learn faster 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 kitty cat is to reward him when he has done something right.