Basic Cat Training - Yes It Can Be Done!

Many people claim they like dogs better because cats cannot be trained. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is a dog is mentally wired to basically please. A cat simply is not psychologically geared to please you. However, cats do need affection, attention, and praise and by using these methods, you can train your cat.

Cats learn through experience. If your cat has a good experience with an activity, they will find it enjoyable and repeat it. If your cat finds they get scolded and not rewarded for certain behaviors they will learn quickly not to repeat them. Cats will normally choose to get negative attention as opposed to no attention at all and if you work, you might find you have a misbehaving cat simply because he misses you.

Never hit or "spank" your cat. This just teaches your cat that you are capable of hurting him and he won't trust you. Instead when you want to teach your cat not to scratch your favorite couch, simply tell him,"No" and pick him up and move him to a scratching post. Put his claws on it if you have to and praise him the entire time. Your cat dislikes being scolded and will quickly learn to use the scratching post for his claw exercising needs. Only do this if you catch him in the act of scratching. Otherwise he won't be able to build an association to what you want him to do and he will continue to scratch in areas where you don't want him to.

Another common misbehavior is a cat using something of yours as his litter box. If you keep his regular litter box clean, then your cat is probably trying to "call" you home. Because you show up after he does this, this further emphasizes this behavior. You can eliminate this behavior by first washing the towel, rug or bedspread he is using in an enzyme killing soap to remove all "his" traces. Then keep the door to that room shut when you're gone. Give your cat a lot of extra attention and playtime and if you work - try to give him a little time in mornings. Just 10 minutes of ball throwing or other activity in the mornings will show your cat the attention he is seeking in a positive way and doing this will usually quell this behavior quickly. When your cat uses the litter box instead of your rug, towel or other personal objects, praise him richly.

Be patient, reward and praise and you will find you have a very trainable cat!
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