Cats are cute, and that’s one of the many reasons you’re now the proud owner of one, two, or five felines. But cats can be temperamental creatures. Without proper training, these furry four-legged pets will think that you’re their servant. Read on to know some simple behavior training tips for cats to ensure that tragedy doesn’t happen.
Come on Command
Do you find yourself calling your cat’s name, and all you get is a blank stare? Instead of walking your way, your pet might look the other way and head in that direction.
Cats can learn to respond to audio cues to let them know that you need something from them. Perhaps one of the best ways to call your cat is by its name.
Train your kitty to let them know its name to heart. For example, your cat, Fifi, is relatively new in your household. Prepare a bag of treats and call your pet’s name repeatedly. Each time it tilts or moves its head toward you in response to its name, give it a treat.
Another way is to let your cat know that it’s mealtime. Put the cat food in the feeding bowl and make an audible “clang” to ensure that you kitty can hear the sound from across the room. Once your feline friend goes near its food bowl, give it a treat before letting the pet proceed to binge on its meal.
Please take note that your cat might not eat the food in its bowl despite the treat. Perhaps your feline friend doesn’t want the food in the container. Make sure to pick the right food to ensure that the animal eats and cleans the contents of its dish.
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Furniture Scratching
Imagine coming home after a stressful day at school or work to find out there are now numerous claw marks in your house. Only one explanation exists if this event happens, and it’s your cat trying to sink its claws in different objects.
It might seem that your pet likes to destroy stuff after seeing the “devastation” it caused. Like biting, cats like to scratch for several reasons. First, scratching can help the pet achieve a full-body workout as the motion stretches its muscles and tendons.
Also, cats scratch to mark their territories. These animals have scent glands in their paws that release distinct smells each time they scratch.
If you don’t want to arrive home seeing claw marks on your prized sofa, you can redirect your cat’s need to scratch by giving it a scratching post. Conversely, you may leave your feline friend outside for it to scratch bushes and trees.
Another way to reduce cat scratching is to provide your pet with fabric offcuts. Perhaps you have a knack for sewing clothes, and you tend to leave mounds of excess fabric. Give these materials to your cat for it to scratch. You can also roll the pieces of fabric into a ball, put a bell inside, and watch as your pet rolls around the floor playing with its new toy.
Animal Care can help you create a scratch-free, feline-friendly home. Just ensure that you reinforce the disciplined behavior with rewards instead of punishments.
Cat Biting
It’s not rare for cats to bite. Even if your feline family member knows that you’re its master, it’ll still bite you for no apparent reason. Remember that cats bite for several reasons, and not only out of aggression.
It might be almost impossible to stop the cat from biting completely. But you can train your cat to reduce the frequency of its bites.
One way is to lure the pet with treats if it starts hissing in preparation for a bite. Say vocal cues like “Stop” or “No.” Give your cat the treat as soon as you see it relaxes. Make sure to give your kitty love and compassion to mention that it did an excellent job.
Aside from giving treats, you may also distract cat biting by giving it toys. Several cat breeds are natural predators, making sense that they want to sink their teeth into different objects. Give your feline friend things like chew toys or stuffed mice to reinforce their primal instincts without damaging your skin or furniture.
Conclusion
These three tips can help remove stress and aggression from your furry feline friend. Remember that rewards are better than punishment in reinforcing good behavior in cats. Give your pet treats and toys if it did an excellent job instead of lashing out your anger and frustration. Make sure to practice patience as your kitty might not respond well to the training regimen quickly.
“Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” – Mark Twain
Attempts at such deviousness have been put beneath the paws of those in charge of this establishment. Beware, they meow, we make the rules.
Good suggestions
Two kittens are now terrorizing my house – I’ll be using these tips more as they become able to focus for more than ten seconds at a time.
Our British Shorthair, Daisy, just turned 11, is mostly a house cat but has been trained to remain in the garden when she goes out. She has also been trained to return to the house when I clap my hands. She breaks all speed limits in returning. It only works with me, never for my wife!
We’ve mostly trained our Holly to only use her cat tree to scratch on. It took a while, but she rarely scratches the furniture anymore!