How to Train Your Cat: A Beginner’s Guide
Most pet owners never consider training a cat because they think that cats are independent and uncontrolled. No, this is not entirely true. There are many ways to train your cat so that your cat can follow your every command. It just takes a little effort, patience, and time to make your cat a pet. Some people who don’t know anything about cats think that train your cat means forcing them to be submissive, but in reality, it can be done by encouraging and supporting good behavior with your cat.
Whether you want to teach them basic commands like stay and sit, or teach them undesirable behaviors like scratching furniture, knocking over dishes, or climbing on something valuable, training can make your home environment calm and pleasant.
There are several methods you can use to train your cat.
Find The Best Time To Train Your Cat
Cats’ daily routine consists of playing, eating, cleaning, and sleeping. Therefore, you should train your cat according to the session routine. When your cat wakes up from sleep, train her at that time. At that time, she will be hungry, ready to play, and active, so she will work harder to get delicious food.
Eliminate distractions
Train your cat where they are paying close attention. If there is noise, the cat will not understand your training and will not be able to focus. Choose a nice, quiet place for your training session where there are no pets or other household members.
Be consistent with cues
Always make sure that you use the same signal, such as a hand signal, to train your cat. Do not use the other hand or other signals that your cat may misunderstand. Also, make sure that other family members give your cat the correct signals and cues so that the training is consistent and well-maintained.
Only train one skill at a time
When you are training your cat, try to teach only one skill at a time because cats have complex brains. If you teach more than one skill at a time, your cat will not understand anything and will become confused. When you have taught him one skill well, then take him to another skill and teach him well.
Use positive reinforcement
You must be aware of what your cat wants from you and what you are not giving it, and always maintain a good attitude towards it. Scolding, hitting or throwing water on the cat can make your cat run away from you, so try to be good to your cat.
Hand Signals To Train Your Cat
Train your cat with hand signals is an interesting and great way to train them. You can use this method like this: When you ask your cat to shake hands, open your palm, when you ask him to sit, close your fist, and when you ask him to jump, raise your hand. There are many signals that can play a very important role in reinforcing cat behaviour.
What behaviours should a cat parent focus on?
There are several common positive and negative characteristics most cat parents focus on.
Litter box training
Most cats or their babies naturally know how to use the toilet. If your cat has not learned to use it yet, teach it to do so soon, otherwise there will be a lot of mess in your house. Never ignore the fact that where your cat’s litter box is.
Always keep your cat’s litter box in a quiet place. As soon as your cat eats, take him to the litter box immediately and dig a little soil in front of him. When it urinates or defecates there, reward it and take it out of the box. Do this continuously so that the cat keeps your house clean and itself clean, which will firstly prevent any bad odor in your house and secondly, the situation in your house will also remain calm.
Carrier training
If you are fond of taking your cat outside, then carrier training is very important for it. First, open the carrier door and put something the cat likes in it or put a toy in it. When the cat enters the cage, encourage it and massage its tail. When the cat becomes comfortable in it, try closing the door. Initially, do this for only four to five seconds and gradually increase the time. This will make it very easy for you to take your cat outside and your cat will also become completely comfortable.
Staying off kitchen counters
Cats often like to go to the kitchen counter and jump on it, which can be annoying for the owner and can also cause damage. To prevent the cat from going to the kitchen counter, use something that the cat absolutely dislikes. If your cat jumps on the counter, calmly and gently take it away from there.
Biting or kicking with hind legs
Cats biting or kicking for no reason is not uncommon. It can also become a very complicated problem. If your cat bites or kicks you because of privacy issues, you should take it to a place or give it a place where it can be comfortable. If your cat kicks or bites while playing, you should ignore it. This can become a very complicated problem later on. When your cat becomes gentle during play, reward his calm behaviour.
Yowling for food
Some cats are very fond of eating food and as soon as you start preparing food in front of them, they start meowing more, which makes you feel uncomfortable. To avoid this behaviour, first ignore its sounds so that it understands that it will not get any reward for this task. Yes, when you are preparing food, then signal it to sit so that it understands that it will get a reward for the signal to sit.
Can all cats be trained?
Train your cat is absolutely possible, though each cat’s personality plays a role. The goal is to help them connect positive behaviour with something rewarding, using the right motivation and plenty of patience. Even adult cats can learn fun tricks with practice.
