Petlife logo

How To Train Your Cat

Get To Know Your Cat

By WaraqoPublished about a year ago 7 min read
Like
How To Train Your Cat
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

.When it comes to cat training techniques, there are some feline based systems that are recommended for more action proven results. The positive reinforcement and aversion stimulus are probably the only clear way to try and get the cooperation of the cat to comply with the owner’s instructions.

🕳️The Basics On Cat Training.

Some owners use tactics such as spraying with water misters, loud shakers or any startling noise to show disapproval for certain behavioral traits. In some instances these methods work very well, while in others it seems to create confusion and fear in the cat as it does not really understand what the owner is unhappy about.

This is even more complicated when the cat associates these actions with play as some cats do actually enjoy being sprayed with water, thus the initial reason for implementing such corrective measures does not really seem to work at all.



Other methods that can be used to make the cat understand its negative actions would be to use a stern and commanding voice, to show disapproval when a particular undesirable actions is being committed by the cat.

In most cases, this has proven to be very effective and certainly deters the cat from the action, even if it for a short time.

Most experts would agree that using physical negative behaviors such as hitting the cat will not be beneficial to the animal and will also cause the animal to fear the owner. Physical beatings will also cause the cat to undergo behavioral changes which will eventually create a lot of stress and other misbehavior patterns.

🕳️ Understand Your Cat.

Cats are very sensitive animals, thus their forms of communications may not necessarily take on the actual vocal meows in order to make themselves understood by other cats. Thus, there is a need for humans to be able to read into these actions and understand the messages the cat is trying to convey.



🕳️ Read The Signs.

Understanding the difference between the natural nature of the cat and the habits that the cat picks up is very important. Trying to train the cat to do something that goes against the very core nature of it will not only be confusing but will cause the cat to resist altogether. This will create a very unpleasant and stressful situation for both the cat and the owner. Therefore, the responsibility is left to the owner to read up on such behavioral patterns and understand the difference,

so that the appropriate actions can be taken when it is called for.

Some of the ways a cat behaves are purely instinctive and it would be helpful and beneficial for the owner to be able to identify these
differences.


The litter box is another good example of the cat’s natural instincts being evident. Cats enjoy digging through loosely textured material, particularly to be used as their toilet area, thus the cat will willingly use the litter box for this purpose. The same would apply to the cat being fascinated with fluffy carpeting and a pile of socks or a ball of yarn, as all of these present some level of fascination for the cat, and indulging in playing with these seems to bring immense enjoyment to the cat.

Understanding the cat’s vocal expressions will also help the owner identify with what the cat is trying to communicate. With some observation, the owner will eventually be able to discern quite well the various different tones used and interpret them accordingly.



🕳️Know How To Administer Discipline Correctly

Understanding the basic concept, that it may be rather hard to administer discipline on a cat, is very important. This is to ensure the owner is able to maintain a cool and level headedness that is required to be consistent and persistent in administering the discipline anyway.



Do It The Right Way🕳️

The following are some of the ways that are used to correctly administer discipline to a cat with minimal results, but results nonetheless:

• Learning to recognize and use the methods that only the cat will respond to will be a good place to start. It is an established fact that

most cats will not respond unless it suits them to do so, thus there is a need to find ways to extract this response in the most effective and non violent way. In most cases, the element of surprise seems to work well enough.



Once this element of surprise is used to mildly shock the cat into compliance, there could be some visible improvements in the cat to committing the offending act as often.



• It should be understood that most disciplinary tactics used, should be done at the very point the undesirable act is being committed by the cat.

Disciplining the cat after the act is committed will not help in any way to make the cat understand the actions are unacceptable.

Therefore, having something like a soft beanbag within arm’s reach to throw at the direction of the cat without actually hitting the cat will help the cat understand the disapproval of the owner.

• Another popular tactic to use in the quest to discipline correctly would be to use strong smelling elements to deter a cat from roaming around places that are considered off limits. The downside to this would be the strong smell would also effect others around.

Protecting Your Kitty

The following are some suggestions that can be used to provide the necessary precautions in keeping a kitty safe:



• Keeping the cats indoors is perhaps the most effective way of keeping the animal safe. Although this is not a full proof solution, as most cats will eventually find ways to get out once they are bigger, it is a useable solution for a kitten. This of course is only if all the members within the household unit are equally committed to being careful and alert to leaving doors and windows ajar.



• Other safety measure would be to keep all wires and all

unplugged dangling cords out of the reach of the cat. Most cats are instantly attracted to anything hanging or moving, thus there is a

need to ensure the wires are not left dangling. Other objects such as blinds should also be properly secure to ensure the cat does not

become entangled in it.



Besides this, keeping breakables out of the

cat’s path would also be a good idea. If observed carefully, the owner would be able to notice that the cat almost always walks, runs and jumps in the same areas and uses the same patterns 99% of the time.


• Keeping all string, yarn or thread away from the kitty would also be something that should be done as this could cause the cat to

choke as they tend to play with these objects by chewing on them.

Putting A Stop To Aggression 🕳️

Teaching a cat to respond favorably takes some strategy on the part of the owner. Most cats enjoy being stroked, but they usually dictate when they have had enough by either biting or scratching.

This is their way of saying they have had enough. However, this in not an acceptable way to show their fussiness and it would be wise to try to overcome this display with counter active measures. These may include stroking gently until there are signs that the cat is becoming

fidgety and then stopping before the actual need to scratch, or change the stroking area to another pleasurable spot that will be acceptable for the cat. This will effectively put a stop to the cat’s negative reaction before it can actually launch a bite or scratch.

The next step would be to carefully pick areas that would normally

annoy the cat and alternate these with the more pleasurable spots,

while going back and forth before the cat can act adversely to the stroking motion.

Eventually these episodes should be prolonged until the cat eventually accepts the perceived uncomfortable and comfortable areas of stroking alongside each other. Cats are primarily of the predatory background, thus the need to bite into things at will.

Providing the cat with suitable toys to bite into may help to control this natural urge.

It’s For Their Good 🕳️

There are some much focused areas that need some level of training to be incorporated, otherwise the results can be very bad indeed.

Litter training is probably the easiest to cope with and also the area that could potentially cause a lot of problems for the owner if it is not done very early on.

If there is no clear indication of a litter box being available, the cat will happily and resourcefully find a suitable alternative.

As cat poop can be rather strong in odor, having a cat that in not trained to do its business in a litter box would eventually stink out the whole house or dwelling place.

Another area that could eventually become an issue if not checked would be the scratching of furniture and other household items such

as curtains. This trait, if left unchecked, will cause a lot of damage that is almost always irreparable.

There are various ways that can be adopted to stop the cat from such activity and prolong the lifespan of any furniture used.

Catching the cat in the act of doing something that is unacceptable would require immediate attention and reprimand consequences.

If the owner is unable to catch the cat in the act, simply reprimanding the cat, by pointing to the mistake will have little or no consequences to the cat. Therefore, there is a need to keenly observe the cat in the
initial stages of being introduced into the equation, before any

particular training is carried out.

cat
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.