A good number of people prefer a feline pet than a canine one. They each have their own reasons: that cats are tamer, that a cat's purr is not as loud as a dog's bark, that it is more economical to keep a cat than a dog. Whatever your reasons are for keeping a cat as your pet, training Puss ‘N Boots is not exactly the same as training Pluto. In fact, it requires less repetition and more affection.
A more harmonious relationship between pet and master is the objective of training your cat above anything else. Teaching your cat nifty tricks comes only secondary to relevant training; in fact, it is more enjoyable to see your pet seemingly getting what you are trying to say.
Training your cat begins with displaying affection towards it. Cats are naturally affectionate pets, and they will seemingly demand from its master to constantly brush its fur. You can augment this method of affection by talking to your cat. It may sound silly, but cats found an audio sensation soothing, especially if it comes from the master. If a cat starts to behave negatively – it starts hissing, scratching furniture, or even biting – you do the opposite of reinforcement by withdrawing the brushing of its fur and talking to it. Cats do somehow realize the consequences of its behavior.
Another useful training is how to train your cat not to beg for food especially at the dinner table. The key here is to not give food from the dinner table in the first place; doing so will only reinforce the behavior. You bet the begging for food will happen again in the next meal. If you have started feeding the cat from the dinner table and would want it to stop, do not pay attention to your pet while meal is being served. Another way of preventing your cat from disturbing your own meal is to feed it on its dish before dinner is served. This way, the cat will be full when it is your turn to eat; cats do like to take a siesta after feeding.
You might also want to do train your cat not to attack other animals. While it may be fun to watch cats chase mice and birds in cartoons, it quite messy and violent in reality. You cannot take this instinct away from your pet, as it is inherent in a cat to hunt. It is like watching lions attack gazelles, only at a smaller scale. If you want to be spared the mess and violence of your cat's natural instinct, there is a remedy to this. There are specialized devices around designed to keep the innate ferocity of your cat in check, while at the same time ensuring that it does not cause a bloody hunting exercise. It will also not hurt if you keep smaller animals away from your cat. It is also advised that you do not keep other pets that are above or below your cat in the food chain. Birds, guinea pigs, goldfish are best left in the pet shop if you are keeping a cat at home. It is also advised that you invest in pest control to keep mice and other small animals from infesting your house, and thus stimulating the hunting instinct of your cat.
Cats also have the unavoidable tendency to call for a mate, the reason why they make a lot of nice in the wee hours. In order to avoid this, it is up to the master to increase display of affection by brushing its fur or patting its head; this will lessen the impact of loneliness and thus the call for mating.
Finally, it is always useful to include discipline in defecating and urinating when training your cat. A litter box is always helpful in helping the cat relieve itself at a designated spot in your house. Initially you may want to observe your cat before it urinates or defecates. You will sense when it is ready to relieve itself, when it becomes restless. You as master can place the litter box to the spot where it chooses to relieve itself. Eventually it will associate the spot it has selected to the litter box, and will look for the litter box instead of the spot – thus saving you from the bother of cleaning up your cat's mess.
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Lee Dobbins
Cat Training
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