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Being the owner of a cat can be a very rewarding experience and many cat owners have great, loving relationships with their cats. Others don’t have it so easy. Cats are independent and stubborn creatures and often aren’t willing to comply with the rules of the house, and this can cause many problems between the cat and his owner. Training a cat doesn’t have to be a difficult task and if successful, will give you the loving relationship you wish to have with your cat.

To train your cat successfully, there are several things to keep in mind to get optimal results. First, the earlier you can start training your cat the better. Kittens will pick up on the learned behaviors faster than adult cats, although training an adult cat is not impossible. Whether you’re getting a kitten or an adult cat, the sooner you start training your cat, the better. Once you bring them home, start teaching them what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors aren’t. When training a cat, always remember to use positive reinforcements for good behaviors, rather than punishing them for being naughty.

Whether you are training a cat to use the litter box, to not scratch the furniture, or to do tricks such as playing fetch, you must be consistent with the training techniques you choose. Whatever method you choose for training your cat, be sure to stick to it. If you are constantly changing your techniques or aren’t consistent with the way you react or reward your cat for a specific behavior, your cat won’t know what to expect from you. This will only confuse your cat and they probably won’t behave the way you want them to. Continue Reading »

Just like a dog or puppy training, cats and kittens can be trained as well. Most people don’t believe it’s true, but it is and it’s fairly simple with the reward system just like with the dogs. Reward the good behavior, the behavior you want and don’t reward the behavior you don’t want and this includes rewards of attention.

Just as you would a dog, repetition is the key to good training when it comes to your kitten. If the kitten is climbing the curtains, a particular favorite of many felines, then you gently take them down and say ‘No’ and place them on the floor. Now most kittens will go right back to climbing the curtains, however, if you gently remove them and gently is because their claws are sharp and you don’t want shredded curtains, and start the process over again.

Most kittens and cats misbehave because they are board and want something to do or attention. Provide your kitten with as much entertainment and attention as you can. Get them several toys, you can find most dollar stores now carry pet toys very reasonably.

There are toys you can make yourself, out of yarn, although make sure every piece of yarn is tucked under and the kitten can not get to it because of a choking hazards. You never want to leave knitting or sewing projects with string lying around the house where a kitten or cat can eat the strings and choke on them.

Kittens can entertain themselves for hours with a paper sack or a small box, just beware that they also like to chew on things and can easily break away some of the box or paper and eat it.

Training your new kitten to use the litter box should be a fairly easy thing depending on where you purchased the kitten. Most breeders and shelters litter train or at least provide them with a box and shredded paper to do their business in. If you are keeping your cat indoors make sure you decide where you are keeping the litter box and then do not move it for cats do not adjust to change very well.

Make sure you clean the litter box at least once everyday or every other day to keep it from building up an odor both for you and the kitten because kittens and cats have very sensitive noses and sense of smell and they will begin to use other areas of the house if their litter box is too full.

You should also decide which brand and kind of food you will feed you new kitten before bringing it home. Ask the shelter or breeder what they have been feed it and if it’s not in you price range, get a small bag and slowly wean them off it by mixing the old food with the new food.

Cats and kittens usually don’t sleep in a crate or kennel at night but you can crate train them by placing them in a small kennel at night but you must do this from the beginning so they get used to going in it when it’s time to go to bed.

About the author: Tristan Andrews is a freelance author who writes articles about Cats and Cat News.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

It’s a time consuming process and it’s not for every owner or every cat, but it can be accomplished and it does make the cat and owner feel as if they have achieved something good. Potty training your cat, meaning having you cat use the toilet instead of a litter box is one of the greatest achievements you and your cat can do. You just need to know how and a cat that is willing to please you, which most cats or kittens are.

There are special ‘toilet seats’ for cats like there are for training toddlers to go on the potty. These are metal pans that sit under the rim of the toilet seat so you can collect the waste. You can purchase these expensive devices or just allow the cat to go in the toilet by itself. Either way is effective.

You first need to start when the kitten is about eight weeks old and they must know their name when you call for them. The indoor kittens who are spoiled and pampered and showered with love are the best candidates for potty training. Once you and the kitten have completed the training and the cat goes to the toilet to do his business, you will be living in a home that does not smell like there is a cat living in it and that will be worth all the time spent training.

Once you know your kitten is ready, they know their name and can go in the litter box without accidents, then you move the litter box into the bathroom, next to the toilet, leaving it there for a few days so he gets used to the new position of the litter box. You can use anything from bricks to stacks of old newspapers as long as they are sturdy enough to hold the box and the cat. Then, after a few days, you raise the box up a couple of inches. The cat won’t mind, they like to jump.

He or she might be shy about it or intimidated with it’s highest at first, but it will quickly get over that. Then after a few days, you raise the cat box again, only a couple of inches. You do this every few days until the cat box is level with the toilet.

For the next few days, you leave the litter box at the highest of the toilet but you leave the toilet lid open, if you purchased a trainer potty insert, you would place that into the toilet with a few pieces of cat litter so the cat will recognize it. if you are training your cat yourself, you can use plastic kitchen wrap spread over the toilet, poke some holes in it and sprinkle some cat litter on top of it.

Then you wait to see if the cat will move from the box to the toilet. Some cats willingly go to the toilet, balancing on the edge and doing their business, others need more time and coaxing. If you cat or kitten is not willing you may have to put more cat litter on top of the pan or plastic wrap and take away the litter box. If this doesn’t work, you might have to go back to step one and start again. If after several tries, your cat just does not want to go potty in the toilet, you may have a cat that prefers the old fashioned way, the litter box.

About the author: Tristan Andrews is a freelance author who writes articles about Cats and Cat News.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com