Having Problems Training Your Cat?

If you’re having problems training your cat, you’re certainly not alone! Many people love cats because they’re so independent and find how aloof they are as part of their charm; they’re not as needy or dependent as dogs but obviously more affectionate than fish! While these typical personality traits make cats a favorite pet of many, this means that training your cat is going to be more difficult than training a dog. However, this doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. Cats can be trained, at least to a certain extent, if you know how to do so properly and avoid some common mistakes.

It is good to remember that training your cat is nothing like training your dog. Dogs have the ability to do different tricks and to associate your words with the actions you want them to perform. Cats not only have little association this way, they also typically don’t care about making you happy the way dogs do. If you’re training your cat to do tricks, you may be getting nowhere because cats don’t do tricks! They might jump through a hoop only because you put it in their way, but doing so will irritate them. Or they may come when called but only if you bribe them with a treat every single time. Once the treats stop, they may learn very early on that there’s no reward for them anymore and they ignore your voice. When training your cat, be reasonable about what you expect out of them. Ask yourself why you’re training the cat in the first place. If it’s because you think a trick would be “neat,” you might want to reconsider.

Also, when training your cat remember that they do respond to treats and praise and positive attention, but only to do something they might naturally do otherwise. For example, you can train your kitten to use the litter box because he would prefer to use it anyway. You can train your cat to stop scratching furniture but only if you give him another post to scratch instead. If you’re training your cat you need to tune in to his natural behavior and consider how his brain is wired when it comes to his actions. You can’t just discipline certain actions out of him if they’re part of his nature, so when training your cat to avoid certain areas of the home or certain actions, give him something as a substitute. His instincts will often override your training attempts, so you need to remember this and try to accommodate as much as possible.

While training your cat, patience will be essential. He won’t always understand you and won’t always respond immediately. If he’s older, this is going to be even more important because his behavior is so set in and ingrained. Older cats also have less energy than kittens, so they may not care about what you’re trying to teach and may just want a sunny space where they can nap!