Cat Training Tricks

Cats learn behavior by the association of feelings related to their actions. For example, a cat that experiences pain while urinating will associate the litter box with the pain and begin urinating around the home instead. To train cats, owners must reward the good behavior and punish the negative behavior in order to redirect the cat to perform the desired actions.

  1. Punishment

    • Bad behavior can be deterred by the use of bad smells, unpleasant textures and a spray bottle filled with water. If the cat is eating plants or food around the home, placing citrus-scented products nearby will cause it to avoid the area because cats dislike the smell of citrus. Cats that are scratching furniture can be trained to stop by having their favorite area covered by double-sided tape or aluminum foil to create an unpleasant feeling when they try to scratch. If caught in the act, one squirt of water from a spray bottle can deter the cat from bad behavior.

    Rewards

    • With animals, rewarding positive behavior works better than punishing negative behavior. Cats associate the good feeling of being patted or fed treats with their actions. Small cat treats work well to reward good behavior, but affectionate cats will prefer a gentle scratch on the ear or back.

    Litter Training

    • Litter training kittens is often easy as it is a behavior learned from the mother. Cats that were separated from their mothers too young or lived outdoors as kittens may have more difficulties in litter training. A period of retraining can help a cat to learn the appropriate use of the litter box in as little as a week. Place the cat in a large dog cage or room in the home for a week with just food, water, bedding and a litter box. The cat can come out to play and receive affection throughout the day, but must be left in the area at all other times. This is most effective with the use of a large dog cage, as the cat will have very little space to use outside of the litter box. Cats are unlikely to soil their bedding or close to their food and water. Once the cat is showing signs of being litter trained, you can slowly move him back into the rest of the house, making sure to show him where his litter box has been moved.

    Change of Environment

    • With cats, training can be difficult. They are likely to continue the unwanted behavior when nobody is watching, making it important that the environment is changed to be more cat-friendly. If the cat enjoys scratching furniture, the furniture should remain covered with tape or aluminum when it isn't in use. Scratching posts around the house should be left out for the cat at all times. Any area that causes bad behavior should be blocked off. Off-limit items should be locked away so that the cat doesn't have access to them. If the cat is biting or scratching, avoid playing roughly in any way that will encourage these behaviors. Placing plastic caps over the cat's claws will further prevent damage from scratching.