Information on Training Cats

Training cats is much like training other animals. Mostly it requires patience and a little knowledge. Negative reinforcement is not effective and should not be used when training a cat.

  1. Natural Behaviors

    • When starting any training, try to encourage natural behaviors. Cats quickly learn to perform a behavior on cue when it is something they would do naturally. For example, teaching a cat to use a litter pan to relieve itself is relatively easy because cats naturally gravitate toward loose substrate for this purpose.

    Training in Stages

    • Training complex behaviors should occur in stages. For example, to train a cat to jump through a hoop, he first must be trained to step through the hoop when it is on the ground. Reward him for performing this correctly. Then raise the hoop an inch off the ground and encourage the same behavior. Soon the cat should be able to jump through a hoop several feet in the air.

    Rewards

    • Rewards consisting of small bits of food will encourage a cat to perform. Food will keep the animal interested longer.

    Training Session Length

    • Keep training sessions short, no more than 10 minutes at a time. Cats bore easily and aren't likely to cooperate if bored or annoyed.

    Consistency

    • Consistency is crucial. Determine what method you will use to cue your cat and stick with it. Clicker training, voice-command training and hand-signal training are all effective methods of communication.