Cat Training is Easy...Sort Of

Many people are under the mistaken impression that cats are arrogant, moody creatures that will ignore their owners' attempts at cat training.  They think that cats could obey but choose not to. Although cats do ignore commands because they don't feel like doing what their owners ask, sometimes they are not obeying because they simply do not understand.  In cat training, the hardest part is communicating what you want to your cat.

Training a cat generally takes a lot more time and patience than training a dog. Positive reinforcement works better than negative reinforcement with cats. If you punish them, they will just wait until you are not watching to misbehave, so it is better to simply ignore wrong responses and lavish praise on your cat when he responds correctly. 

You should start training your cat when he is about eight to ten weeks old. However, if you have an older cat, don't let that stop you. It may be a bit harder to teach him, but old cats can learn new tricks.   It is best to begin training your cat by teaching him to come when he is called, just as you do with a puppy. Make sure you have a supply of your cat's favorite treat and that he is feeling well rested and fairly happy. If there is a lot of noise and confusion, move to a quieter area, so your cat is not distracted.

Before you begin training, decide on one command and be sure you use it consistently. Commands should be short and easy to say. 'Come kitty' or 'Here kitty' are both good choices...though I prefer teaching a cat to come to its name.  It's one of the easiest things to do in cat training.  If you have more than one cat, it allows you to call one rather than all.

Once you decide on a command, you are ready to start training your kitten. Get down on her level by sitting or kneeling on the floor and call him to you using the command. Sound excited and happy. When your kitten comes to you, give him a treat and praise him lavishly.  Whether or not to give a treat is your decision.  It works...but so does some one-on-one petting and attention. or 3-5 minutes of playtime.

Then, either wait for the kitten to move away or stand up and move to another part of the room. Repeat the come command. Do not train your kitten for longer than ten minutes at a time. If he seems to be growing bored or frustrated, stop training. You should ideally hold two or three training sessions a day for a week.

Once you are sure your kitten has truly grasped the meaning of the come command, you can start to teach him other commands, such as no or stay (although, with a cat, "stay" usually means "please stay, unless you don't want to). 

Finally, there are several other things you should teach your cat for his own well being. He should learn to tolerate a harness and leash in case you need to travel long distances with him or take him to the veterinarian. For the same reason, he should learn to use a crate.   To teach your kitten to use a harness and leash, start by putting the harness on him.

Once the harness is in place, do not restrain him in any way. Praise him lavishly and be sure to give him his favorite treat. Once he is accustomed to the harness, attach the leash and let him lead you around a bit. Then, coax him into following you by offering more treats and praise. Although few cats actually learn to heel on the leash, your cat should learn not to panic and struggle when he is wearing his leash. 

TIP:  Crate training a cat will last until the first uncomfortable visit to the veterinarian!  Instead, simply leave the crate (with something soft to lay on inside it) sitting in an area your cat frequents.  Leave the door open and just ignore the crate.  Chances are, your cat will go into and out of the crate on his own.  Though he won't do it when you WANT him to...it will remove the rear caused by simply pulling out a crate and stuffing the cat into it.

When placing your cat in a crate, you will get some resistance.  There's a trick to it.  Don't try to hold the cats fron legs in one hand and back legs in the other hand....you'll end up scrathed.  Instead, in one hand  hold the two front paws and with your other hand hold ONE rear paw up along the cat's side.  It works.