Many people think that cats are not trainable. But the researchers’ experiments disprove this assumption: cats solve logical problems perfectly, while dogs adapt better in the society of people. This indicates that a cat can execute commands if they are interested.
Purring animals have an excellent memory, which contributes to learning. In this article, we’ll talk about how to train kitten.
Training features
According to felinologists’ research, cats develop memory and decision-making skills before the age of three. That is, the younger the cat, the better it perceives the information through observation and memorization. We present you some kitten training tips for beginners:
- Plant the cat. Sitting on command is one of the main behaviors that you should teach your furry ball. You must force your cat into a sitting position and capture this moment. You should then give your pet a reward, such as canned food or treats, using a spoon. You can also use your voice to give positive feedback by saying “yes” or “okay”. If the cat stands on all fours, she feels hungry, which will allow the owner to succeed.
- The kitten needs to get used to crate. From an early age, it must feel the pleasure of being inside the box. Initially, don’t close the door until the pet adapts to the enclosed space, and then close it a little. These exercises will train your cat to enjoy being in its crate and feel safe there.
- Kittens need to learn different handling methods. They build trusting relationships with the owners, but they may feel uncomfortable in the hands of strangers. So you should pet your cat in different ways, touch on its sides and legs or even carry it under the arm for better adaptation.
- Communication. Kittens have their prime socialization stage between 2-7 weeks of age. At an older age they run away from strangers. Cats allow only family members and regular visitors to pet them. You should invite people over to the house or take your furry for a walk so it could adapt to the society around it. After each such event, it’s advisable to praise the pet with a treat or toy. The kitten shouldn’t be lost sight of. You have to make it feel safe and comfortable under your protection. It’s necessary to get the cat vaccinated to avoid unpleasant surprises in dealing with relatives.
- Kittens must play. Playing with your kitty can establish a connection between you. In addition, it will help a pet to waste a lot of energy. But you should never use rough games, as defending itself, the cat can attack with claw and tooth. If it plays with a ball, you can throw it and ask to bring the toy to you, stimulating it with a treat. So the pet will learn to play with foreign objects, which will save you from attacks on your hands. It’s worth remembering that training should bring joy to the cat, otherwise everything will be in vane. Among the tips for training a kitten, the following one is worth highlighting: be patient and wait until the kitty executes the command.
When training your fluffy, it’s advisable to praise it so that it wants to repeat actions again.
How to train a kitten tricks
We have already dealt with the question of can you train kittens or not. It turned out that with a correct approach, a cat can be taught a lot. Now let’s look at how to train kittens to do tricks. The simplest command would be “Come to me!” – the cat always goes to a call in anticipation of a reward. You need to train your pet by calling for feeding with an affectionate tone. As soon as the animal comes, you need to put food into the bowl. When the cat begins to respond to the words “Come to me”, you can start working out the appropriate command with gentle touches.
Cats can also learn the command “Give paw”. As soon as the pet sits down, you should take its paw and say “Give paw”, then give it a treat. You must do it until the cat begins putting its paw into your palm.
Kittens can also be taught commands “Stand”, “Bring” or jump through a hoop, but it’s better not to overwork the animal. We have figured out how to train a kitten tricks – it’s important not to overdo, because a cat can also have its own needs and wishes.
Some aspects of cat training
Many cat owners often have questions about the unauthorized behavior of cats. For example, how to teach a kitten “No”, when it climbs the table during the dinner or scatters litter around the flat. In the first case, it’s better to have the table handled with lemon flavor, because the cats don’t like citrus fruits. As for the second problem, you’ll have to restrict the pet’s access to the garbage container.
In addition, if you don’t want the cat to climb your bed, buy a separate bed for the pet where it’ll feel comfortable. Also, many people are faced with a problem, how to train a kitten to come home. You need to pay more attention to your pet. The cat’s child is very sensitive to the environment, so you need to do all vaccinations to keep it healthy and full of energy.
Summing up, let’s answer the question, how do you train a kitten. First of all, it must understand that when performing certain actions, it will receive something delicious. In addition, it is important not to overwork your pet, otherwise it may develop an aversion to the proposed exercises. The key moment in the training is your patience.