Can your cat really be trained? Cats are independent creatures and interact with pet owners on their own terms. Many people think cats cannot be trained because of this independence. In spite of this it is fairly easy to teach cats some tasks. To do this you’ll need to understand a little cat psychology. A Cat will respond to your praises very well. You can use this to teach them simple tasks reinforced with a reward. Cats have very short attention spans; when training a dog you may be able to keep them engaged on the training for an entire afternoon, with a cat these sessions will last only five or ten minutes.
Fetching is one behavior you can train your cat. This is a simple task that provides exercise and is somewhat entertaining for both of you. You will need to reinforce fetching with a treat and by praising your cat; praise comes in the form of positive words and petting every time your cat returns the object. Sometimes the food can be distracting for your cat and you may need to rely solely on praise to reinforce the behavior. To teach your cat to fetch start by throwing a toy short distances. When your cat retrieves the toy give a reward. Keep the training sessions short so the cat doesn’t get bored and trod off. Stop training at the first sign of getting tired.
Toilet training is another thing you can teach your cat. Some cats will never go for this, but many can be taught with a healthy dose of patience. Cats prefer clean accommodations; many litter box problems arise from litter boxes that do not meet their standards. Your cat learned to scratch in the sand after using the box so this new behavior may take some adjustment. It is easier to train a kitten than a mature cat but it can be done. Your local pet stores sell a kit for training your cat to use the toilet which could ease the transition; homemade systems work just as well. To train your cat move the litter box near the toilet. Over the course of a few weeks slowly elevate the box gradually off the floor. Make sure you are using a sturdy system to do this; you don’t want the box tipping over while the cat is using it. Finally, place the box on the toilet. Make sure the lid is up and the seat is down. When your cat is comfortable using the litter box in this configuration you can start the training.
To train your cat you will need a foil turkey roasting pan. Tape the pan below the toilet seat onto the toilet’s base. Start with a small amount of litter in the bottom of the roasting pan. As your cat gets used to the pan make the hole in the bottom of the roasting pan larger; you will gradually increase the size of this hole until the cat needs to stand on the toilet seat to go. Make sure you leave the toilet seat up at all times. When your cat becomes accustomed to going in this manner you can remove the roasting pan. Before you know it your cat will be using the toilet instead of a litter box!
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