Pet Care


How to Make Your Cats Life, and YOUR Life, Happier - Training Your Cat


Imagine that you are scolding your cat for scratching at your new furniture, and Kitty is sitting staring at you. Suddenly you realize how silly you look and how futile your scolding is. So how do you train your cat to respect your home?

All cats can be trained and should have some training from their owners. You will need to train your cat to use her litter box, sharpen her claws on the scratching post instead of your couch, and to stop negative behavior when you say "no." Cats can also learn to do "tricks," and the mental stimulation of learning is good for them.

Cats learn the same way dogs and people learn; they repeat behaviors that have a pleasurable result. The best way to train your cat is to reward her when she does something right. The reward might be a small piece of a special food, or lots of praise from you in a happy, high-pitched voice.

Training to change negative behaviors requires you to catch your cat "in the act." For example, if your cat uses your stereo speakers as a scratching post, wait until she is about to put claw to fabric, then firmly say "NO." The moment she freezes and turns towards you, switch to the happy voice and praise her. Move towards her to distract her away from the inappropriate object. If she makes any movement towards you praise her even more. Timing and repetition are the keys to success here. You must catch her as she moves to act inappropriately, and praise her the exact moment she stops.

Things to remember if your cat scratches your furniture

* Understand your cat's need to scratch.

* Forget punishment - it doesn't work.

* Provide a suitable place for your cat to scratch such as a scratching post

* Make the scratching post attractive to Kitty

* Make the place she's been scratching unattractive - physical or scent related deterrents will work

* Whenever possible, start cats young.

* You may want to trim your cat's claws.

Training simple tricks can be incorporated into daily playtime. Always keep some cat treats in a pocket during training time. To teach your cat to "shake hands," begin by saying "shake," then touching your hand to the underside of one of her front paws. Praise her for letting you touch there, and give her a treat. Repeat this over and over again. Eventually, you can lay your hand flat on the floor just in front of her paw. Say "shake" and wait. If she even moves her paw towards you praise her and give her a treat. Little by little, she'll catch on that every time she touches your hand with her paw she can get you to give her a treat. Once she willingly touches your hand, you can start to raise your hand off of the floor a little bit at a time. Keep training fun. Stop the session before she loses interest, and always end on a positive note with a reward.

You can use the same one-small-step-at-a-time technique to teach your cat to walk on a leash. This allows you to take your cat outside for fresh air and sensory stimulation without having to worry about her running off. Purchase a cat harness from a pet supply store. Before you even try putting it on your cat, simply leave it lying by her bed for a day or two. When she is used to seeing and smelling it, loosely put it on her just before her normal mealtime. Hand-feed her food to distract her from the harness and to make wearing it a pleasurable experience. Remove it when the food is gone. After a few days, you can let her wear the harness around the house. Let the leash drag behind, but watch to make sure it doesn't become tangled around furniture. When she seems comfortable with the harness and leash, pick up your end and walk with her, letting her lead the way. Eventually she will walk willingly beside you, and you can both venture outdoors.

Pet Medication Supplies [http://www.pet-medication-supplies.net] can help you get the best possible supplies for your pet. Advantix, Arthramine, Cosequin, Frontline, Heartgard - find the best deals in pet medication for flea and tick control, arthritis and lyme disease. Upto 50% discount everyday on brand names.


MORE RESOURCES:

USA Today

No hungry dogs: New pantry to help people afford pets
USA Today
The Associated Press reports dozens of pet owners lined up over the weekend at the Cincinnati Food Pantry to receive a two weeks' supply of pet food, ...
Grants for Teachers Who Have or Would Like to Have Small Pets in Their ClassroomsI-Newswire.com (press release)
Pantry helps pet ownersMansfield News Journal

all 15 news articles »


Pet Owners Face Danger From Above
FOXNews (blog)
Most pet owners take steps to protect their animals. In Santa Rosa, California, Odessa Gunn worried a car or coyote might one day claim the lives of her ...

and more »


Not a fish tale! Pet pacu Buttkiss is 43 years old
msnbc.com
NEW YORK - It sounds awfully fishy, but a New York City pet shop owner swears it's the truth. Buttkiss, the black pacu he owns, is 43 years old and weighs ...

and more »


KOMO News

Some Nature's Variety pet foods recalled
UPI.com
LINCOLN, Neb., March 9 (UPI) -- Nature's Variety Inc. says it's recalling its chicken formula raw frozen diets for dogs and cats because the pet food might ...
Manufacturer expands recall of chicken-flavored pet food over salmonella concernsGaea Times (blog)
Nature's Variety Recall ExpandedAbout - News & Issues (blog)
Nature's Variety Expands Nationwide Voluntary Recall to Include All Raw Frozen ...PR Newswire (press release)
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) -EmpowHer (blog)
all 301 news articles »


WebMD, veterinarians group start online pet-health forum
OregonLive.com
The American Veterinary Medical Association and the people-health Web site WebMD launched an online pet-health community this week. ...

and more »


Baltimore Sun (blog)

The pet blogger and Michael Vick on an elevator
Baltimore Sun (blog)
I have pets that I love dearly. ... Of course all that was there in the elevator, too.... But I'm wondering.... if YOU found yourself essentially alone in ...

and more »


Furious Dog Owners in UK Fight Microchips for 'Weapon' Pets
FOXNews
AP Responsible pet lovers said they would be unfairly penalized by British government plans to crack down on "devil" dogs, The Sun reported Wednesday. ...

and more »


Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)

Animal Shelter Pet of the Week: Meet Cowboy
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
Unfortunately, the tough economy has affected the well being of many pets as well. The Catahoula is a homegrown American breed. ...
Shelters in need of pet foodABC Action News
Dixie dog transport saves livesWaynesville Smoky Mountain News
Macomb County Animal Shelter seeks nonprofit partnerThe Detroit News
The Record-Courier -KMBC Kansas City -Greensboro News & Record
all 17 news articles »


BBC News

Dangerous pet dogs focus 'should be on owners'
Animal Friends Pet Insurance
The RSPCA is calling for owners of pet dogs to be punishable for the irresponsible behaviour of their pets rather than tarnishing individual breeds for the ...
Minding Manners for Pets: Proper dog park etiquetteCalgary Herald
South Essex dog lovers back dangerous pets crackdownEssex Echo
Dog Microchipping Could Become Law: Why And How (3/2010)Basil & Spice
The Associated Press -Cambridge News -Prfire (press release)
all 422 news articles »


Examiner.com

Concern over Salmonella in pet food is expanded to include more Nature's ...
Examiner.com
For many folks, Fido or Fluffy are members of the family and hearing that Nature's Variety expanded their pet food recall in a precautionary measure may ...
Nature's Variety issues 2 recall noticesOrlando Sentinel (blog)

all 4 news articles »

Google News

home | site map | Partner Sites
© 2006