An obedient and polite cat is the key to the owner’s preserved nerves.
The younger the cat, the easier it is to raise him: he has not yet formed habits. Kittens up to six months old are best trained.
However, this does not mean that it is impossible to raise older cats: it will just take more time.
Let's figure out how to teach a kitten good manners.
Basics of cat education
Before you start parenting, determine the rules of your home. Decide what your pets are and are not allowed to do. The rules should work for all animals in the house and should never be broken.
You can’t allow a kitten to jump on tables and chew wires one day, and then scold and punish him for it the next. The kitten will get confused and will not understand how to behave correctly.
Punishment should generally be excluded from the educational arsenal. Cats are bad at logical connections, especially when time has passed between the offense and the punishment. You need to influence the kitten at the moment of its hooliganism.
For the safety of family members, prohibit playing with the kitten with your hands and feet. The cat should associate hands with affection and food, and not with the enemy.
If this rule is ignored, an adult cat will hunt on the arms and legs, which will lead to injuries to the limbs and damage to clothing.
Optimal age to raise a cat
Raising cats begins from early childhood. Kittens receive their first lessons in proper behavior from their mother cat. During the time that the kittens are with their mother, they learn the rules of hygiene and acquire the skill of communicating with others. It’s good if the owners of the family where the kittens were born teach their little pets to use the litter box, because it’s much easier to do this with an adult cat—the mother.
At the age of two to three months, the kitten is sent to a new family. In the first days, all attention is paid to the wonderful creation. When a kitten is still small, he is allowed a lot. But this is the optimal age for education. At this time, the foundations of the animal’s behavior are laid. If you miss time, you shouldn’t be surprised in the future that your pet doesn’t listen to you and has turned from a tame sissy into an aggressive predator. It will be incomprehensible to him why what he did since childhood is forbidden to do now.
How to raise a cat
This is where the problems begin when the owners decide to take up raising an already uncontrollable cat.
But there are situations when an adult cat appears in the family. Is it really possible that if he has behavior problems, he cannot be re-educated? Of course this is not true. There are special methods for raising and re-educating cats at home.
Cat etiquette
An adult, well-mannered cat should know that you can only eat from a bowl, go to the toilet only in a tray, and sharpen your claws on a scratching post. In nature, such rules of etiquette are not provided for, so the owner will have to tell the cat about them.
Teach your kitten to order: put his bowls and tray in a certain place that will not change. It is also worth setting feeding times. This way you will prevent the cat from stealing the treat from the table.
The best way to raise a kitten is through play. Refrain from swearing at the kitten and spanking: this will only make the baby afraid and stop trusting.
Basic principles of interaction with an independent adult cat
The appearance of an experienced adult animal in the house is always associated with the risk of confrontation between it and the new owner. Veterinary psychologists were able to identify several rules for the owners of such cats, following which the complex nature of the pet can be slightly softened:
- You should remain calm under any circumstances. It just so happens that an adult cat with a difficult past is unlikely to ever be able to become an affectionate and playful pet. If life has strengthened his character, he will often and scrupulously test the strength of his master, as if bringing him to emotions. Lack of trust in human kindness and affection is difficult to restore. The cat can mark corners, tear up furniture and openly ask for a spanking. You should treat such outbursts with understanding, never physically punish the animal or raise your voice. Strictness, iron grip and care will be good helpers in communicating with such pets.
- You should never look straight at a cat. In the animal world, such a maneuver is interpreted as a challenge and a struggle for dominance. The owner has absolutely no need to prove who is in charge in the apartment. If a cat allows itself to be stroked, there is no need to make sudden movements, speak loudly and closely observe its reaction. It’s better to do it casually, as if such affection has long been in the order of things. It is quite possible that this will happen soon.
- Do not touch your cat in places where it is uncomfortable. You can only find out her preferences through experience, and the pet definitely won’t like it. Areas that rarely cause discomfort are the area between the ears, under the chin and the bridge of the nose. Touching the stomach and the area at the base of the tail will definitely cause negativity. If the cat is an adult, has a history of trauma or abuse, you need to be especially careful to monitor its reactions. It is quite possible that even “pleasant” areas will be prohibited for affection.
- Daily grooming will help build friendships. You need to choose a procedure that your cat will like. Perhaps this will be a daily combing of the fur and a calm conversation at the same time. Carefully monitor the reaction to each action and do not delay the process, even if it brings pleasure to both the owner and the cat.
- Rewarding good behavior. At the stage of leveling up a difficult character, it is important to regularly reinforce trust and praise the cat, encouraging him with treats. Even if the glimpses of trust are very small, for example, a pet wants to sit next to you, it is still worth encouraging. In the end, it will come to sitting on your knees and asking for affection, but after some time.
The best motivators for interaction are games and toys. Maintaining the hunting instinct helps to establish friendly relations like nothing else. And patience and acceptance of your pet’s character will help you achieve a positive result faster.
Unwanted kitten behavior
In most cases, the cat does not behave as the owner would like, not out of harm. Often the kitten is simply trying to fulfill its needs or satisfy its curiosity.
For example:
- If a kitten chews on wires, baseboards or flowers, he wants to sharpen his teeth and replenish his supply of vitamins. Distract your pet with a scented toy;
- If a kitten is rummaging through the trash, he is looking for food there. Don't leave scraps in the trash;
- The kitten walks on tables and looks into cabinets - it shows curiosity. Make sure that he associates such an action with something unpleasant: a sound or smell;
- If the kitten goes to the toilet in the wrong place, the baby does not like his litter box, he does not know how to use it, or he does not know where it is;
- The kitten sharpens its claws on the furniture - it doesn’t know how to use the scratching post. Teach him such wisdom.
For a kitten, the whole world is you and the house in which he lives.
He doesn't know how to behave correctly if he was never told about it. Did you like the article? Share with your friends!
What not to do
Don't assume that the process of training cats and dogs is the same: training dogs is a special process that cannot be transferred to cats. You cannot use the same methods for cats and dogs. These are completely different animals that learn in completely different ways. For example, a dog during training will wait for your command, while a cat will ignore your “sit” and “place”. So the first step to success is to understand that you need to take a different approach.
Do not use physical punishment under any circumstances: you may be annoyed by the training process itself, but you should not hit your pet under any circumstances. Cats react extremely negatively to any form of human punishment, so using physical force in addition to it can destroy your bond with each other. You cannot hold the cat, pressing it to the floor, shake it or hit it. The use of physical force will have negative consequences: the cat may rush at you or, conversely, hide. In addition, animals rarely understand the logical connection between their bad behavior and subsequent physical punishment, so you may not achieve your educational goal. If you experience difficulties, call your family and friends for help or contact a cat training specialist. Don't think of this as an admission of defeat: you were just asking for help!
You shouldn't shout. You speak different languages, and you don’t need to think that the cat will understand you better if you raise your voice. Yes, a cat may recognize that raising the tone means a change in the situation, but screaming can frighten it or unnecessarily emphasize bad behavior. As a result, she will feel stressed and anxious and begin to behave even worse.
You should not poke your cat's nose into a puddle. The only thing you will achieve is irritation on its part. You won't know why she's walking past the litter box, and you won't be able to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. Such nose poking can also have the opposite effect - the cat may remember this place and interpret your actions as permission to use any place as a toilet. It is best in this case to thoroughly wash away the traces of her bad behavior and continue training her to the tray.
Inappropriate gaming methods should not be encouraged. It looks touching when, while playing, a kitten bites and scratches your fingers. Now imagine an adult cat doing the same. You probably won't want this. It is you who set the correct behavior patterns when you take a new pet into your home. Therefore, when a cat begins to scratch and bite during play (even if it does not intend to hurt you), stop it immediately so that the kitten understands what can and cannot be done. In particular, keep this in mind when it comes to playing with children. If you allow your kitten to bite your fingers, he may think that this is the way to behave with children. As a result, children will begin to fear him. This is unlikely to be what you are aiming for.
Do not use a spray bottle. If you think that by splashing water on your cat you can stop it from misbehaving, then this is a myth and nothing more. In fact, there is a high probability that the cat will not associate the fact that water was splashed on it with its bad behavior. Most likely, she will simply run away, but will not understand the reason why you are raising her this way. Moreover, the cat will begin to hide at the sight of the spray bottle. This is unlikely to be your ultimate goal.
Territorial aggression
In this case, cats are aggressive towards other animals. Sometimes this even manifests itself towards old acquaintances whom the furries have already accepted but have not seen for some time. The cat attacks and even chases the stranger.
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What to do about it
Accustom the animal to the neighborhood gradually. To start, leave your new or returning pet in a separate room with its own bed, litter box, and bowls. After a few days, place the aggressor in this room and let him be there alone for half an hour. Then swap the animals again. Repeat for several days in a row.
The next step is to put the pets in carriers and place them in different corners of the room. As an alternative, leashes with harnesses can be used if cats are accustomed to them. The main thing is that they can see and smell each other, but not be in physical contact. Give your pets treats at the same time so that positive emotions are associated with each other's company. If cats refuse to eat, increase the distance between them.
Repeat for several days in a row and gradually reduce the distance. When the aggression subsides, release the furries and offer them a treat. If anger appears again, start over.
This may take weeks or even months, depending on the characteristics of your pets.
If there is no progress for a long time, consult your veterinarian.
As studies have shown Common feline problem behaviors: Aggression in multi-cat households, there are key principles for the peaceful living of several cats in the same territory. First of all, the animals should not be crowded. They need enough space, as well as toys and even play complexes for active leisure. And if a tailed dog is brought into a house where there is already a pet, you need to gradually teach them to interact without aggression.
Keep your four-legged friends safe
