Master Cat Training: 6 Proven Steps for a Well‑Behaved Feline

Most folks are reluctant to take in cats as pets, and I can understand why. Cats are unpredictable and quite challenging to train.

Even people who adopted cats for the love of the species have confessed that their pets are not usually in the best behaviour.

I have had my share of cat troubles. And combining my experience with quality research results, I have put together in this article, steps on how to train a cat.

If you have been having a hard time training your cat, you will know what to do after reading this post. I also shared common cat behaviours, and what you’ve probably been doing wrong with your cat, etc.

In this post, you will learn

• Why You Should Train Your Cat
• Common Cat Behaviors
• Where You Are Getting It Wrong In Training Your Cat
• How To Train A Cat

Let’s get the ball rolling!

Why You Should Train Your Cat

Training your cats has its benefits, else, we wouldn’t be talking about training your cat in the first place. These benefits include:

•  It removes communication barriers between your pet and you, making it easy for you to predict your cat.

•  Training your cat brings out the best behaviour in your pet. Thus he becomes a better companion and polite to visitors.

•  It will improve the cooperation of your cat when you visit the vet.

•  In the process of training your cat, you stimulate his mind and body, thereby boosting his overall health.

•  A trained cat will also behave well in public, cutting off any likelihood of embarrassment.

Common Cat Behaviors

Certain behaviours are common in cats, which you should bear in mind as you train them. Let’s look at these behaviours briefly:

1. Tail twitching: you can tell what your cat is feeling from the way he twitches his tail.

• Slowly from side to side shows calmness
• Jerking around at a quick pace shows anxiety
• Lowered towards the ground shows fright or guilt
• Slight vibrations show agitation
• Jutting out the fur on the tail in different directions shows excitement
• Upward with curls at the end shows happiness

2. Purring: sound cats make to express themselves in different conditions: relaxed, content, in pain, anxious, or even hungry.

It sounds like when a human is clearing his throat or snoring (LOL). If your cat is purring with his eyes closed and tail fallen, that’s a good sign. Otherwise, you may want to check him.

3. Kneading: your cat is kneading when he pushes in and out with his front paws, the left and right taking a turn. Cats master this behaviour during their nursing stages and carry it on to adulthood.

They usually knead when they are happy and also to mark territories. Most of the kneading happens during their morning stretches.

4. Loafing around: this is when your cat sits with her paws tucked under her, resembling a bread loaf.  She will do this when she is in a relaxed state. And it creates a super cute look.

5. Balling up or lying bare bellied: when cats are relaxed, feel safe, or want to sleep, they can fold themselves into a ball or lie down with their bellies exposed. Balling up helps them feel warm.

6. Rubbing: sometimes, cats rub their heads on their owners to display affection and ownership. Whenever they do that, they release pheromones from their heads as a way of priding over their owners.7. Chattering: this is a cat’s way of showing his desire to go outside and hunt for prey. They do this when they sight one from the window or elsewhere. It is also inherent as wild cats do this while preparing to kill prey.

8. Midnight crazies: this refers to hyper activeness of a cat at night while other members of the household are asleep. Maybe the cat didn’t get enough play during the day, or perhaps it is just a feline craze for midnight hunt. Whichever, it is never pleasant.

Others are:

• Burying food behind counters or around food bowls
• Cats love to stay in confined spaces like boxes, small baskets, bathroom sinks, tub, etc.
• Defecating  or urinating outside the litter box is also common in cats
• Rolling on the floor to display trust or request for playtime

Cats are fascinating, aren’t they? Next, we will see where you have been getting it wrong with your cat.
Keep reading!

Where You Are Getting It Wrong In Training Your Cat

Three things you may be doing wrong, which is making your cat training difficult are: 

1. Ignoring the good behaviour and rewarding the bad – out of annoyance, you scream at your cat when he does the wrong thing like scratching the sofa. What you didn’t realize is that you have just rewarded the cat’s bad behaviour with your attention.

When he does the right thing like lying in his bed, you are calm because you’re happy with him, but he interprets it that you are not pleased with him.

Consequently, he stops the right behaviour and continues with the bad.

Now that you know, make the switch. Ignore the bad behaviours and reward the good ones (may be hard but try).

4. Trying to eliminate instinctive behaviours – cats love to explore high places. Climbing, clawing, and jumping is very natural to them.

I get it, they are scattering your home when they do all that, and you want to stop them by all means.

Instead of going through the stress of limiting those behaviours, which may never work, create an environment that will suit their nature.

Find a convenient spot in your home and fix in cat shelves, perches, trees, and box. Then encourage your cat to spend most of his time there using treats.

3. Overestimating how much time training takes – training a cat does not take as long as you think. Cats learn quickly in short training sessions.

Simply incorporate required pieces of training in his usual daily activities. And in record time, you will have positive outcomes.

Now to the main business of this article, let’s learn the different ways you can train your cat.

Tag along!

How To Train A Cat

To effectively train your cat, you should define your goals from the onset. Think about what you want your cat to learn like ‘scratching a post,’ ‘being calm during trips,’ ‘obedience to calls’, etc.

You should also consider the commands you’ll use, words of mouth, hand signs, or both.

For an easy start, I described 6 kinds of training you can give your cat below:

1. Training To Sit

Training a cat to sit is easy because they naturally love to sit.

Here is how to go about it:

Whenever your cat sits on his own, echo the word, ‘sit.’ Repeating this action will help him know what to do on other occasions when you say ‘sit.’

Then when you are ready to train, instruct him to sit; you can use hand sign. Your raised hand can mean stand, and your fallen hand can indicate sit. Give him a treat whenever he complies.

You can try using treats to teach him to remain seated. That is, you present a gift and only give it to him if he reaches for it from a seated position. Always repeat the word ‘sit.’

2. Training To Leash

Training a cat to follow the lead of a leash is not very easy because cats are independent. But it is workable.

Follow these steps to get it done:

1. Get a fitting harness with a lightweight leash.
2. While in the house, place the harness on your cat at intervals and reward him during the periods he has it on.

As you progress, you can leave the harness on for longer hours.

1. When you see your cat has gotten used to the harness, you can add the leash. Don’t add any tension initially so that your cat can still move around freely in the house.
2. Then gradually add tension to the leash. And watch your cat as he moves.
3. Take him outside and gently try to direct his steps using the leash.

You will need lots of treats here.

3. Training To Fetch

This is another tough one, but with these steps, you can train your cat to fetch:

1. Get the object to be fetched say a ball. Start by teaching your cat to focus on the ball. Take it really close to him and let his eyes follow the ball as you send it to different directions.
2. Next, encourage your cat to touch the ball, sniff it, and bite it. One move after the other. You can achieve this with treats.
3. Once you have achieved your cat’s complete focus on the ball, you can then change the position of the ball. Reward your cat with treats whenever he reaches for the ball.
4. Now it’s time to let him pick the ball from the floor himself. You also want to achieve your cat leaving the ball on his mouth for a while longer.
5. Gradually extend the distance of the ball. As your cat gets the cue to pick the ball and bring to you, reward him with treats.

4. Training To Come (How To Train A Cat)

This is essential training as it can save the life of your cat in times of trouble.

You will find these steps helpful:

1. Start by getting a motivation for your cat e.g. tuna, chicken, hotdog
2. Choose your call, e.g. come, treat time, or use a whistle.
3. Creating a little distance, start calling your cat using your chosen signal and luring him with a treat.
4. Add to the distance gradually and keep repeating your call signal.
5. Try calling her from different parts of the house and reward her anytime she responds.

5. Training To Scratch A Post (How To Train A Cat)

Normally, cats love to scratch with their front paws. They love to leave their scents behind. It is a way they mark territories.

But you don’t want your cat doing that on your couch. Hence the need to train him to use the scratching post.

Take these steps to get it done:

1. Prepare a scratching post.

• It has to be tall enough for your cat to stand on his back legs and reach above his head with his front paws.
• Fix the post on a firm surface and ensure it is sturdy.
• Use a texture your cat likes. If you are not sure, start with a rope around a firm column or a carpet.
• One post will not be enough for your cat so get as much as possible.
• Place the post or other scratching items near the off-limits surfaces (like your couch).

1. Draw your cat’s attention to the post. You can use his favourite toy.
2. Applaud him every time he scratches the post.
3. Give him a treat every time he scratches it so that he begins to associate the post with positive experiences.

6. Toilet Training (How To Train A Cat)

Take these steps to train your cat to use the toilet:

1. Place the litter box close to a toilet that is easily accessible to your cat.
2. In the following weeks, raise the height of the litter box gradually towards the height of the toilet seat. You can use cardboard boxes.
3. As your cat gets used to the new height, place the litter box on the toilet seat.
4. Next, you can advance to replace the litter box with a training kit like litter kwitter. It will help your cat get accustomed to using the toilet faster.
5. When you feel confident that your cat can use the toilet, remove the kit.

A quick tip: If your cat stops using the litter box at any point in the process, take a step backwards till he’s comfortable before you proceed.

Conclusion

Training a cat will take a while so you have to be patient. Take it one step at a time, one training after the other.

The right side of all these is that cats are curious. In the beginning, it may be hard, but they will come around.

And that is all I have to say. Now tell me:

Did you enjoy reading this article?

Will you take the bold step to train your cat?

Or, have you trained a cat before? What was your experience?

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments.

You are free to share this article with friends as well. Thank you!