Cat behavior training is most effective when you keep three things in mind. First, cats respond best when you offer them rewards. Second, cats generally do not respond well to punishment. Third, cats like routine not change. If you remember these three things, you will have much greater success with your cat behavior training!
First off, good cat behavior must be rewarded. How do you do this? By making sure that good behaviors are fun and pleasurable for your cat.
For example, if you want your cat to cuddle more often, use a brush to groom her when she comes close to you. Most cats enjoy brushing over petting because if offers a deeper, more thorough massage to their skin. As you brush them, pet them and offer praise. In no time, you will find your cat wanting to be more affectionate.
Second, punishing a bad cat will most likely make their behavior worse. If you find that your cat has urinated in the house and you punish them by rubbing their nose in it. They will not make the connection that they shouldn't urinate in the house. Instead, they are likely to become afraid of you and avoid you.
The exception to punishment being effective with cats is when you catch them in the act. If you want them to stop scratching the sofa for example, the noise caused from a can of compressed air can work wonders. For safety, make sure you do not spray it directly at your cat, it's mainly the sound that causes the reaction. When they associate scratching with this unpleasant sound, they will stop scratching just to avoid hearing it. Problem is that you have to be there with the air can every time your cat scratches the sofa or they will not learn to stop scratching it.
Thirdly, If you are going to make a change in their environment then it's important to minimize the impact by doing it gradually. For example, changing the type of kitty litter you use will often stop your cat from using the litter box. You should therefore not surprise your cat by suddenly using the new litter. Instead, put the new cat litter in a separate box next to their current one. Then gradually mix the new kitty litter with the old. Your cat is much more likely to take well to the change when it is introduced gradually.
So, for effective cat behavior training remember that cats respond best to rewards. They don't usually respond well to punishment and they don't like changes in routine. This article just touches the surface of cat behavior training. For much more thorough instruction click here.
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