Learn How to Teach a Cat Tricks

August 30th, 2008 |

Author: More // Pets, Livestock, and Wildlife // ArticlePros.com

While you may have never seen a cat do tricks like roll over or sit, they can be taught to perform or not do certain behaviors. Dogs are eager to please their masters, but unfortunately, felines could care less. The main two methods for how to teach a cat tricks involve either positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

First you will need to decide what trick to begin with. Select a behavior that your cat already does frequently. Since felines tend to swat at moving objects, you might be able to parlay that action into giving you a high five.

Many cats do best when trained with rewards. Treats or food bits tend to work well. Common dog reward tactics like giving playtime or enthusiastic praise will not work. Watch your pet for hints about favored foods and treats, and use these for training. In fact, you may want to limit these treats only to your training sessions for extra motivation.

When you first start out training sessions, provide a treat whenever your pet does the desired behavior. When the cat has perfected the trick, shift to providing the treat occasionally so that a reward is not expected every time.

Cats can easily pick up on your frustration or anger and refuse to train with you in the future. Stop your session if it ceases to become fun.

If you are trying to stop an undesirable behavior such as jumping on the kitchen table, try spraying water at your cat. Some will learn to associate the displeasure of being sprayed with the action of jumping on the table and stop the behavior.

Cat training can be a tough process since they have their own ideas about what they will and will not do. You can learn how to teach a cat tricks or to not do certain behaviors such as hanging out on your kitchen counter. Although cat training can be difficult since they are not very interested in learning what you want them to, with patience and the right training techniques, you can learn how to teach a cat tricks or to behave in ways that are acceptable to you.

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