subject: Wondering Why Your Cat Is Not Listening to Your Command [print this page] Wondering Why Your Cat Is Not Listening to Your Command
If you have ever wondered if your feline can actually hear what you are saying when it is doing something wrong, then this is for you. Cat training is a way to get your cat to listen to you and do the behavior you want without frustration. Behavior problems in feline can be corrected, it is all a matter of training. As most owners know, feline are very smart and generally need very little training. The best reason to train your cat is to let them stay happy, healthy and well-adjusted. Your cat wants to please you, sometimes you just need to show it how.
The place to start cat training is to look at the behavior your feline is exhibiting. If your feline is scratching your furniture, you need to realize that cats naturally scratch and climb, it is part of their makeup. To stop the behavior you need to get a scratching post with climbing area for your feline that is fun and interactive. Place a treat at the top of the climbing portion which will act as a reward when they climbs up. Praise the cat when it gets to the treat, which reinforces the behavior you want. When you see the cat try to claw and scratch the post, praise the cat and give it a treat. Positive reinforcement is the key to successful cat training. To make scratching your furniture an unpleasant experience, spray the cat with water when it starts to scratch, or you can startle the cat with a loud noise to stop the behavior.
Successful cat training requires that you do not give the cat negative reinforcement for the bad behavior. You need to reward good behavior and make bad behavior unpleasant for your feline. This means that when you see the cat doing desirable behavior you praise and reward it. When the cat shows a behavior that is not desirable, you should startle it or spray it with water from a sprayer to stop the bad behavior. Positive reinforcement is the key to cat training, and is simply a matter of reshaping the behavior. With training, you and your feline will have a great relationship.
