Understanding cat behaviors before you start
training them would be a good idea for everyone that is proceeding to train a
cat's behavior.
A cat can jump and land on its feet as this is
a natural behavioral instinct for a cat. Any time a kitten comes into the world
the cushion in its feet is not developed with the cushion to land on its feet.
That takes about 7 days to develop the pillow in a kittens foot for landing. A
felines bone structure is unique some other animals as the bones are flexible,
felines have no collar bone, which helps those to twist and bend their bones. A
cat can jump a great distance without sustaining any injuries.
With this behavior, you will want to teach the
cat to jump hoops, sticks, or of the scratching tree. Allowing a cat jump from
extreme heights will cause injury to the kitty.
Cats have a distinctive listening to ability;
they are able to hear high shades and pitches, like starting a door or a can of
food. Pet cats also have unique foul-smelling abilities. The reason the cat
will scratch or pee on the floor, stroke its self up against a door or
furniture is the cat is leaving their scent in those areas so that they will
be able to come back and know they were there, in other words marking its
place.
In addition, if another cat or animal comes
along in the area a cat knows this. Cats can also odor with their mouths. There
is a gland called Jacobson's organ, it is a sac in the cats upper mouth filled
with blood, as the cat smells the scent and the slightly opens their mouth and
upper lip, this allows the scent to be carried in and also to the sac, which it
will carry the scent goes to the cat brain. This mostly happens to male cats
when a female has urinated.
Knowing these natural instincts and behaviors
can give you some insight training your cat. With behavior training, you will
want to ensure that you allow your cat the ability in some way to play out its
natural instincts and behaviors.
When training a cat for behaviors there are
some things you need to take into consideration. Aggression, especially in
older cats, can be caused by illness or other cats in the home. You may want to
contact your vet to have your cat checked out to see if it's alright at this
time to train a cat.
Depression and anxiety can play another part in
trying to train your cat. If a cat is separated by a recent owner the cat can
become depressed. Stress is not uncommon for a cat. If you believe that your
cat has depression or high anxiety, this would be a good time to take him to
the vet. Vets can speak to you about some of the things which may be triggering
this. There are also medications that a veterinary can prescribe for the cat to
help with depression and anxiety.
Never ever hit a cat for punishment, he may
learn to fear you, and concern will be a habit you are not able to control or
retrain. If they do something that is not right, ignore the condition except if
you catch them in the act, you can associate the noise with that behavior you
don't like, or in a stern voice tell them “NO”.
If the behavior is becoming impossible, you
might have to resort to the baby proof home, all containers which have food in
them have a lid on it. Make sure that the counters are clean and have nothing
that a cat would want to play with.
You will want to begin training your cat or
kitten almost immediately after you get them. This will stop many unwanted
behaviors and hopefully not let any new bad behaviors to start.
