Unlike the dog, many masters do not educate their cat.
Popular belief is that this independent animal would be reluctant to assimilate orders or instructions.
In addition, their sometimes difficult character can make training complicated.
But does that mean that it is impossible to educate a cat?
Can we train a cat?
Even if it is less widespread and more difficult to set up than for a dog, educating a cat is possible.
Patience, regularity and repetition are the keys to successfully training a cat.
Education can take many forms.
You can teach your cat to remember its name or respond to the call.
Depending on your habits and the animal's environment, this training can also involve wearing a harness in order to be walked on a leash.
A cat can learn simple tricks like sitting or standing on its hind legs for a few moments.
He can also learn to limit his instinctive but unpleasant behaviors for cohabitation with the master: biting, scratching, defecating outside the litter box, etc.
Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that this education will remain limited compared to that of a dog.
Above all, know that you should never punish your cat.
This is completely inefficient because the animal is only following its instinct.
What age to train a cat?
Just like with puppies, the earlier the training begins, the easier it will be for the cat to assimilate commands.
The ideal is to wait until the kitten is 3 or 4 months old.
The first elements of education and socialization are transmitted by the mother before the adoption.
Remember to wait until the kitten has finished weaning before adopting it.
Moreover, if this deadline is respected, the adaptation as the education will be simpler.
In particular, he will have learned cleanliness from his mother.
Read alsoHow to clean your cat?
However, if the cat is adopted as an adult, this does not mean that it becomes untrainable.
The education will take a little longer and above all it will be necessary to encourage the cat to learn thanks to a few tricks.
To note
Unlike the dog, the cat is not sensitive to the coercive method, that is to say education by domination and punishment.
How to educate a cat?
Whatever the age of the cat, education can go through several methods.
That of the
reward
is often used but remains random.
Present an order to the cat and give it a kibble each time it is executed well.
But it should not be expected that he assimilates a new order immediately, even if the animal is very intelligent.
This assimilation by reward can be used to teach him tricks, recall or basic commands.
Read alsoThe cat's quarter of an hour of madness: how to react?
For training in hair brushing or wearing a harness, do short sessions that you lengthen over time.
The cat responds more easily to a habit than to an order.
Repetition and patience are therefore crucial to properly educate your cat.
As for the correction of bad habits, cunning by using natural repellents is a good way to divert the animal from its bad behavior.
You can also give him a firm “no” when he does something stupid.
The cat understands this perfectly.
Finally, if he scratches, which is a natural behavior, invest in a suitable scratching post.
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