Is your cat taking over the house? Climbing curtains, chewing cords, knocking over the trash and jumping on the counters? Well you don't have to put up with it! Even though it may seem like your cat cannot be trained, a little bit of patience and persistence can help you get a feline housemate that is well behaved and a pleasure to live with.
Curtains might be a way to dress up your windows to you, but to your cat they are a fun thing to climb up on and shred with their claws. You want to discourage this behavior and one way to do that is to use tension rods. When your cat tries to climb up on the curtain that is attached with a tension rod, the whole thing will come tumbling down and make a clatter that will scare him. This might be a bit inconvenient for a while, but your cat will soon learn that climbing on the curtains is not fun and will avoid them altogether. You can do this temporarily until your cat gets the hint and then go back to your usual curtain rods.
Another thing is that you can simply use vertical blinds in your windows. Your cat won't want to climb them and he will be able to move a slat on the blind and view the outside world with out tearing down the whole thing.
If your cat is chewing up things around the house try putting a distasteful substance on them. Cayenne pepper, biter apple, orange, nail polish orange peels, lemon peels and sprays specifically purchased for this purpose in the pet store can all do the trick. The next time your cat goes to chew he'll think ?ick!? and won't want to chew that item again. Of course, you want to test the item first to make sure whatever you are putting on it won't get ruined.
If your cat is a garbage digger, the best solution is to just not make it available to him. Store the garbage in a cabinet or in the garage. If you have to have the garbage out then make sure there is a tight lid and avoid swing top lids. A good garbage pail would be one that you have to lift off the top or one that you have to use your foot to open. If your cat is tipping the garbage can over put something heavy enough so that they are unable to tip it over
Cats hate loud noises and surprises and to discourage him from jumping on the counter you can leave some items up there that will make a loud noise when he jumps up. Try putting empty aluminum cans on the edge with pennies in them or lay utensils on the counter or cover it in foil paper.
Carpet shredding is a favorite past time of my cat. To try to get her to stop, I use one of those cardboard cat scratchers. Whenever I catch her scratching the rug, I yell and then go over to the scratcher and scratch it myself. She comes right over and uses it instead of the rug. A couple of times she has run right over to it and I do notice her using it more often so hopefully she is getting the hint. You can try this with any type of scratcher your cat prefers, just make sure you put one handy in the room she likes to scratch up.
A cat training trick guide is rare, but here's an excellent one which I will review. There really does appear to be a dearth of guides on cat training tricks. Look for guides on dog training and you will find a never ending list of publishers appealing to dog owners. Do the same for a guide on cat training tricks and you are struggling.
Why is this? Although their behavior and temperament may vary from dogs, cats are probably just as intelligent and very capable of being trained. As many people have cats as they do dogs, so it seems most owners are unaware that cats can be trained and can also be taught tricks.
Frankly, I'd never given a thought to the possibility of training my own cat until a friend showed me what she had managed to achieve with her own cat. It was like being under Barnum's big top. She had taught her tabby all kinds of tricks, like rolling over, handshaking, fetch and playing dead. As I'm sure you will understand, I was quite taken aback and not a little impressed.
I tried the library and book-stores but did not really find anything relating to cat training tricks. The best I could find was a book available online by Paula Robb, called the Complete Cat Training Guide.
It was great. It is easy to read and well laid out. It explains in simple language how to make your cat shake hands, beg, leap and twist, stay, sit, come, kiss, play dead, and fetch. More importantly, once you have mastered the basic techniques, they can be adapted to get your cat to perform an indefinite number of tricks.
However, this book is even better than a guide to cat training tricks. That is just one, detailed, section. In fact, it is a complete guide to everything you need to know as a cat owner (as the name implies).
In addition to general cat training, there are also incredibly detailed sections on how to solve pretty much every cat problem. More than 25 of the most common cat behavioral problems are included, along with real life examples.
It also teaches you how to understand a cat's body language and verbal communications, which I found absolutely fascinating. It has helped me to ascertain my cat's moods and needs and how I should respond to particular behaviors. This guide also contains many chapters on other aspects of cat care, house training and types of cat.
Another very handy facet of the book is its use of illustrations and photos. These graphic illustrations can communicate some things much better than words, such things as how to position your body so your can what you are trying to tell him by your body language. Conversely, they help you to recognize your cat's body language.
I also like the additional books you get included in the package, in particular The Essential Cat Recipe Book which takes you through the right ingredients and nutrients for your cat's meals and how to prepare them.
Just as good is the free email consultation on anything you wish to discuss with a team of cat experts. My experience is that their advice is detailed and thorough.
You can find more details about this book and other cat training tricks across the internet.
Both Lee Dobbins & Nick Clipton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.