Behavior training for your stubborn cat

Understanding cat behavior before beginning training would be a good idea for anyone who is going to be behavior training a cat.

A cat may jump up and land on its feet, as this is a natural instinct for a cat. When a kitten is born, the cushion on its paws does not develop with the cushion to land on its feet. It takes about 7 weeks to develop the cushion on a kitten’s paw for landing. A cat’s bone structure is unique to other animals in that the bones are flexible, cats do not have collarbones, which allows them to twist and bend their bones. A cat can jump a great distance without injury.

With this behavior, you will want to teach the cat to jump over hoops, sticks, or the scratching tree. Letting a cat jump from extreme heights will cause injury to the cat.

Cats have a unique hearing ability; they are able to hear tones and high tones, like opening a door or a can of food. Cats also have unique olfactory abilities. The reason a cat scratches or urinates on the floor, rubs against a door or a piece of furniture, is that the cat leaves its scent in those areas so it can come back and know it was there, in other words, mark its territory Also, if another cat or animal approaches the area, the cat will know. Cats can also smell with their mouths. There is a gland called Jacobson’s organ, it is a sac at the top of the cat’s mouth that fills with blood, as the cat smells the scent and opens its mouth and upper lip slightly, this allows the scent to enter and get to the bag that will carry the scent goes to the cat’s brain. This mainly happens to male cats when a female has urinated.

Knowing these natural instincts and behaviors can give you insight into your cat’s training. With behavioral training you want to make sure that you give your cat the ability, in some way, to develop his natural instincts and behaviors.

When training a cat for behaviors, there are a few things to keep in mind. Aggression, especially in older cats, can be caused by illness or by other cats in the household. You may want to contact your vet to have your cat checked out and see if it is okay at this point to train a cat.

Depression and anxiety can play another role when trying to train your cat. If a cat is separated by a recent owner, the cat may become depressed. Stress is not unusual for a cat. If you think your cat is depressed or very anxious, this would be a good time to take him to the vet. The vets can talk to you about some of the things that may be causing this. There are also medications that a veterinarian can prescribe for the cat to help with depression and anxiety.

Never hit a cat as punishment, it will learn to fear you and fear will be a behavior that you will not be able to control or retrain. When he does something wrong, ignore the problem unless you catch him in the act, associate a noise with the behavior you don’t like, or say “NO” in a stern voice.

If a behavior becomes impossible, you may need to resort to baby proofing, all food containers have a lid. Make sure counters are clean and free of anything a cat wants to play with.

You’ll want to start training your cat or kitten almost immediately after you receive them. This will stop many unwanted behaviors and hopefully not allow new bad behaviors to start.

Healthy cats need healthy relationships with their owners. Good luck!