THE BASICS

 

Don’t reprimand or punish your cat for any unwanted behavior. This may make your cat fearful of you or else the cat will continue with the unwanted behavior in your absence. Reward your cat for the desired behavior. It will act as

a positive reinforcement.

 

SCRATCHING

 

If your cat is busy with scratching, it is not very unnatural. It is in fact her daily habit and you must get used to it. It is a territorial instinct by which she places her mark and establishes her home turf. So you must stop over worrying. Do not think that you cat only marks her domains by this scratching habit, in fact through this activity she is trying to make her self familiar with herself by leaving her visible claws mark and odor that comes out of her paws. So after scratching, it would be very easy for her to recognize and relate to the place once again. Scratching also keeps your cat in shape. This act will keep her get active enough for her day to day activities. If you ever pay attention to her ways, you will know that this act actually helps her pulling and stretching the muscles of your cat’s front quarters. By now you must have realized that you can not stop your cat from this tendency. However one thing that you can do is to re-channel her to the place where she does not spoil your valuable items. Here are few tips which you can apply in making your cat understand the right place and right ways to scratch- First of all, buy a scratching post for your kitty cat. Make her understand that this is the scratching zone for her by taking her front paws there and making her do scratching motions at the post. If you want her to successfully use this scratching post, make sure it is tall enough for her to fully expand her body, and most importantly, stable enough so that she doesn’t topple over when she scratches.

If your cat is stubborn enough to not to give up her old scratching zones through your direct appeals, you will have shoo her away through indirect methods to let her distract from this place. You can use lemon-scented sprays or a potpourri of lemon and orange peels to make these zones unfavorable for her. Regularly trim your cat nails.

 

HOUSE TRAINING & LITTER BOX

 

House training a domestic cat and acclimatizing him to the parameters of the family life is vital to the overall well being of the pet, and to the happiness of the owner. If you neglect or fail to enforce positive behavior on your kitty during the preliminary stages of housebreaking, the problem gets doubled when the kitty grows. So, it is  imperative that you properly house train a cat to deter him from displaying unfitting behaviors at home. But, before you really start off with the housebreaking process, you need to comprehend a few basic guidelines that will assist you to train your kitten with ease. Here are a few tips that will help you go through a quick and simple cat/ kitten House training experience.

How to begin house training:

First, understand that a cat learns through experience. No matter how much you yell or use the cane, he can’t figure out anything, until and unless he makes certain associations. So, try to associate things you want  your cat to do/ follow with extreme pleasurable and rewarding experiences. For e.g. cuddle him or give him treats when = he uses the litter box. Likewise, associate negative feelings with activities that you want him to avoid.

The most critical aspect of the House training procedure for cats is the ‘litter box training’. Proper House training and making the cat get used to the litter box, helps you to avoid soiled carpets and a reeking home. First and foremost, always provide the cat with a clean litter box as cats are very finicky about cleanliness. They would rather prefer your clean rug to the litter box, if the litter box stinks or is not properly sanitized. Regularly clean the box with water and a few drops of lemon or vinegar. Replace the old litter with 1 inch of fresh litter everyday.

Always feed your kitty at a scheduled time, so that his defecating time also gets biologically adjusted. Once he eats his food, engage in a play session. Encourage him to hop into the litter box during these play activities. Start by scratching the litter to arouse his interest. Once he gets inside the box and eliminates; praise him in a gentle voice, pat him and provide him some treats. In this manner, he will learn that the litter box is the proper place to defecate. With recurrence, the behavior will get reinforced and develop into a habit.

Buy a proper litter box for your cat. The box should not be too high. Its sides should be low enough for the kitty to easily step over its top, and get inside the box or come out of it. After each meal, place the cat inside the box and scratch the litter a bit. Your gesture will help to prompt that the place is meant to be his toilet. Make it a habit. With the passage of time and the recurrence of the practice, the kitty will evacuate himself only inside the box.

 

WHEN TO POTTY TRAIN

 

Generally, kittens are given the required potty training tips by mother cats. If such is the case, you do not have to worry about your kitty using the litter box. But, if your baby is confused in their new surrounding then you need to undertake the task by yourself. Do not start potty training with newborn kittens. Kittens can be given proper potty training as soon as they become skilled at basic activities (like feeding and walking).

 

CAGE TRAINING

 

In case your kitty is not very keen on directly using the litter box, you can try this alternative option to potty train him. Confine the kitty in a crate. The cage should

be large enough so as to house only the food, water bowl and the litter box. Allow the kitty to choose his own space inside the cage for different activities. Cats are very meticulous, and hence he will not use the same space to eat as well as to excrete. Before long, your kitty will learn to use the box to defecate.

Be firm, but patient. With a consistent pattern and a positive approach, your effort to potty train your Kitten will not be futile, and you not have to worry about soiled carpets and dirty couches.