Cat Destructive Behavior

How Cat Training Can Fix Your Cat's Behavior Problems

Many people believe that it's only dogs that need to be trained. This is just a myth. Cats behavior improves greatly and your relationship strengthens with you and your cat once you have imployed a little cat training. Plus, cat training sessions give your cat something to focus their energy on. Many cats become destructive if they naturally have a lot of energy and they do not burn it off.

Don't be alarmed. Many people have heard that training a cat is difficult because cats are stubborn and independent. It certainly can be if you use the wrong methods. However training a cat using the right methods is simple especially once you have a general understanding of how a cat learns. You need to keep in mind that a cat learns through experiences sort of like a small child. Your cat learns to avoid they will avoid doing things that are unpleasant. They will spend more time doing things that bring them attention, praise, pleasure and of course treats!

So why are so many cats untrained? Well, some people that own cats are making a giant mistake! They are rewarding their cat when their cat is behaving badly. Those cat owners are not doing it on purpose. If fact many of them don't know they are doing this. A quick example would be if your cat is excessively meowing and you stop them by holding them or feeding them. Well, your cat just associated being loud and obnoxious with love and food so you can expect they are going to do this behavior more often to get want they want.

Cat owners are frustrated and confused when their cat training practices are not successful. Well, if you are trying to train them like a dog it won't work. Using punishment to train your cat like using a spray bottle to spray your cat when they are doing something wrong doesn't make them afraid of behaving badly it just makes them avoid you since you are the one spraying them. If you're are the one making the environment unpleasant they associate the punishment with you.

One major cat behavior problem that cat owners have is that their cat is not using their litter box. This is a good place to start eliminating anything your cat finds unpleasant. Cats are private animals and want privacy when using their litter box. Here you would put the litter box in a quiet low traffic area. It's important to keep the litter box clean as well. No one likes to use a dirty toilet. Another reason a cat won't use their litter box is because it's shared with another cat. They want their own space and will find a place to eliminate where they'll get privacy.

What do you do if your cat is scratching up your home. You need to know that your cat scratches out of naturaly instinct. This is not something that can or should be stopped. Your cat scratching to groom their nails, relieve stress, and mark their territoy. The only ways to stop cat scratching is to buy a something that is ok for them to scratch on and praise them for using it. To encourage your cat to use the scratching post or whatever you decide to buy them rub a little catnip on it. They'll get in the habit of using the post and leave your stuff alone.

To have a healthy relationship with your cat avoid punishment at all costs, and remember they love attention. Popular belief is that cat are anit-social nothing cat be further from the truth. They are just independent. Cat's will do anything for a little attention just make sure to give to them when they are not misbehaving or you will reinforce that bad behavior with a pleasant association. An important note to remember is to take your cat to the vet before you decide their bad habit is a behavioral problem. They may be ill and need medical attention and that's why they are acting out.

Take a little time to understand your cat. It will strengthen your relationship with them and keep their behavior under control.