Can you train a cat? The simple answer is yes. Cats are naturally smart and clever animals and can learn to do things you train them to do. No doubt your kitty can use a litter box, and was probably trained from a young age to do so. The key to successfully training a cat is to reward the desired behavior, and this usually means dishing out the treats. Kittens are easier to train but there is no reason why you can’t successfully train an older cat. It may simply take a little longer.
Decide What You Want to Train Your Cat to Learn
You’ll need to decide what it is you want your kitten or cat to learn. This can be learning to use the litter box, a scratching post, learning to walk on a leash, teaching them to sit or shake hands. Only pick one training focus at a time and ensure your cat masters this before trying something new. Decide what commands you’re going to use. Will it be a verbal command, a visual command or a combination of the two? You need to be consistent with the command you choose, and ensure it’s something that is only going to be used for the desired action.
The Best Way to Train a Cat
The best way to train a cat is to reward it for performing the desired behavior. Never punish a cat. Punishing a cat will be detrimental to training and can cause anxiety and stress in your cat. Have a good selection of their favorite treats on hand and be ready to reward with treats whenever your cat does what you’re asking. You may want to try clicker training. The instant your cat does what you’re asking, click the clicker and giver them a reward. This ensures they know exactly what they’re being rewarded for.
The Best Time to Train a Cat
The best time to train a cat is often before meals, when they’ll do almost anything for treats! Keep their training session short, or limited to the amount of time that your cat remains interested. Training a cat takes time and being patient is important. Some cats will respond faster than others.
Can You Train a Cat Like a Dog
You can train a cat like a dog. Training a cat is not much different to training a dog. In both instances you’re using positive reinforcement for correct behavior. Whereas a dog often responds well to praise and cuddles, a cat will respond much better to food. You could train your cat to walk on a leash, fetch, sit, roll over, and more. All things that you could train a dog to do.
Can You Train a Cat to Sit
You can train your cat to sit and there are a couple of ways to do this. The first involves using a voice command such as ‘sit’. When your cat comes up to you and naturally sits down say ‘sit’ and give them a treat. Start using a hand signal such as your hand held up like a stop signal as well as the voice command. They’ll become used to the verbal ‘sit’ and seeing the hand command. Remember to reward them with treats and they’ll soon get the idea.
Another method involves holding a treat just out of reach above their head, where they can see it. Start in front of them and move the treat back towards their tail. They’ll look up and as their gaze and head follows the treat, they’ll naturally go back into a sitting position. Say ‘sit’ and give them the treat.
Can You Train a Cat to Sleep at Night
Do you get woken by your cat in the night, or have to sleep with one eye open from fear they will pounce on you while you sleep? You’re not alone but the good news is that you can train your cat to sleep at night and not wake you up.
However, it’s important to first rule out any medical or health reasons why your cat might be keeping you up, or waking up during the night. Just as a sore tooth, anxiety, or other issues can keep us awake, stressed and restless at night, your cat can suffer the same problems. Take your cat to a good veterinarian and have them checked out.
Once you’ve ruled out any health problems with your cat, you can focus on getting them to sleep through the night.
Ensure your cat has plenty to do during the day. Cats love to nap, and they’ll do this during the day if there’s nothing else to do. Create a cat friendly environment for them. If you’re out during the day ensure they have toys to play with, you can hide their favorite treats for them to find, or leave the TV on, perhaps with their favorite cat programme.
When you’re home you can try to keep them awake longer during the day, cats love to play chase or stalk outside. Get them running around the yard and exercising. Invest in toys and a laser dot pointer and play with them in the evening so they don’t go for an evening nap.
A little bit of food before bedtime can help them to sleep longer. Cats tend to relax and sleep after a good meal. It’s best not to respond to a cats demands when they wake you at 4am. Otherwise the cat is training you. There’s nothing wrong with setting up a separate room for your cat to sleep in, with a warm bed, litter box, bowl of water and some food for the night. That way you’ll both wake up refreshed and ready to do it all again.
The key takeaway is to keep your cat busy, entertained and active during the day. Don’t respond to them waking you in the night or they’re training you and will keep doing this. Put them in a different room away from you for the night. For more, check out our in depth guide about getting your cat to sleep through the night.
Can You Train a Cat to do Tricks
Cats are really quite trainable and you can teach them to do tricks. As well as being a lot of fun for you, it’s a great way to keep your cat entertained to prevent boredom and keep them active during the daytime.
So, can you train a cat? The short answer is yes. It may take a while, but given plenty of time and lots of treats, you should be able to train your cat. You might want to start by teaching your cat to walk on a leash.