Cat Behavior and Training             Cats are independent, easily housetrained pets. For that reason we typically assume they train themselves and that we don’t have to help them. That isn’t entirely accurate. As pet owners we still need to teach cats when they are doing the correct things. This means praising them with treats or our voice when they are doing something right like using the litterbox or scratching post. Otherwise they only associate our attention with negative things- scolding, swatting, yelling, etc. This creates an aloof cat that really doesn’t want human attention. It also creates a cat that learns to misbehave when the owner is gone. Making it much more difficult to modify that behavior.  Cats respond poorly to discipline. It is better to discipline them with an instructive command such as “Kitty go to your litterbox” then just yelling at them. But, in order for an instructive command to work, they have to have been taught what it means. This is where cat training is beneficial.   Never, never, never used delayed punishments! Your cat will not understand what he is getting punished for. Animals do not reason like people. If you cat urinates outside the litter box 5 hours before you come home from work and you yell at them the minute you walk in the door they will only learn that when you come home they get yelled at. Thus you have trained your cat to run and hide when you come home and only come out and socialize when you are gone and it is safe.   Litter Training   Cats take to litter training very easily because their natural behavior is to cover and bury their urine and stool. They are most happy when you provide them with a box filled with just the right substance. However you must reinforce that using this neat box is the best thing in the world they ever did. If you never give them positive reinforcement, how are they to know that the potted plant isn’t just as neat a place???   Kittens and Cats- -When your cat is first introduced to the home confine him to a small room with a comfortable kennel, food and water on one side of the room and a clean litter box placed on the opposite side of the room. Animals prefer to relieve themselves as far away from their food and sleeping area as possible. This is their long-term confinement area to be used when no one is home. They should use the litter box in here preferentially as it is the best place to go. When you are home but are distracted with other activities, keep your kitten or cat in a kennel in the room you are in. This is their short term confinement area to be used when you cannot watch them all the time. Allow them out every 1.5-2 hours and take them right to the litter box. This litter box should be in the place you want it permanently. Give them a command such as “Use the litter box” or “Go to the litter box”. Give them a treat and verbal praise. Give them about 5 minutes to use the litter box.  If they go to the bathroom quietly praise them and when they are done give them several treats and praise.  If they do not need to go, they can have some free time out of the kennel with you watching.  If you cannot watch them, put them back into the kennel. If they do use the bathroom they can have a few hours out unobserved.  It usually only takes a few days of this to reinforce that the litter box is the place to go!  Once they do not have any accidents for 1 week in either the short term or long term confinement gradually allow more free reign. Open your house to them one room at a time. If an accident occurs go back to square one and reinforce using the litter box with positive praise. If you catch your kitty in the act of going to the bathroom outside of the litter box use a loud instructive command such as “Kitty, go to your litter box”. If your kitty does not immediately head in that direction, take them to the litter box and praise them once they are there. Do not use physical punishment in cats. Cats and kittens usually need to use the bathroom right after eating. Until your cat or kitten is litter trained do not leave food out all the time. Feed them twice daily and make sure they are then taken to the litter box and allowed the opportunity to go. Again, praise and treats should follow accordingly. Use common sense when choosing your litter box placement. Do not put it in a high traffic or noisy area. If you have multiple cats you should have 1 litter box for each cat. Litter boxes should be cleaned daily.   Adding a New Cat- Before adding a new cat to your household you should reinforce the litterbox training to your current cat with praise and treats. When a new cat is introduced to the household there may be some territorial spraying and marking behavior, once the cats have established their social order these problems should resolve.  Train your new cat to the litter box just as you trained your previous cat. This is where having a litter box for each cat is essential. You do not want your new cat scared to use the litter box because it is property of your current kitty.  Give your new addition a quiet room with a comfortable kennel, food, water and a litter box. Allow them a few days to adjust with the door closed. Then start leaving the door ajar so the other cats can make their introductions. The new cat should be confined to its kennel during these initial introductions. Once the cats are used to this time together, you can allow them time out together (out of the kennel )with you watching. Be sure your new cat has access to its kennel at all times as that will be its safe haven. Once they are comfortable with each other you can let them out unobserved. When adopting a new cat look for one that has lived with other cats or adopt a kitten.   Keeping your Cat off Counters and Furniture                 A simple boobytrap can prevent your cat from jumping on to furniture, tables and countertops. Cats dislike jumping onto unstable surfaces. Create an unstable surface by placing a piece of cardboard on top of unsharpened pencils spaced several inches apart. Then place empty cans on one edge of the cardboard. When the cat jumps onto the surface the cardboard will dump the cans over and roll. This will discourage the cat from jumping onto these objects. You can reward your cat when it does jump onto appropriate furniture.   Scratching Post Training                 Cats need to maintain their claws in order to wear them back so they can be completely retracted into their protective sheaths. The front claws are maintained through scratching. The rear claws are maintained by the cat chewing off the worn layers. Many cats can be trained to a scratching post to prevent the need to declaw. This should be done as early as possible to prevent your cat from developing a habit of scratching something undesirable i.e. leather couch, rug, armchair,etc.                 To begin with, do not let your cat out unobserved until you can trust them not to scratch inappropriate objects. They can be confined in an area as described previously. You should place a variety of appropriate scratching devices in this room. You should also rig boobytraps on objects that have been scratched previously. Cats do not like getting their claws snagged, so covering furniture with netting can help discourage scratching behavior. You can make your own scratching posts with wooden posts covered in carpet- these should have a strong, stable base to prevent them from falling over. Use carpet that does not have loops in it to prevent the cat from catching its claws.                 Cats need to be trained how to use their scratching posts. As soon as the cat wakes up from a nap they should be called to the post. Entice them to use the post by motioning a cat toy a few feet off the floor near the post. As soon as the cat places its feet on the post it should be rewarded with praise and food treats. You can also rub the post with catnip or tie paper toys to the post with yarn. Instruct the cat to come to its post with food treats and instructive commands such as “Kitty, scratch”. Doing this around dinner time will make your cat more food motivated.  Once your cat understands that it is ok to scratch this post you need to instruct it on what not to scratch. Every time your cat goes to scratch an inappropriate object it should be given an instructive reprimand such as “Kitty go to your scratching post!” Then give treats and praise once then go. If you cat runs and hides, instruct it to scratch its post in a calm manner and use treats for rewards to lure it back to the post. If your cat will still not come, you need be less forceful the next time. The idea is not to prevent your cat from scratching, it is to teach it to scratch the appropriate location. You should boobytrap all potential inappropriate scratching areas with netting with empty cans placed on top so if the cat scratches it will pull the netting and cans down- effectively punishing it for you. Initially only use this method when you are home so you can instruct your cat and reset the trap as needed. With consistency this training can work and prevent the need for surgical de-clawing. However that is always a possibility. Cats that are de-clawed should be kept indoors, and only the front claws should be removed if possible.    Hyperactivity                 Cats are nocturnal animals- meaning they are more active during the night. Cats also have a large amount of energy they need to burn in some fashion. Unfortunately this combination can create a cat that wakes you up in the middle of the night to play. To prevent this behavior play with your cat before you go to bed. This can be as simple as tying a feather to a piece of string and having your cat chase this around. Once you have found an activity to burn your cat’s excess energy you can discourage the nighttime behavior. Keep a loaded squirt gun by your bed and when your cat jumps on you to wake you give a good squirt of water. This also works if your cat just meows during the night. It is important not to unwittingly encourage this behavior by feeding the cat when it wakes you or by playing with it at this time. This only reinforces that when the cat wakes you it will be rewarded.   Biting                 Play aggression is normal behavior for cats and kittens. Unfortunately it can still hurt, and if there are children in the household this can be dangerous. When cats play with one another they learn to inhibit their bites and swats so they do not hurt. When cats are brought into a household we need to take on that roll. The cure is to provide time for acceptable play behavior with proper toys. These toys can be wands with enticing feathers on the end, rolling toys that can be chased, or a kitty jungle gym with a variety of toys to play with. Do not use physical punishment because this can turn the play aggression into fear or defensive aggression. Tire the kitten out with toys that he can chase. Reward him for this correct behavior. It is very important to never encourage play behavior without a toy, as the toy will soon become you. If your cat persists in stalking and biting you or members of your household you can provide a noxious stimulus to help prevent this. A canister of compressed air works well, use this to distract the cat, then encourage play behavior with the proper toys.   Cats can definitely be trained and are very enjoyable pets. If you continue to have behavioral problems please contact the Doctor.