How to train kittens and help them develop an agreeable personality from an early age
People often complain that cats, unlike dogs, can understand and be trained to speak human languages. In fact, while cats aren’t as obedient as dogs, they can understand human commands, and most of the time, they choose to ignore them. We can try to do some basic training for kittens, which will not only help them communicate better with humans, but also help them develop an agreeable personality. However, since cats are stubborn and sensitive, we need to be very careful when training kittens.
1. High acceptance of kittens.
Age training should begin at 2–3 months of age when the cat is more easily trained and lays the foundation for future improvement.
2. It is easier to train before feeding.
Master the timing of training, the best time to train cats is before feeding, because hungry cats are willing to be close to people, more obedient, food is attractive to cats, training is easier.
3.The combination of rigor and softness, leniency and strictness.
Training cats, you cannot be too tough on the cat, but also cannot allow them to do whatever they want. You must be both rigid and soft, and use a combination of leniency and strict disciplines. Additionally, when training a certain movement, do not use too many methods, to avoid the cat becoming confused.
4.Be kind and patient.
Cats have a stubborn personality, strong self-esteem, and do not want to be manipulated. So be kind, like you’re playing with them. Even if they do something wrong, don’t reprimand or punish them too much, or the cat will have an aversive response to the training, which will affect the entire training process.
5.Step by step, not too fast.
You can only teach one movement at a time, never several exercises at once. The cat may find it difficult to learn many movements at the same time, and if they do not do well, will also make the cat lose confidence. This will tire the cat out and bring difficulties to the later training. The duration of each training session should be short — not more than 10 minutes — but can be repeated several times a day.
6. The training environment should be quiet.
Do not train with several people at the same time to avoid distracting the cat. The movements of training should not be too sudden or make a loud noise, because cats are very sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements. You want to avoid scaring the cat away and hiding, which will make it difficult for them to accept training.
Basic life training for cats:
1, “come” training.
Training “come” movement, preferably from weaning (postpartum 45 days) from the beginning. Familiarize the cat with its name before formal training.
When the owner calls the cat’s name, the cat raises its head or jumps into the owner’s arms. Stroking the cat’s head, smoothing the cat’s body hair from head to buttocks.
To train the “come” movement, the owner or trainer first puts the food in a fixed spot, calls the cat’s name and repeatedly gives the “come” command.
With gestures: If the cat is not interested and does not respond, the food should be shown to the cat, and then put back to the fixed location, attracting the attention of the cat, and then issued the “come” password, if the cat obediently came over, let it eat, gently along the hair stroke the cat’s head, back to reward. In this way, after a few training sessions, the cat can form a conditioned response to the “come” command.
2. Standing, lying and rolling.
Standing, lying down and rolling are actions that cats can easily perform, but they need to be trained to follow human gestures,
At the beginning of the training, the cat should be artificially assisted to stand up, land on hind legs and fly on forelimbs, lie on the side or lie on the stomach when hearing the command and gesture. When the cat can complete the posture, it will be rewarded.
And then we’re going to roll.
In this way, the progression from password + gesture → action to password → action, or gesture → action, can give cat owners a great deal of satisfaction.
When the cat can autonomously according to the command to complete the movement, to gradually reduce the number of food rewards, more use of pet reward methods. Every time you learn a set of movements, you should repeat them over time to consolidate and deepen your memory.
3, eating training.
Teach cats the rules of eating from an early age, timing, fixed point and ration. Never give it human food. Cats must eat food specially designed and made for cats. Human food is not entirely suitable for its nutrition and growth.
Feed him about half an hour before we eat, and though he eats slowly, half an hour will be enough. After that he will want to rest, and your table full of good food will no longer interest him.
If it still comes for food, you and your family will shake your head firmly, no matter how hard your heart is. Try it a few times, and your cat may not understand your good intentions at the moment, but it will benefit in the long run
4. Game training.
A three-week-old kitten will play almost every waking moment before it is five months old, which is also its most lovely and interesting time. It is good to play with it or just watch it play. After five months of age, its play will decrease, but it still wants to play often.
Note: Children’s toys, like the lego combo, may not be suitable. Some are large, some have sharp edges, and some can be chewed up and swallowed.
Always cut off buttons before throwing old clothes, shoes and socks to your cat. Keep him away from plastic tape and paper bags that tear easily. Don’t let your cat play with a paper ball because it’s too small and might be swallowed carelessly.
Although most of a cat’s personality depends on nature, training from an early age, as well as the influence of the environment in which you grow up, all play an important role. So don’t neglect your kitten training.
Find the ideal cat food for your cat, check out Petzlove Official Website
