It doesn’t matter if you’re a new cat owner or an old one. Still, if you are reading this article, then you are probably looking for ways to train your cat correctly without any mistakes in their grooming. Even the simplest mistakes could lead to your cat becoming a violent pet.
If you just adopted a cat and want to improve the training mistakes most cat lovers have made, then welcome to the perfect guide for you.
Below are some of the most common mistakes almost every cat owner makes without realizing it. So, why waste a second more when you can provide your cat a decent routine with know-how about common manners?
Scolding Them
People’s biggest mistake nowadays while training their cats is scolding them when it is not needed. If you just brought cats home where they are not familiar with the place, it is in their nature to jump on the tables or run around the house. It does not mean that they want to create a mess; they’re simply familiarizing themselves with the place to keep them satisfied that they’re safe there.
You might have noticed that if you shout “No” in an instant while cats are on their unacceptable behavior, it does not affect them even a bit. Even after you scold them, they will keep on repeating the same act they pulled off a while ago. This is because, in their head, your shouting doesn’t mean that you’re upset with them but that you are giving them attention which for them is a reward.
Forgetting to Neuter Your Male Cat
The most important part about owning male cats is to neuter them. It highly reflects on the cat’s actions and behaviors. It is crucial to get male cats neutered because as soon as they are in adulthood and their hormones kick in, they would want to go out and find a female cat solely for the purpose of mating. You could save yourself from unwanted litter. After neutering them, they would also pick lesser fights with other male cats, saving you another headache of owning a male cat.
Overwhelming Them With Training Sessions
Smaller training sessions are better than longer ones. Cats don’t like indulging in doing one thing all the time or for an extended period, which could also tire them out and make a much weaker bond with you. It is proven that cats learn better with shorter training sessions and no fixed time of their timing.
This means that you could quickly train them while you’re waiting for the food to cook, brushing your teeth, and many other things that make you wait for 1 – 5 minutes. There is no need to drag the training for too long to avoid making the cat uninterested and no longer train happily with you.
Eliminating Spontaneous Behaviors
Cats naturally like to pounce, climb, or jump around, which makes them highly energetic and active all the time. Stopping this behavior could result in being highly stressful for them. Instead of stopping them, shift those activities to a safer place, more likely your home.
You could bring a shelf for them to climb on if they love jumping around or a cushion specifically for them to relax on. You could shift the cats to the playground you built for them inside your house by luring them with their favorite treats. Reward them when they successfully stop those outdoor activities and are shifted inside the house.
Not Differentiating Between Good and Bad Behavior
You should also understand the difference between good and bad behaviors, so you can reward the good ones and eliminate the bad ones. For example, if you’ve led a cat to the scratching post and it does exactly what you taught the cat to do, you don’t react, which doesn’t result in any kind of interaction between you and your cat. But if your cat has now scratched the couch, you react almost immediately, which gives the cat the assurance that you are ready to interact with it if it does that again, which is not true.
Letting the Biting or Scratching Slide
If cats start biting or scratching, it is not okay to let those acts slide, resulting in them being aggressive to strangers or other animals. If kittens start biting or scratching, it could feel fun and exciting to begin with, but as they grow older, they get stronger from time to time. For this, teach your cats that it is not okay to keep biting or scratching or any other harmful activity continued.
Staring at the Cat Continuously
After just bringing a cat back home, you might be very attached to it and might want to be with the cat all the time. But be aware since staring in the cat’s language is another word for hostility, so give the cat its space and let it familiarize with you.
Some people get so excited after adopting cats for the first time that they continuously stare at them, which makes them further anxious. Instead, look away from them and watch them from the corner of the eye to make them feel more comfortable.
Placing the Litter Box in the Laundry Room
The litter box’s position and place also greatly impact a cat’s training. It is strictly prohibited to place the litter box in the laundry room as the cat could mistake the basket of dirty clothes for their litter box.
The cat might also get scared when it is in the litter box and the washing machine starts spinning. It could give a colossal fright to the cat, making it run away and find a much more comfortable place, anywhere in your house.
Concluding Thoughts
Cats should be trained with extreme sensitivity and patience. The cats might take a shorter amount of training sessions. Still, they demand a lot of time and patience to provide them with efficient training. Give your all into the training while keeping those common mistakes in mind to avoid any kind of mishaps.
