Cat Training Complete Welcomes You!
Feel like your cat has taken over your house, climbing up your curtains, digging in the trash, ripping up your carpet, or chewing on your things? If that sounds like what's going on at your house, there is good news. It is possible to train a cat to live peacefully in your household with these few simple tips. After all, your cat doesn't know he's doing anything wrong until you show him.
Climbing Curtains
Cats love to climb and since there aren't any trees indoors, your curtains will usually do nicely. The best way to train a cat not to climb your curtains is to take away the fun of it. Use flimsy tension rods to loosely hang curtains, even if only temporarily, instead of solid rods mounted to the wall. When your cat climbs tension rods, his weight will cause the curtains to fall before he even gets halfway up the curtains. After a few falls, your cat will leave the curtains alone and you can re-hang them with sturdier rods. Since the curtains will fall before your cat gets halfway curtains held with a flimsy tension rod, the short fall won't hurt him.
Chewing
The best way to train a cat to stop chewing is by making it distasteful for him to do so. You'll find different sprays at your local pet store that you spray where you cat likes to chew. The next time he does, he's met with a distasteful substance like bitter apple or cayenne pepper that he'll not soon forget.
Trashcan Digging
If you need to train a cat to stay out of the garbage, your first step should be making sure you feed your cat enough food. Most cats dig in the trash because they're hungry and looking for food. If it's not about food, your best bet is buying the right kind of trashcan. Avoid open swing top cans, choosing ones with a lid you either lift off with your hand or have to press a foot lever to open. If your cat is smart enough to tip the garbage over to get inside, consider placing your trashcan inside your lower sink cabinet for extra security.
Carpet Scratching
If your cat enjoys making big holes in your carpet with his claws, you can do a few things. Cats love to scratch to sharpen their claws and your carpet is ideal for the job. The first thing you can do is buy a scratching post for your cat. Play with your cat around the scratching post and encourage him to scratch his claws on it. Placing a plastic carpet runner over the area a cat likes to scratch will train a cat to stop scratching there. Eventually, your cat will forget about the spot and use his scratching post instead. Then you can remove the plastic runner.
Cats are wonderful house companions and with just a little effort, you can train a cat to live harmoniously in your household.
