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LITTER TRAINING YOUR CAT?

Whether trying to train a cat to use the litter box, the toilet, or the great outdoors, most people, including long-time cat owners who should know better, have a tendency to forget the most basic, observable fact of living with our feline friends. Which is: Cats do not have owners. They have staff.

You can only "train" a cat to do whatever that cat happens to feel like doing at the time. One does not train a cat to use a litter box. What every cat lover knows, and has marveled at the first time they saw it, is that kittens are born with the instinct to scratch vigorously both before and after squatting. Should their first experimental ground-pawing happen to occur on the newly installed hard wood flooring, they will scratch away at nothing anyway. Before and after. And in the process, they have taught the owner his or her first trick. The little darling's faint accompanying mew is its first real command. "Provide me with a litter-box. Or else." This "trick" is quickly learned by the staff. The next trick follows in logical sequence. "Clean the box regularly. Or else."

For economical reasons, you may have tried using shredded newspaper instead of kitty litter. Again, the cat will quickly teach you whether or not this was a wise choice. If kitty finds this acceptable, whether the paper is torn in random scraps or carefully torn along the grain to make three foot long strips that are much more scratch-able, young Mr. Tom or Miss Calico will quickly instruct you as to his or her preference. Did you go the even cheaper route by using last evenings local paper? Cats do not like to get anything on their paws, especially printer's ink and will surely teach you this fact by seeking out every light colored piece of furniture in the house.

Cats can be indoor or outdoor pets. If you have provided your animal with a cat-door, they have the best of both worlds.
Given the option of scratching in real soil, grass, leaves, or even snow, most cat's will opt for squatting al fresco. If you have not installed a cat-door and Tabby has already taught you that she likes the privacy of the shrubbery out back, she will no doubt teach you her command, "Open the door. Or Else."

And speaking of cat-doors, have you ever tried to "teach" a cat not to hunt? Those dead baby rabbits and birds lined up on the porch by the front door are another lesson for you. Your cat is saying, "Here. These are for you. Please accept them as a token of my love and gratitude."

Learn more about this author, Arthur Daniels.
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