by Martha Leonard

Created on: August 16, 2006   Last Updated: September 03, 2009

It is a myth that cats are not trainable. There are trained lions and tigers in circuses. There are videos of cats playing ping pong, standing up and begging and other tricks. Think your cat is untrainable? Just turn on the electric can-opener, shake a "treat box" or rattle certain dishes and see if your cat doesn't come running!

Training cats is difficult for most people because they do not understand the nature of cats. Cats are not social animals. While they can live with other animals, it is not their preference. They are essentially solitary animals and do not respond to a "pack" way of thinking. This kind of nature makes cats more independent. They have no need or desire to please or "fit in" with their owners or any other animals. They will do what pleases them. Once this is understood, training a cat becomes much easier.

Another reason people find cats difficult to train is lack of patience for both the cat and the owner. Cats are easily bored and often will not pay attention to one thing for a long period of times. It can be frustrating to be in the middle of trying to teach a cat something only to have him/her yawn and stalk off. Cats learn better with short working periods on a frequent basis. This prolonged training process may seem to take forever. Many owners give up before training is finished.

There are two kinds of training for cats. One is to eliminate bad behavior. Most of the time cats do not respond well to punishment, tending to equate the unpleasantness with their owner rather than their own behavior. Therefore, it takes some imagination and planning to eliminate undesirable behaviors. One method is to distract the cat while s/he is engaging in the behavor. Another way is to discourage a behavior by eliminating the pleasure of it. For instance, cats for some reason do not like the feel of aluminum under their feet. Putting aluminum foil on the table will discourage him/her from jumping onto the table and after awhile will stop doing so altogether. Since most cats do not like to get their claws hung up in things, putting net on furniture will usually discourage a cat from clawing the furniture. Observe what your cat doesn't like, then use that dislike the stop unwanted behavior.

The other training is to encourage whatever behavior is desired. This is done primarily by rewards or making the cat think it is play. The trick in this training is to make it pleasurable for them and to fit it in with what they like. This requires knowing your cat and his/her personality pretty well. For instance, know which treat is the favorite so it can be used for special rewards. Food is one of the best rewards for cats. They won't respond to a pat on the head or crowing "Good boy." Kittens are easier to train with treats, mainly because they always want to play and always seem to be hungry! Remember, too, that cats are primarily nocturnal. They prefer to sleep during the day and have less energy and patience then. Training is more successful in the evenings.

The bottom line is that cats are trainable, but not with the same methods used with dogs. Cats are intellligent and extremely capable problem solvers. They do not have the need or urge to please an owner, but will usually cooperate if it gives them pleasure. They can be moody, tempermental and easily bored. Training takes patience and some cunning to outsmart them into learning. Training a cat is challenging, but quite an adventure. Don't be afraid to try it.

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