Training a kitten: the first steps
It’s the big day. You finally took the plunge and bought that adorable kitty with the big eyes and super soft fur. But as you bring him home, you’re also probably wondering what to expect and how you can train your cat. And what do you train him on?
Cats, luckily, are quite independent and follow instinct. And lucky for us, his instincts are to be clean. So what should you worry about when you bring home a new kitten?
The first thing, I would say, is to slowly and lovingly familiarize your kitty with her surroundings. He has just been separated from his mother, his siblings or his friends, so as you can imagine, it can be a bit stressful. So I’d like to share with you 7 things you can do to make sure your kitty is safe and sound, happy, and trained to poop in the right area, scratch the right things, and eat the right things.
Step 1. Kitty tests the place – Remove or make sure that all dangerous plants, household products and wires are out of Kitty’s reach. Things like detergent, oil, cleaning solutions should be kept away.
Step 2. Prepare a safe area – Prepare a basket full of comfy blankets for your kitty to sleep on and make her own. Store it in a quiet area and make sure it is in a warm place.
Step 3. Show him where the food is – Place Kitty’s food and water bowls in a nice, quiet area, away from traffic and her litter box. Cats don’t eat where they know what, so make sure they’re away from each other. Make sure your cat also always has a bowl full of water.
Step 4. Sandbox training – Place the litter box in a secluded place and take your kitten to it. Put it in the box and make sure the box is small enough that your kitten will have no problem getting into it. You can upgrade to a larger box as your cat grows. The first few times your cat uses the box, praise the little one and tell him what a great job he did. Give him a treat if you feel like it.
If you find that he still isn’t going to the litter box, check on him right after he eats. When it looks like it’s about to go, pick it up quickly (gently, we want this to be a fun experience) and put it in the box to do this business.
Others have had success picking up the kitten’s paw and dragging it through the sand to trigger its instincts.
Step 5. Sofa and Bed Etiquette – Some people don’t mind sleeping with their cats or having them on the couch. I am one of those. I love to cuddle up with my cat on a cold winter day. But if you’d rather not have them play with your furniture, get started right away. It gets really confusing if you let them on your bed when they’re kittens and not when they’re cats. This is confusing and hurtful! So firmly remind them with a big NO that they are not allowed on the couch and praise them when they sleep in their allotted bed space.
Training a kitten not to jump on the bed can be difficult, so be persistent.
Step 6. Presentation of the scratching post – Unless you don’t care about your furniture, you should invest in a scratching post as soon as you bring your kitty home. Cats are scratchers. They will always scratch and there is nothing you can do about it, so learn to live with it. The only thing you can do is choose where they can scratch. So buy a scratching post and place it near their food or bed, as they often like to scratch themselves upon waking up. Make sure it’s tall enough for your cat to fully extend. You can encourage them by rubbing cat grass on the post and hanging toys above it.
If your kitty scratches your furniture, say NO and act angry. Cats will pick up the tone of your voice. You can use a spray bottle, but sparingly and never hit them. And if you don’t catch your kitty in the act of scratching your furniture, don’t punish him. They will be confused and won’t know what they did wrong.
Step 7. Other pets – If you have other pets, introduce them slowly. You may want to sequester each of your pets in different rooms or parts of your house for a while and monitor their interactions for the first month or two. Until you see that they can behave correctly with each other, you can leave them alone with each other. Your first pet will feel a bit territorial, and this is natural, so don’t exclude them from your love and affection. Remind them that they are still loved.
Well I hope this helps you to train a kitty. These are the most important steps and if you achieve them, your kitten will become a very happy cat.
