Why Kitten Training Is Essential
Life with your kitten can be a dream or a nightmare. It all depends on proper kitten training. Many people believe that felines cannot learn anything other skill besides being taught litter box training. It’s true that your kitten may not respond to training exactly like a dog or puppy. Kittens are smart animals and take to training quite well if it is implemented early and consistently.
With kittens, you have the age advantage. Training kittens is a much easier task than training adult cats. Kittens are malleable and learn information quickly.
Start your kitten off early on the right path by setting limits. Training your kitten can have a powerful effect on its well-being.
Establish Leadership
Feline culture is unlike that of dogs. Dog culture is based heavily upon dominance, submission and pack ranking order. Feline culture is social, territorial, and less structured by dominance. You want to establish your role as more of a parental leader and member of the kitten’s family.
However, you do not want to get into a power struggle with your kitten. You don’t want your kitten to fear or avoid you. You want your kitten to know that you rule to den. The highest compliment that your kitten can pay you is by “adopting” you as one of its kind. With kitten training, it is important to recognize your kitten’s culture so that you know how to meet their needs.
Provide Discipline
Just like human children, kittens need discipline. They may not like it at first. However, kittens thrive in an environment with firm boundaries. Even the most unruly kitten appreciates rules. Kittens need to know what you expect of them and how they can achieve certain behavior.
Remember, you are filling the role of surrogate mom and caretaker. As newborns, kittens are use to their mother guiding and correcting their behavior. A gentle, but firm system of rewards and consequences goes a long way. And above all else never hit a kitten. Your kitten may learn to fear you and become aggressive.
Build Trust
With effective kitten training, you can build trust with your furry friend. Even kittens that have been abused can develop trust. They learn that if they do “x”, they get “y”. There’s no ambiguity in terms of expectations. As strange as it sounds, kitten training can actually help you and your kitten form a close bond.
Improve Communication
Kitten training improves communication between you and your kitten. Your kitten can better understand how to communicate with humans. A kitten will quickly learn how to communicate and behave in a way that gets its needs met. And you can better understand how to get your kitten follow your commands. During training, you will learn what motivates and turns off your kitten.
Save Your Home
An undisciplined kitten is a destructive kitten. Without proper training, kittens display unwanted scratching, biting, chewing, and litter box problems. Save your home!
Save Your Kitten’s Life
Kitten training could save your kitten’s life! Yes, it’s true. Does your kitten like to jump on countertops and other high places? If so, your kitten could be in danger. Kittens are inquisitive. They like to explore their world and test limits. Kittens can get into all sorts of trouble pouncing on hot stoves, rubbing against running heaters, and darting out in front of traffic. If you see your kitten getting into harm’s way, a firm “No” or sound of click can keep your kitten out of dangerous situations.
Entertainment
Play is an essential component to a kitten development. Through play, kittens learn social skills and how to interact with each other and with humans. Training your kitten to play games and perform tricks also prevents kitten boredom.
In order to get your kitten to follow commands, make training fun and exciting. If you make training punitive and harsh, your kitten will just ignore you. Kittens can be quite strong-willed!
Training Tips
- Don’t yell at your kitten. Unless they are hard of hearing, kittens can hear better than humans
- Never hit a kitten. Your kitten may learn to fear you and become aggressive
- Reward kittens with food, hugs, or a favorite toy for a job well-done
- Don’t take kittens’ bad behavior personally. Their just being kittens!
- Don’t correct your kitten’s behavior after the unwanted act
- Never reward a kitten for an unwanted behavior
- Use a firm, strong voice when making commands
- Limit kitten training sessions to a maximum of 10 minutes
- Calling your kitten’s name for an activity it hates will guarantee that it won’t come
- Respect your kitten’s boundaries
- Remain calm and patient when litter training a kitten
Remember…kitten training takes consistency, love, and patience. Reward your kitten with a special treat for doing a great job!
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