Training Kittens

You may have to discourage your kitten from finding alternates to the litterbox, however. Sometimes kittens just don't get that the potted ficus isn't an appropriate substitution if they don't feel like going all that way to the official box. Cover inappropriate places with tinfoil if you discover kitty 'going' there. They hate how tinfoil feels on their paws - like chalk on a blackboard - and they'll soon forget all about it. You can uncover it after they've shown they plan to keep using the box.

Scratching

All cats scratch. You can't stop cats from scratching - they need to exercise their back and shoulder muscles and shed the old sheathes from their claws - so your mission is to get them something they can scratch on and discourage them from scratching things you don't want them ripping up, such as sofas, chairs and the legs of you and your family.

Cats can be trained not to scratch the furniture, but you have to start immediately and be consistent in your training. One of the best kitten training tools is a spray bottle that can be set to 'stream'. Keep it filled with water and if the kitten starts scratching the sofa, shoot him with a stream of water. They hate that, and it doesn't hurt them a bit. They soon start to associate scratching the sofa with getting wet and will stop scratching unapproved things.

Get your kitten a good cat scratching post. This should be tall enough that a grown cat can stand up tall and scratch, without the post toppling over. You can even make your own - wrap a 4x4 securely with rope or sisal and set it on a base. Cats love the feel of rope. You can also make a cardboard block by duct-taping squares of cardboard together into a cube - this is somehwat unsightly since the cardboard will shred and you will have to keep sweeping up the bits, but cats love to shred cardboard.

'Rough-housing'

Kittens will play-fight with one another and if allowed, with you. Of course, cats have a nice coat of fur, so claws and teeth make little impression. But people, being bare-skinned, can feel sharp little kitten teeth, so it's important to train your kitten not to bite and scratch people, even in play.

Men in particular are prone to 'rough-house' with kittens, thinking it's cute to see a tiny scrap of a kitten ferociously 'savaging' your hand while they bunny-kick with their back feet and not realizing that they're actually training kitten in inappropriate behaviour. Because what's adorable in a four ounce kitten is less adorable in a fifteen pound cat, so don't encourage 'rough play' with people or you'll have a confused cat when he grows up and suddenly no one wants to play-fight with him any more.

If the peaceful little kitten in your lap suddenly decides to grab your hand and start gnawing on it, tap him on the nose. Note - I didn't say 'smack' or 'slap' or even 'rap'. Tap as in tap someone on the shoulder to get their attention. Cats don't like having their noses touched (without their prior permission, at least) and this will make the kitten stop and look at you reproachfully. Pet him soothingly but if he starts trying to fight your hand again, pick him up and set him on the floor - he'll find something else to be his prey. He'll also learn that hands aren't appropriate teething tools.

Grooming

Kittenhood is the time to get your cat accustomed to regular grooming. Cats who aren't brushed as babies don't always take to it as adults, and it can be a struggle to make an unwilling cat hold still for brushing. Especially if your kitten is a longhair, daily brushing will be required when he grows up, so start brushing him now. Use a softer brush that you might use on an adult cat, and brush softly while he's sitting in your lap and he'll associate brushing with good things and as an adult will solicit brushing. This is one of the most enjoyable tasks of training kittens.

After brushing your kitten, play with his paws. You will want to trim his nails when he gets older, so get him used to having his paws handled by 'his person' when he's very young and this task will be much easier later. If you hold the paw between thumb and forefinger and gently press on a toe, this forces the retracted claw to extend. You will be extending claws when you trim nails, so get the kitten trained to accept this procedure when he's young. If his claws are needle-sharp (and kittens' claws often are), you can snip just the pointy tip off. But only snip the white or clear part of the claw and don't snip back into the 'quick', which will hurt him and may even bleed.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, cats are very trainable and if you start when they are young and are consistent with your praise and discouragement, your kitten will grow up to be a well-behaved and civilized housepet.

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