The Key

The key to training is to make sure that whatever you want your cat to do is exceedingly rewarding and pleasurable.

Whatever you don't want your cat to indulge in must never be rewarding or fun, in fact, it must be unpleasant. Sometimes we unintentionally reward our cats for obnoxious behavior. A common complaint is that the cat pounces on the owner at five in the morning, meowing up a storm and generally being a pest. What do the owners do? They get up and feed the cat, play with him or let him outside. Kitty has learned that his behavior gets him exactly what he wants.

Many owners become frustrated because they can't catch the cat in the act of the crime, so instead they show the cat the evidence (usually a wet spot on the carpet or pieces of shredded drapery) and discipline the cat at that time. A common practice is grabbing the cat, pointing out the wet spot, then dragging him to the litter box and forcing him to dig in the litter. What the cat is learning is that being reached for by the owner is a bad experience and that the litter box is a torture chamber. It is usually difficult if not impossible to catch the cat in the act because most cats have already learned that being caught is bad news.

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