CAT BEHAVIOUR

Knowing what normal cat behavior is will help in training cats and treating problem cat behavior. Learn more about instinctive behavior and behavior problems from the extensive catogories provided..

Cats are very special animals, though much of the time their behavior can seem surprising and strange. Understanding why cats act the way they do and how they learn their behavior is not always easy. Cats learn their behavior based on experience, what we might call empirical acquisition. In this regard, if a cat feels that a certain experience is pleasant, she'll likely strive to repeat that experience over and over. The opposite can be said of unpleasant experiences. Once we understand the reasons why cats behave the way they do, we can make some changes to their behavior to get them to behave in a way we would prefer.

With this in mind we must be certain that, when training a cat, we encourage acceptable cat behavior and discourage unwanted or unacceptable behavior. Many cat owners try to train their cats using reprimands. This method, however, is not recommended as it is pretty much unsuccessful. The only way to reprimand a cat is to catch her in the act of the bad behavior. While certainly you may be able to do this, this only teaches your cat that getting caught is not good. Therefore your cat will most likely still exhibit the bad behavior, just not in your presence.

In order to make the cat training process as successful as possible, start by establishing a good relationship with your cat. You can achieve this by giving your cat the attention and positive reinforcement that she needs. This includes playing with her or perhaps giving her massages every once in a while.. Additionally, progress during your cat's training process will be faster if you include as many chances for rewarding her as you possibly can. Observe your cat's behavior and praise her every time she acts correctly, such as when she plays with her scratching post or uses her litter box. Likewise, make a list of the things that your cat likes to do that you find inappropriate. You can then work on making these activities unpleasant for her. Your cat will notice the difference and will certainly begin to adapt her behavior as she begins to prefer those activities that are most pleasant to her, the same ones that will be acceptable for you.