How to Teach Your Cat How to Sit

Although teaching cat tricks such as sitting, staying and heeling is normally not very often accomplished. Cats can be trained in much the same way as dogs. Cats are intelligent creatures with minds of their own which is why they have become renowned for not being taught cat tricks but with a few cat training tips and a little bit of patience, you will soon find that there is nothing that you cannot teach your cat to do.

If you are looking to teach your cat to sit then a few cat training tips will come in rather useful. First of all you need to have a fair bit of patience and plenty of cat treats but aside from this, it should only take you around ten minutes to teach your cat tricks such as this.

Repetition is essential for training a cat and it is better to train them when they are at kitten age as it will take considerably longer for an adult cat to pick up cat tricks like the sit trick. You should make sure that you have plenty of treats to bribe your cat and also to reward it when it has followed your commands.

Ideally your cat should be on an elevated surface with its back to one wall. Move the treat to just above the cats head in a straight line from the nose to the middle of both ears and then wait for your cat to sit and accept the treat. Praise is essential as you need to let the cat know that they have followed your command and that you are happy about it and one of the most useful cat training tips for cat tricks such as this is to buy a clicker that is the same for when you are training a dog.

When holding the treat above the cats head, you should try to say the name of the cat as well as saying "Sit" in a voice that is friendly yet stern. Do not reward your cat if he or she does not sit but make sure that you do treat them when they have completed the expected action.

Once you have done this a few times, your cat will soon have learned that the sit command from you is rewarded with a treat when he or she sits down and you will have successfully mastered one of the cat tricks!

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How To Stop Your Cat From Scratching

When you are trying to get your cat to stop scratching up your precious furniture, you must learn one thing – that you can never get your cat to do something that she wants to do, so, do not try to get your cat to stop scratching by using punishment or force, as she will not associate the punishment with scratching, and will associate it with being picked up, causing further bad behaviour. Continued punishment will break the bond of trust between you and your cat and will make for difficult times as cats hold grudges and have very long memories.

How then, to stop scratching? Well, you must first provide your cat with an appropriate scratching post. By an appropriate post, we mean one that suits your cat and not one that suits you, like a space saving, double layered bed that doubles as a scratching post. NEVER use these, as they just provide something that your cat will sleep in, so if you have one you need to get a scratching post as well. Cats like a post they can really shred, so avoid ones made of any sort of rope as these do not tear easily enough for your cat. Use a heavy, sturdy, strong post made of sisal material, not the rope. The post should be about 28 inches tall for a fully grown cat, as cats like to extend their bodies to the full extent.

When placing the post, make sure it is in a good, position near the centre of the room, and not hidden in a dark corner. Cats scratch to mark territory and this makes your cat feel that the post is her own, and not yours. It is also a good thing to put the post near either the food dish (not too close) or the cat’s basket, as these are spots that are good for territory.
To get your cat to prefer the post, make all experiences with the post pleasurable. Use food while she is scratching, rub catnip into the post, give her treats, dangle a toy mouse or a ball on top of the post, play with her, pet her, and love her near the post. She will know that this is a good place to be and feel how good it feels to scratch on the post. If your cat still scratches the old spots where she used to scratch then use lemon spray on the patches where you don’t want her to scratch. Cats hate lemon, especially the peel and juice. You can also hang aluminium foil on the places you don’t want her to scratch.

Three Reasons to Adopt a Pet Right Now!

There are so many reasons why if you can you really should adopt a pet. For starters, the humane society and the animal shelters are literally over crowded, bursting at the seams. As a result they have to put animals to sleep every day to make room for the new animals that are coming in on a daily basis. Another reason is that animals are a result of human breeding, we put them here, and we need to do our part to assure that they are allowed the best life that they can possibly live. Still not convinced? Here are three more reasons!

Save a life

You save a life when you adopt a pet, a pet that may otherwise have to be put down due to the lack of available funds to care for such animals at the local shelters.

Make a new friend

The companionship that you will be offered and the love, and loyalty that you will get when you adopt a pet are literally second to none.

Do your part

We all need to do our part to assure that every living creature is afforded the best opportunity at survival. This also involves being proactive. Adopt a pet today!

Meditate with your pet

Meditation is usually viewed as a spiritual practice, but research shows that there are innumerable health benefits as well. Most physical illness is caused by stress, and meditation provides stress relief by calming down the mind and body. A regular meditation practice is one of the best things you can do for your mind and body.

I often hear people say “I can’t meditate. I can’t shut down my thoughts.”

You don’t have to. Simply making the commitment to sit quietly for fifteen, ten, even five minutes a day can have beneficial effects. Don’t judge yourself – if you find that you can’t quiet your mind, try and simply acknowledge your thoughts, and then gently let them go.

Your pets can help you meditate. If you can’t clear your mind, try focusing on the purring cat in your lap or the sleeping dog by your side. Focus on the love you share with your pet. While this may not be what some purists consider meditation, I can guarantee you that it will change your state of mind to one of peace and relaxation.

Vegan pet food – not a good choice

There’s been a recent media buzz about vegan food for pets. ABC News reported that it might be a bit easier for dogs than cats to live the vegan lifestyle. A recent op-ed piece in the New York Times suggested a vegan diet for cats as a viable option to reduce the over-depletion of fish stocks. This was followed a few days later by an article in The Huffington Post titled “Vegan Pet Food – Is It Okay To Raise a Cat Vegan?”, which generated hundreds of comments.

Dogs are omnivores and are able to suvive on plant materials alone, but keep in mind that they are meat eaters by nature and do best with at least some meat in their diet, so a vegan diet is not in the best interest of your canine companion.

Cats are carnivores, and as such, cannot sustain life unless they consume meat in some form. They are extremely sensitive to even a single meal deficient in arginine, an amino-acid that is a building block for protein. A cat’s natural diet in the wild consists of mice and birds, both of which are almost all protein. This is why diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates are best for cats.

People adopt the vegan lifestyle for a variety of reasons, some of them health related, others as a conscious choice to help the planet. While I applaud people who choose this lifestyle, it’s too restrictive for me. I’m mostly vegetarian, but I do eat fish and seafood. I even occasionally allow myself to give in to a craving for some meat or poultry – cravings that probably have very little to do with any physical need and are more emotionally motivated dating back to growing up on the heavily meat-based diet of my native Germany.

However, no matter what your reasons for being vegetarian or vegan, please don’t subject your cat or dog to the same choice. They’ll be healthier and happier if they’re allowed to be the meat eaters nature designed them to be. As for cats depleting the planet’s fish stock, I’ll worry about Amber’s carbon footprint when she starts driving an SUV.

Natural flea and tick control

Many natural products contain essential oils such as Pennyroyal, Tea Tree or Citrus oils. None of these are safe to use around pets, especially around cats. The Lavender Cat is an excellent website devoted to scientific research about cats and essential oil safety. The site is currently being revised, but it has some good basic information about why essential oils are not safe to use around cats. I realize that there are some manufacturers who claim that their oils are pure and safe to use around cats, but quite frankly, I wouldn’t take any chances on statements of that nature unless they’re backed up by research by an independent toxicologist.

It seems that the only safe natural flea control methods are as follows:

* A good flea comb with tightly spaced teeth. Comb your pet daily during flea season and drop any fleas you find into a bowl of soapy water to kill them.
* Bathe your pet with a gentle shampoo such as oatmeal. Don’t use harsh flea shampoos, most of them have chemicals in them.
* Vacuum vacuum vacuum. I came across one suggestion to cut up a conventional flea collar and put it inside the vacuum cleaner’s bag – it reportedly will kill any live fleas, eggs and pupae you vacuum up. I don’t know for sure that this will work, but it made sense in a strange kind of way.
* Adding Brewer’s yeast to your pet’s food may help deter fleas from attaching to your pet.
* Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in your yard to cut down on the flea population. Diatomaceous earth also makes a great natural pantry bug killer, it works for all insects. It’s reported to be safe around pets, but don’t sprinkle it directly on your pet!

Ultimately, it comes down to weighing the risks of conventional flea and tick products against the risks of the health problems caused by fleas and ticks. Many pets have been using chemically based flea and tick products safely and without any problems for many years. Flea contact dermatitis and anemia are unpleasant health problems that definitely compromise a pet’s quality of life. Lyme disease can be crippling, and, in its worst form (Lyme nephritis), it can kill.

Depending on your cat’s lifestyle (indoor vs. outdoor), regular fecal examinations are recommended. Discuss parasite control with your veterinarian, but be aware that many of the leading flea and tick control products are pesticides. Look for natural alternatives instead.

Can my cat get the swine flu?

There is plenty of information in the media about how to protect yourself and your family against the swine flu, but very little has been said about whether it can affect our pets. While there is no absolute answer, I found this article by Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM helpful and wanted to pass it on.

On a slightly different note but on the same topic – I highly suggest that you turn off the news. The media has a never ending propensity to report bad news and to try and put its audience into a fearful state of mind about the swine flu, or anything else for that matter. Fear and bad news sell advertising – it’s as simple as that. Worry is a waste of energy and a sure fire way to attract what you don’t want into your life. For more on why not watching the news is good for you, refer to “Go on a news diet“, posted in March.

Cat Training - Part 1

Banish all thoughts of training your cat as you would a dog. Although it’s feasible at the hands of a professional trainer, it isn’t very practical or affordable. You will want your cat to behave well, though, and you should be able to stop him from such undesirable practices as jumping up on the table to join you at mealtimes. Your coexistence will be a lot more pleasant and fun if the cat can be persuaded to come when he is called and to sharpen his claws on a scratching post instead of shredding the furniture.

Training Strategies
Since cats, unlike dogs, rarely do things merely to please their owners, you will need a feline-based system of positive reinforcement and possibly some form of aversion stimulus in order to achieve a change in your cat’s behavior. The best way to encourage a cat to continue a behavior is with an immediate food reward, whether a full meal or a tasty treat. If at the same time you say, “Good!” the cat will come to associate the word with a positive event, even when food isn’t forthcoming. Anything your cat loves will also work — a good scratch behind the ears or a play session with a favorite toy may work as well as a food treat.

Many cat owners try to discourage their cats from undesirable behavior with sprays of water from a plant mister, loud shakers or any startling sound such as a hand clap or a whistle. If your cat is jumping onto the counter and you stop him by spritzing him with water, in actuality you are reinforcing jumping off the counter when the real problem is jumping onto it. While spritzing and other such methods can often discourage unwanted problems temporarily, they may also cause additional problems. Some cats actually like getting sprayed and chased. They think it’s a game. For them, spritzing provides positive reinforcement for the undesirable behavior, which is then likely to increase. Other cats, particularly those that tend to be excitable, are threatened by such methods and become defensive, which can lead to serious aggression problems. Aversion methods that don’t frighten or excite the cat are much safer. Putting sticky two-sided tape on the counter, for example, should provide enough discomfort for most cats to decide that the surface isn’t a fun place to explore. And this method works whether you are there to witness the behavior or not. When you are present and see the unwanted behavior beginning, say, “No!” in a stern tone; your cat may, after a while, obey the vocal command alone. Never hit your cat. Injury can result and physical punishment won’t change his behavior. The cat will simply become afraid of you and the stress may provoke further misbehavior. Reward your cat when he performs a desired behavior in place of the undesired one. Such a payoff will usually clinch the deal.

Some household items may simply be just too tempting for your cat to stay away from. Put up physical barriers to areas and surfaces you want your cat to avoid. For instance, if your cat is always getting into the garbage, you may have to get a container with a heavier or tighter-fitting lid. If he opens and enters cupboards, install childproof latches. After a while, the cat will probably lose interest in these forbidden locations and avoid them of his own accord.

“Come” Command
One of the most basic things you can teach your cat is to respond to his own name. Say his name out loud whenever you greet or pet him, repeating it often as you do things together. To train your cat to come to you when called, start by saying his name as you put down the food bowl. Then, begin calling his name at mealtime before you do anything that makes a noise the cat might associate with food, such as opening the refrigerator, using a can opener, or scooping dry food into his bowl. When the cat appears, reward him immediately.

Wearing a Leash or Harness
With perseverance and patience, you may be able to get your cat to accept wearing a harness, either to go for walks or to run around safely in the yard. Admittedly this undertaking is a lot easier to do if you start while the cat is still a kitten. Approach the wearing of the harness gradually, with food rewards each step along the way. Start by leaving the harness out on the floor so your cat can smell and become acquainted with it. Once the harness is no longer perceived as dangerous or threatening, place it on the cat’s back without fastening it. It may help to distract the cat with a treat until he gets used to the feel of the harness. As the cat begins to accept the apparatus, fasten it for a short period of time, taking it off immediately when the cat seems perturbed. Gradually increase the length of time you leave the harness on and only once the cat seems to have forgotten that it is there, add the leash. Let the cat walk around dragging the leash, making sure it doesn’t get caught on anything. Then, hold the end of the leash so the cat becomes used to feeling pressure on it. The final step is to familiarize your cat with the exciting, and possibly frightening, sights and sounds of the outdoors. Start off in your backyard or in a quiet area close to home, holding the leash tightly in case the cat tries to bolt. Gradually increase the length of these exercises until your cat is comfortable.

Cat Door
Installing a cat door will give your feline access to the outdoors whenever he wishes. But getting your cat to use it may require some encouragement. A cat door may make no sense to your cat at first; having to push open the flap with his head can be off-putting. Hold the door open and tempt the cat through the door by offering a treat on the other side. Once the cat jumps in and out of the opening at will, gradually close the flap, continuing to reward each exit and entrance.