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Cats are incredible pets with a unique style all their own. If you have chosen a cat as a pet you probably already understand that discipling and training them requires special effort. You’ll need to some extent to understand and adapt to your pet’s unique personality traits.

Most cat owners realistically are not looking for a circus cat ready to jump through hoops. They’ll be satisfied if the litter box is used well and the furnishings are left intact.

Accordingly, it is good to realize that cats learn through experience. This may require an owner to be patient, in order to build a pattern of cause and effect. This means that if they experience a good thing they are more likely to repeat it. Also, the opposite is true if the encounter was not pleasant. So whatever there’s good behavior (like clawing the pet scratching post instead of your furniture), you’ll want to reinforce that with a good reward.

Whether it’s good or bad behavior, your cat will learn it by this method of immediate response. Delaying a reward or punishment will only confuse her. For example, if a cat is used to being fed every time it pesters you, that will reinforce the behavior. So it is important to evaluate your actions accordingly.

Training a cat to use the litter box is something that must commence when they are young. Keep in mind that cats do enjoy a clean litter box. You need to do your share to make it a pleasant experience. It has been noted that if the box isn’t cleaned regularly, but the rest of the house is cleaned, then your pet may head for the clean areas away from its box, such as the edge of a lovely rug!

With time and careful attention you will come to realize that your pet’s independent nature still allows a wide variety of moods, which can be either aggressive or playful. A cat will normally enjoy some playful interaction, however it can change its mind swiftly and decide it’s had enough. But as a cat owner you already know that, and are just learning to go with the flow!

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Yes! Believe it or not you can train your pet cat to do almost anything a cat is physically capable of doing using humane positive reinforcement techniques using a process called Clicker Training.

Clicker Training is a method of training using the scientific principles of Operant Conditioning. Simpler than it sounds, clicker trainers use a plastic box noise maker called a “clicker” to mark the behaviour they want and follow up with a reward, usually a food treat.

By a process known as “shaping”, clicker trainers mould their cat’s behaviour into the behaviour they want.

Clicker Training can also be used to solve common cat problems such as spraying, scratching, clawing, climbing on kitchen benches and difficulties in administering medication. Clicker Training is a no-force method of training which is ideal for sensitive or no-nonsense animals such as cats.

Some of us, when learning to clicker train, decided to try it on our cats first, so we didn’t make any mistakes with our competition dogs. We soon learned that it was impossible to make mistakes that couldn’t be easily fixed using this method, unlike with traditional training methods where little mistakes tended to snowball into bigger ones or crop up when we least expected them. What’s more, our dogs were having more fun, so were our cats, and so were we!

If you have a cat, or a dog, guinea pig, rabbit, goat, ferret, horse or pig, type “clicker training” into any search engine and discover a whole new world of training possibilities!

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of PositivePetzine.com PositivePetzine.com, a free ezine for people training their own dogs. Each edition has easy to use training advice based on positive reinforcement methods. Subscribers have access to a large archive of back-issues they can consult for just about any behavior or behavior problem.

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There’s no doubt that cats can be a handful. Unlike dogs, they retain an enormous amount of independence, they don’t often aim to please, and they’re not always the loving, cuddly balls of fur you might want them to be. If you’re a new pet owner - or even an experienced one - you may well be wondering how to train your cat.

Make no mistake, it is possible to train your cat, but it takes a commitment on your part. You need patience, and you need to accept that training a cat is different from training most other household pets.

Whether you’re just starting out with a new kitten or you’ve had an unruly cat for years, there are three key things that you should keep in mind when trying to figure out how to train your cat.

First of all, cats learn through experience. For instance, if you feed your cat every time he starts yowling and complaining, it becomes a learned behavior - he’ll continue his yowling, thinking that it’s the proper way to signal hunger. With this in mind, it’s important to always punish the bad behavior and reward the good.

Second, always talk to your cat. You may feel a little silly at first, but there’s no doubt that cats can recognize and register the sound of your voice, the emphasis, and even certain words. When you want to discourage bad behavior, pick a word or a sentence and keep repeating it to your cat. Your cat will eventually realize that he’s done something wrong. Conversely, when you want to reward good behavior, pick another word and repeat it in the same manner.

Third, remember that cats can become agitated and aggressive in response to serious stress or changes in their environment. If your cat has suddenly become irritable when before he was agreeable and good-natured, it may be due to recent upheaval. This can be brought on by something as obvious as the introduction of a new pet or as simple as moving your cat’s litter box.

It’s true that cats can be extremely fickle. One minute they’ll be lounging peacefully in your lap and the next they might be clawing at the furniture, meowing uncontrollably, or just causing havoc in general. But it’s that same streak of independence that makes a cat-lover out of all cat-owners. If you begin with the three basic tips in this article, you’ll be able to work through the ins-and-outs of how to train your cat faster than you may think.

Gillian Aitken is a proud cat-lover who isn’t afraid to admit that they can sometimes make for fickle pets. Are you interested in uncovering more tips and tricks on how to raise a healthy, happy cat? Visit Gill’s site at gill-careforcats.blogspot.com gill-careforcats.blogspot.com