Did you know that cats are trainable? Many may have known that dogs are trainable, but cats? Believe it or not, one savvy cat owner named, Samantha Martin, founder of “The Amazing Acro-Cats” told HuffingtonPost said that, “any cat can be trained to do something”. Also, it certainly helps to pick a reliable cat breed, even if it won’t be serving as an emotional support animal.
So, if you have a pet cat, prepare for some great news! It is indeed possible to train your cat and not only that, but it is quite easy. Learn how to train your cat to sit, with these three easy steps, and your cat will be sitting on command in no time. Of course, according to Petfinder, this requires knowing and understanding the basic psychological principles.
1). Use Treats
First, you must identify what treats your cat loves. Is it pre-packaged cat treats? Chicken? Tuna? Once you find that special delicacy, commit to using it throughout the training process. Treats are essential because they provide motivation and are also used as a tool to help your cat sit.
Once you have your cat’s attention and he is aware of the food in your hand, place the treat near his nose so he can sniff it. Once your cat knows you have his favorite food, he will do anything for it.
Slowly move the treat in an arc motion upwards, so that you are holding the treat above his head and between his ears. Your cat, because he wants the treat, will follow your hand motion with his eyes and face. This will automatically cause his backside to get closer to the ground.
As his bottom hits the ground, reward him with praise and the special treat. This starts positively reinforcing the cat’s behavior of sitting.
Going back to the psychology side of things, did you know that there are items you can use to aid in the training of your cat? For instance, Petplace discussed a recent innovation called “The Clicker”, wherein the user, “wait[s] until [a] noise has stopped for at least three seconds and then supplying some valued reward”.
2). Use Your Voice
As your cat’s bottom touches the ground in eager expectation of the treat, make sure to say, “sit.” You want to say the command loudly and clearly enough while still using a friendly and pleasant tone of voice. Using an aggressive tone will only stress out the cat and make things harder for both of you.
You can even gesture your hands in a downward motion as you say, “sit” to help reinforce what you are saying.
Every time your cat sits while waiting to receive his treat, make sure to command, “sit.” Eventually, even when you don’t have a treat in your hand, your cat will recognize the word and hand motion, and he will sit for you.
3). Practice + Patience = Perfect
Like any trick, teaching your cat how to sit will take time and practice. It’s important to practice with your cat for a limited amount of time each day. You don’t want to wear him out.
Perhaps practice once or twice, or about thirty minutes, per day. This continually keeps the new behavior fresh in his mind, but it also gives him a chance to relax and avoid stress.
Before you know it, your cat will be a lean, mean, sitting machine. Follow these three easy steps and your fabulous feline will be trained in no time.
If you liked this article and found it useful, please share it with your friends so they too can learn how easy it is to train their cats. If you liked learning about the psychology of cats, you may want to read about how to tell if your cat loves you.