How to Train Your Kitten

Whether you’re new to being the proud parent to a feline friend or if you’ve done it all before, you can always learn something new. We’ve gathered together everything you need to teach your bundle of fluff when you get them home to make sure you can live in harmony with one another. Training is the key to good communication and understanding what suits both of you, it’ll limit frustration when your new addition knows exactly how to get in your good books!

It can sometimes be overlooked as something you have to physically train your kitten to understand, but teaching them their name is important. To a cat, a name should mean, hey look over here so I can communicate something to you. It should be something positive that gets them excited every time you say it. Kittens quickly learn to associate the name you call them with good things happening because over time you will usually say their name and then give them some fuss when they come to you. If you use their name to call them to dinner, the food itself acts as a reward for responding. The name is always followed by something good and this is how you train them. While they don’t understand their name fully, it’s important not to use it in a negative context. Don’t call their name and then tell them off, they could learn to ignore it.

You don’t just have to rely on time to teach them their name either, you can play the name game with them to speed things up and make sure it’s a positive. You will need small treats or ones you can break into little pieces like Felix Crispies Cat Treats Salmon and Trout. The game itself is easy enough, all you do is say their name and feed them a treat when they look at you. This teaches them that their name means give me your attention. You don’t have to do it in one sitting, you can call their name throughout the day and the sound will usually get their attention which you can reward. In no time at all your new feline friend will be rushing over to you any time you call their name.

Teaching your kitten how to use a litter tray is often quite a quick process providing you offer them the right kind of environment to relieve themselves in. By nature, cats are very clean and like to do their business somewhere out of the way. They also like to be able to hide it which in the wild would prevent other animals coming along and sniffing them out as well as keeping their territory nice and tidy.

We tap into their need to do this by giving them a nice enclosed space to keep tidy. You can start with a very simple tray like the Savic Cat Litter Tray just to teach them where the toilet is. Putting it somewhere nice and quiet without too much foot traffic going past will encourage them to use it and make sure nothing is blocking the access. You can show them where the litter tray is as soon as they come home and also take them to it when you expect them to need the toilet like after food or a nap. Rewarding them after they use it as well will make it a positive experience.

Once they get used to it and you have a litter they enjoy using you can upgrade to a litter tray you might prefer like a hooded one to manage the odour better. Be sure to clean it out regularly to keep it nice and fresh to encourage your kitten to continue using it.

Training your kitten where you would like them to sleep is a little different than a puppy. Cats have a different sleep cycle to us and will be awake for periods throughout the day and night. They’ll usually sleep in warm places that offer some peace and quiet so you can lean into this by placing their beds in areas you think they will enjoy. Maybe a bed by the window to sunbathe throughout the day and one tucked away in the corner or down the side of your bed for a nice restful area when you go to bed. Beds like the Rufus & Rosie Arctic Fur Cat Calming Bed are great for helping your kitten feel safe and secure.

If you’ve got them a bed and they don’t seem to be using it, try placing things they enjoy in and around it to encourage them to spend time there. Some toys or catnip will get them to investigate it and discover how comfortable it is. You can use a Snugglesafe Heat Pad to make it nice and warm so your furry friend won’t be able to resist taking a nap in there. Teaching them where to sleep is more about making enticing bed areas for them to use rather than actively teaching them anything.

Scratching and biting are both very natural behaviours that kittens develop when learning to play with their siblings. They explore the world and investigate new things with their mouth and paws so it’s only natural that they will at some point scratch and bite you or the furniture. When it comes to unwanted behaviour like this, the first trick is to manage it. Don’t leave them unattended in a room where they can do damage. If they turn their attention towards scratching or biting you, you can remove yourself from their company and take your attention away to teach them that you won’t allow that behaviour.

At the same time, you should encourage play with toys. Cats want to scratch and bite so offering them things like a scratching post like the Rufus & Rosie Westwood Cat Scratcher Post will give them an acceptable outlet. You can get all kinds of chase toys to encourage rough play and get energy out of them so when it comes to interacting with you, they’re gentle and are rewarded with lots of cuddles. They can learn very quickly that they can have your attention when they’re gentle but you go away when they behave inappropriately.

You don’t have to leave trick training to the dogs, cats are perfectly capable of learning new things and often enjoy interacting with their parents to do so. They may lack the drive that some dogs do but there are lots of things you can teach them as long as you have plenty of rewards. You can teach your kitten a cute sit by holding the treat just above their nose and moving it back so they follow it. If you move it back over their head enough their bum will drop to the floor and you can reward the behaviour. Lots of repetitions of this and you can eventually add the word and pair the two together. You don’t have to stop with a sit, cats can learn almost anything your canine companions can with some patience. Learning new things doesn’t have to stop after they’re a kitten, they can learn new tricks their whole life and it’s a wonderful way to bond.

 

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