Kitty Questions and Answers on Training a Cat and Cat Behavior
Q: Are cats trainable?
A: Yes, training a cat is not as difficult as the majority of cat people think it is. Cats may not be as amenable to training as Rover or Spot are but they are trainable. Treats given as positive reinforcement is probably the best procedure to successful cat training.
Q: Why and how do kittens purr?
A: Grown cats purr because they are happy and contented and to play on the emotions of humans — Who can ignore a purring kitty? Kittens purr in answer to their mother cat’s purr to assist in bonding them. It is mostly believed that the purring is a vibration of the voice box as air is pushed though it. It is also believed that purring is a voluntary action.
Q: What is the reason quite a few people are allergic to cats?
A: Cat allergies are caused by the proteins in cat dander generated from the cat’s saliva. The dander dries and becomes airborne. People with cat allergies demonstrate a reaction because their immune system is trying to attack the foreign protein and creates histamines.
Q: How do you change bad cat behavior such as clawing?
A: The best way to halt undesirable cat behavior is the same way the mother cat controls an errant kitten. This is by scuffing the cat. You firmly but gently grasp the cat by the scruff of the neck and hold it down until it calms down. You must do this at the time of the undesirable behavior.
Q: How do you litter train a cat?
A: You really shouldn’t have to do any training for a cat to use a litter pan, but if your adult cat has started to avoid the litter pan you need to figure out why. The cat may have a urinary tract infection in which case you need to go to the veterinarian. If it is just too dirty you need to keep it cleaner. If you have started using litter you may have to change back or sprinkle a little catnip in the litter to attract the cat to the new litter.
Q: How do you keep cats off the kitchen counter?
A: This is the most asked about cat behavior issues and can be a challenging one. Cats like high platforms and they often find food or food odors on tables and counters. It is best to keep the counters clean and to use something like foil or double sided tape to keep cats off the counters.