Is it possible to train a cat? How do I teach my feline friend?

It takes a lot to train a cat and it is not possible at the age your kitten is. Kitties at this age need to learn to run, play, hunt, fight, climb, clean themselves, etc. They really do not have the mind to learn dog tricks. You will need to wait at least 6 months or even a year before you can start with teaching your cat such commands as sit. Not every cat will be interested in learning this, so she may never be cooperative in that respect. Teaching this command will take a lot of patience, immediate reward with a treat. The cat will need to make the connection between the command and the act. And then the cat will need to want to obey the command. Cats are very independent personalities, so, while your kitty will love you, it is more likely to train you than be trained by you.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Actually, the younger the better when it comes to training so you may go ahead and start training Sunshine. He will let you know how far he will go for now but it is perfectly ok to start training at this time. Good luck and have a great day!

Yes, no problem but consider that if you need to keep him indoor in the future (even for few days), and he is not trained to use the litter tray, he might urinate/defecate in inappropriate places within the house. Hopefully will never happen but consider that won't be possible to check for any change in urine/feces pattern or appearance in case Oliver get sick (i.e. diarrhea, urine tract infection,..). Please post again on the forum or request a consultation if you would like to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Any cat or dog for that matter, can be trained. You can hold a treat in your hand and give it to her when she does come. She will associate something good with coming to you when being called. She will learn very quickly. Have a good day!

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It may be helpful for you to provide more details as to what behavior you're trying to correct in Sabbath. As you have found out spraying with water and tapping or hitting never work. These punishments can actually make things worse and are not recommended. Positive reinforcement and consistency are key in any training. A Feliway diffuser may help you as well. Again, depending on the behavioral problem there may be different solutions so more details are helpful in Sabbath's case. If you are running into problems a consultation with your veterinarian or even a boarded veterinary behaviorist will help. They can even discuss behavioral medications if necessary.

"Think Like a Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett is a great book on cat behavior; this author also has a couple of other books ("Catwise" and "Cat Vs. Cat") which are also great. "The Trainable Cat" by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis is another good resource, with lots of specific info on teaching your cat to do things in a positive way. I hope that helps a bit! :)

Hello! There are definitely things you can do to help modify this behavior! I would recommend starting by watching some dog training videos- the user Kikopup on youtube is a good one. Good dog trainers will always focus on positive reinforcement. Beware of dog trainers that claim to use dominance or punishment for training, as these methods can do more harm than good. Start by training Ali to sit and stay for a treat. On walks, have her periodically sit on command. You may need to bring REALLY good treats to bribe her at first! Eventually, you can have Ali sit and look at you every time you walk past a cat. This breaks the cycle of chasing behavior, and over time, she will learn to not pull on the lead and become more focused. This is how I trained my cat-reactive dog to go on walks, and it took a couple of months of dedication, but he doesn't even notice cats anymore! I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! :)