Cat - Training Your Cat To Be Nice To Your House

Is your cat taking over the house? Climbing curtains, chewing cords, knocking over the trash and jumping on the counters? Well you don't have to put up with it! Even though it may seem like your cat cannot be trained, a little bit of patience and persistence can help you get a feline housemate that is well behaved and a pleasure to live with. Curtains might be a way to dress up your windows to you, but to your cat they are a fun thing to climb up on and shred with their claws. You want to discourage this behavior and one way to do that is to use tension rods. When your cat tries to climb up on the curtain that is attached with a tension rod, the whole thing will come tumbling down and make a clatter that will scare him. This might be a bit inconvenient for a while, but your cat will soon learn that climbing on the curtains is not fun and will avoid them altogether. You can do this temporarily until your cat gets the hint and then go back to your usual curtain rods. Another thing is that you can simply use vertical blinds in your windows. Your cat won't want to climb them and he will be able to move a slat on the blind and view the outside world with out tearing down the whole thing. If your cat is chewing up things around the house try putting a distasteful substance on them. Cayenne pepper, biter apple, orange, nail polish orange peels, lemon peels and sprays specifically purchased for this purpose in the pet store can all do the trick. The next time your cat goes to chew he'll think "ick!" and won't want to chew that item again. Of course, you want to test the item first to make sure whatever you are putting on it won't get ruined. If your cat is a garbage digger, the best solution is to just not make it available to him. Store the garbage in a cabinet or in the garage. If you have to have the garbage out then make sure there is a tight lid and avoid swing top lids. A good garbage pail would be one that you have to lift off the top or one that you have to use your foot to open. If your cat is tipping the garbage can over put something heavy enough so that they are unable to tip it over Cats hate loud noises and surprises and to discourage him from jumping on the counter you can leave some items up there that will make a loud noise when he jumps up. Try putting empty aluminum cans on the edge with pennies in them or lay utensils on the counter or cover it in foil paper. Carpet shredding is a favorite past time of my cat. To try to get her to stop, I use one of those cardboard cat scratchers. Whenever I catch her scratching the rug, I yell and then go over to the scratcher and scratch it myself. She comes right over and uses it instead of the rug. A couple of times she has run right over to it and I do notice her using it more often so hopefully she is getting the hint. You can try this with any type of scratcher your cat prefers, just make sure you put one handy in the room she likes to scratch up. Lee Dobbins writes for E Pet Center where you can learn more about pets and caring for kittens and cats. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins Cat - To Declaw or Not to Declaw? When the subject of declawing comes up among cat owners and cat lovers, conversation can become very heated. People seem to have strong feelings either pro or con on declawing. For as many reasons one might find to declaw their cat, there are as many reasons not to do it. If you are wrestling with this dilemma, this article will give you the information to make an educated decision with facts and alternative options to permanent declawing. Scratching and sharpening claws are natural actions for all cats. It is their way to "trim" their nails. When they sharpen their claws on wood, scratching posts, etc., they are shedding the exterior loose sheath of the claw. It also is a way that cats leave their scent on objects. You may also notice your cat will sharpen his claws when he is feeling playful and happy. Despite all these explanations as to why they scratch, it doesn't ease the pain of having your furniture destroyed by your kitty. After seeing your home going to shreds, you may be thinking you only have two options: declaw or get rid of the cat. Let's throw out the idea of getting rid of your kitty and give you some solutions in dealing with this issue. The easiest solution is to provide your cat with lots of alternatives to your furniture. That means placing scratching posts around the house, especially around the areas the cat has been specifically scratching. Rubbing catnip on the scratching posts can make them more enticing. Give your cat lots of praise, loving pats, and treats when he uses his post. Keeping your cat's nails trimmed can keep the urge to claw at bay, too. Hold the cat's paw in your hand and gently depress the paw extending the claw. Clip the white, sharp end being careful not to get into the pink quick. Cutting into the quick can make the cat uncomfortable and cause bleeding. To stop bleeding, put baking soda on the nail and it will clump. If you need guidance or help, take your kitty to the vet and either get training or have them do it for you. Despite the myth, that cats can't be trained, you can really train them to stay away from your furniture. If he is still scratching the furniture after you have provided acceptable scratching areas to him for a week or so, try making a "shaker". This shaker is a can (nut cans work well) filled with a few coins or dry beans. When you see the cat near the furniture getting ready to claw it, vigorously shake the can. Making all this noise should divert the cat's attention and, after repeat performances, the cat will associate scratching furniture with an awful noise while scratching on their posts are positive experiences. If the shaker doesn't get your cat to stop the behavior then its time to up the ante with a squirt bottle. When the cat nears the furniture and reaches up to dig in, give him a squirt of water. This should be a very effective and quick alert to the cat that scratching the furniture is not as fun as it used to be. As with the shaker, be consistent and give it time to work. Don't forget to give praise when your kitty shows those positive behaviors. If these behavior modifications don't work, you can purchase a product called Soft Claws that is a plastic covering that fits snugly over the claws and stay in place with glue. A 40-pack supply will last about 3 months. You will have to reapply the caps every few weeks because the cat's nail will still grow and pop the caps off. A similar product called Soft Paws is available through your vet as well if you don't feel up to the challenge of putting the caps on your cat. Cats don't like the feeling of certain textures, which can work to your benefit. Textures such as plastic wrap and foil can be placed on your furniture to repel your cat. If over a course of several weeks, all these ideas have been exhausted and have not given you any positive results, the next step could be declawing. Many groups such as PETA and Cat Fanciers Assoc. do not approve of declawing. They state that scratching is a natural behavior for cats. They scratch to groom their nails, mark their territory and, most importantly, to protect themselves. If you have a cat that may go outside, declawing should not be considered. It would put your cat in a very defenseless position; they couldn't claw to defend themselves or climb a tree to escape. Also, many times, when cats defend themselves after being declawed, they resort to biting which can be even more unpleasant than the clawing. There are two types of declawing procedures. Onychectomy is the most common procedure in which the end toe joint (imagine your end finger joint to the finger tip) is amputated. It removes the entire claw. This surgery poses risks such as infection and pain for a week or more after the surgery. The wound site is closed by sutures or surgical glue then wrapped with gauze. Sometimes the glue can come apart causing bleeding. Cats usually don't keep the gauze on for long. They will bite and rub it off which further exposes the fresh wounds to infections. Cats also run the risk of infection each time they go into the litterbox due to dirt, litter, and feces entering into the wounds. The second form of declawing is a tendonectomy in which the tendon that attaches to the end toe digit is cut. The cat still has his claw but can't extend it. Healing time is quick with lessened postoperative pain. The claws still will grow and will need to be trimmed regularly. However, because the cat still has its claws, it will still try to use them. Again, trimming the nails will curb the damage done from clawing and will also prevent the nail from curling under and in growing into the kitties paw pads. A possible negative long-term effect is arthritis. Declawing should be the last resort when all the other possible means of curbing the destructive behavior have been exhausted.