Learn How to Teach a Cat Tricks

Many people train their dogs how to roll over and perform other tricks. While you may know that cats are smart, did you know that most cats can be taught to perform tricks? Since dogs are interested in pleasing their masters and cats are not, the training methods that work with canines may not work with cats.

For your first trick, find a behavior that your cat already does. As an example, felines like to bat at objects, so you could teach your cat to bat at your hand as if giving a high five. Getting the cat to do something that he or she has never done before would be next to impossible.

Many cats do best when trained with rewards. Treats or food bits tend to work well. Common dog reward tactics like giving playtime or enthusiastic praise will not work. Watch your pet for clues about well-liked foods and treats, and use these for training. In fact, you may want to limit these treats only to your training sessions for extra motivation.

When you first start training, give a treat each time your cat performs the behavior that you are trying to teach. Once the cat has mastered the trick, provide the reward intermittently so that your cat will learn not to expect a treat every time.

Felines are very sensitive to any show of negative emotions on your part. Be patient, and end the session if you become frustrated so that your pet does not learn to associate displeasure with training.

Using deterrents can work with some felines, although this would not be a good tactic for teaching tricks. If your pet is scratching the wall or doing another behavior that you do not want, try spraying some water at him or her. Physical punishment should never be used on a cat as they will more than likely try to avoid being near you in the future.

Cat training can be a hard process since they have their own ideas about what they will and will not do. You can learn how to teach a cat tricks or to not do certain behaviors such as hanging out on your kitchen counter. Although cat training can be hard since they are not very interested in learning what you want them to, with patience and the right training techniques, you can learn how to teach a cat tricks or to behave in ways that are acceptable to you.

About the Author

Have you had difficulty teaching your cat to do tricks or addressing other problem cat behaviors? Discover cat training secrets and solve your cat behavior problems permanently. Visit http://www.felineinfo.com/cat-behavior-articles.shtml

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Cat Hairballs - Tips for Preventing Hairballs in Cats

While constantly grooming themselves, cats ingest pieces of fur that end up in their stomachs. Cat hairballs are usually harmless as they can be coughed up. However, they can sometimes form a blockage in the intestines which can lead to serious problems. There are a few things you can do to prevent hairballs in cats. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Grooming

One of the best ways to prevent cat hairballs is to groom your cat daily. As mentioned earlier, cats ingest fur while grooming themselves. If you brush most of the loose hair off yourself, then less fur ends up in your cat’s stomach. You will also like the fact that less hair gets on your furniture.

Food

Another way to prevent hairballs in cats is to feed them special dietary aids. There are dry cat food brands formulated specifically to prevent hairballs. These foods are usually loaded with vegetable fiber. You should also make sure that the brand you try has plenty of nutrients and especially protein.

Fiber

One of the next ways to prevent cat hairballs is through the use of fiber. Fiber will help your cat defecate easier by adding moisture and bulk to his stool. Good sources of fiber included squash and canned pumpkin. These two foods can also be used to help with constipation and diarrhea.

Gel

If your cat has trouble expelling a hairball, then you can try using a special gel. This gel can usually be added directly to your cat’s food. Some gels provided lubrication, while others only provide bulk. You can even find gels that do both at once.

About the Author

Cat hairballs are relatively harmless. However, there are a range of cat illnesses that can affect your beloved pet. So, stop by cat-illnesses.com to read about conditions such as feline hyperthyroidism that may affect your cat someday.

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