Purina Cat Chow: Cat Care Center: Emotional: Training

Physical. Emotional. Complete.® - That's the Purina® Cat Chow® Way of Life®

Subjects in this section include: how to keep your cat happy when you're away, toys and playtime, bringing a new animal into your home, feline depression, and more.

Click the links below to read articles or Cat Chow mentor responses to actual questions. Or use the library search tool to search by keyword.



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Author, cat lover, and a big believer in simplifying vet medicalese Specialty: Emotional

Topic: Training

Why Kittens

Can You Train a Cat?

Teach Your Cat To Come

You Can Teach Your Cat to Sit In 10 minutes!

What's Wrong with America's Cats?

Eight Steps to the Practically Perfect Kitten

We are moving soon and we were wondering what is the best method to allow a cat to become acclimated to her new environment? She goes outdoors and we are worried about her running off when we relocate.

My 2-year-old cat has a tall condo and loved to sleep in the top box. But he threw up there 2 weeks ago and I cleaned it twice but he won't stay there now, just sniffs and jumps back down. How can I get him to stay? I also rubbed it with catnip hoping that would take care of the problem.

Is there any special method for changing the location of my kitten's litter box?

How can I make the cat understand that jumping the fence to the neighbor's house is not right?

How do you introduce your cat to a new environment?

My cat loves to be outside but here in Florida this is not possible because of the alligators. Which of your books would give me the information on training him to use a harness and leash?

Since moving into a condo, my 6 1/2 year-old cat has been waking me up 2-3 times in the middle of the night to be fed despite the fact that he has dry food available. How can I train him to stop waking me up?

I have a totally deaf 3-year-old kitty. How can I stop or at least reduce the volume of his meowing, especially at night?

I have a 12-month-old cat that I've had for 7 months. The people who had him first had all outdoor cats so he was never trained to use a litter box. Is there a way I could get him to use the litter box so I wouldn't have to let him out?

I have a male neutered cat who does not seem to understand why he is supposed to dig and scratch in the litter. He spends up to 15 minutes scratching vigorously - the sides of the box, the cover, getting out and scratching around the opening, but never scratches in the litter itself or covers anything up. Is there anything I can do to help him figure out how to scratch in the litter only?

Is it too late to try to keep my 8-year-old cat inside? He was about 1-1/2 years old when I got him and had always been an outdoor cat but he is declawed. Invariably, he thinks he is the toughest cat on the block and regularly gets head wounds when he gets in fights with the other guys.

With Christmas not too far away, how do we keep our cat/kitten away from the Christmas knick-knacks and the artificial tree? Is there a spray we can use on the tree to deter the cat?

I was wondering if there was any way to keep a cat from jumping up on your car?

What can one do to stop an older male cat who is neutered from urinating out of the litter box when he's angry?

Is there any way to keep the neighborhood cats from using the cat door to come in and eat all my cat's food?

How can I stop my cats jumping on the kitchen cabinet countertops, tables and other furniture?

My cat had five beautiful kittens about three months ago. They absolutely refuse to use the litter box. How can I teach them to use it?

I want to crate train my cats to sleep all night in a cage - is it healthy for them to sleep like this?

How do we stop our cat from chewing on everything - windowsills, electrical cords, speaker wires, furniture legs, woodwork, window blinds, etc.?

With the holidays coming, I would like to put a Christmas tree up in my apartment. I have mostly glass (expensive) ornaments. I've heard that cats love to climb the tree and knock the ornaments off. What can I do so that I can decorate with a tree and keep ornaments on without having to worry about the cat?

How can I train my 11-month-old kitty to sleep in her bed?

My 5 year old cat refuses to use the cat litter. She is overly shy and reclusive. She WON’T come to anyone but me. She was given to me but she was taken from her mother too early. Is there anything I can do to get her to use the litter and get more social to us and our other 6 cats?

I have a 2-year-old male cat that I am trying to teach to use a cat door. He has allergies and has a hard time smelling. I tried rubbing catnip on the door, but he shows no interest. Any suggestions?

A year ago a beautiful cat adopted us. We love her and she is a great pet. No problems at all. I am a dog trainer and sometimes I feel her “talent” is wasted. I can see that she is a really intelligent animal. Do you have any tips how to exercise her brain?

You've mentioned "clickers" in two of your answers. What is clicker training?

How do you train a cat to meow at the door when it needs to go outside?

How do you stop an indoor cat from trying to run out the door?

I am going to be getting a kitten at about 8 weeks. What is an appropriate age to begin training a new kitten to walk on a leash or harness?

My husband and I have to spend a lot of time out of the house so we've installed a cat door in a kitchen window complete with a ramp outside to make it easier for our cat to get to and away from the window. She refuses to use it and will only go through it when we place her through it. We've tried giving her treats every time she gets passed through it and she still will not use it. Any ideas?

I have two 3-year-old females from the same litter. One loves attention, the other loves treats. She has become obsessed with getting them, and begs all of the time. I tried to start her on a routine by only giving them to her before I leave for work in the morning, but she is just not getting it. I feel badly when I don't give in, but I can't give her treats all of the time! Any suggestions? Also, the other cat doesn't like treats, but always runs over to them anyway. Is there anything I can do for her so that she doesn't feel like she's being cheated when I give the other cat the treats?

How do you get your new kitten to understand what you are saying at that time?

Why does my kitten act so wild during his training time?

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	Mentor Steffen Runquist shares her years of experience in this video series

According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Academy of Feline Medicine, spaying or neutering your kitten will make it a friendlier and gentler pet; less prone to fighting; and less likely to engage in mating behavior such as howling, rolling, roaming, and pacing.

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