Kitty Querries and Responses on Training a Cat and Cat Behavior

Q: Can you  train cats?

A: Yes, training a cat is not as frustrating as most the uninitiated take for granted it is. Kitties most likely are not as amenable to training as Champ or Rover are but they can be trained. Tasty rewards given as positive reinforcement is probably the most certain means to train a cat.

Q: Why and how do kittens purr?

A: Grown kitties purr because they are happy and contented and to manipulate humans — who can resist a purring cat? Kittens purr in answer to their mother cat’s purr to assist in bonding them. It is widely theorized 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 makes quite a few people are allergic to cats?

A: Cat allergies are caused by the proteins in cat dander originating from the cat’s saliva. The dander dries and becomes airborne. People with cat allergies have an allergic reaction because their immune system is trying to attack the enemy protein and creates histamines.

Q: How do you break bad cat behavior like clawing?

A: The best way to stop naughty 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 should do this at the time of the undesirable behavior.

Q: How do you litter train a cat?

A: You really shouldn’t be required to do any training for a cat to make use of a litter box, but if your adult cat has started to avoid the litter box you need to find out why. The cat may have a urinary tract infection in which case you need to go to the vet. If it is just too dirty you need to keep it cleaner. If you have changed 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 tables?

A: This is one of the most asked about cat behavior problems and can be a difficult one. Cats like high platforms and they can 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 tables.