How To Train A Cat Not To Do Something
Introduction
Once you’ve determined that your cat is doing something you want it to stop doing, the next step is to figure out how to train your cat not to do it. This process can be frustrating if you don’t know what you’re doing, but by following these steps for training your cat not to do something, you’ll be well on your way to breaking its bad habit.
Distract your cat with something else it finds equally rewarding, and stop reinforcing the unwanted behavior.
The best way to deal with a cat behavior problem is to train your cat not to do the undesirable thing you want it not to do. You can do this using positive reinforcement, which means reinforcing behaviors you want instead of those you don’t want.
For example, if your cat is scratching the sofa, get him or her a toy that he or she likes, and use it when they scratch the sofa instead of scolding them for doing so. If he or she likes getting treats when they scratch the sofa, give them one every time they scratch there (and only there) with their claws retracted instead of their paws extended like they normally would be while making contact with their claws in order to get a better grip on whatever surface they’re scratching against (i.e., the floor).
Doing this will make sure that your cat knows what behavior gets rewarded and what behavior doesn’t get rewarded at all—which should help them learn how best not only behave around people but also other animals (like dogs).
Begin to increase the time between providing rewards and stopping reinforcement as your cat begins to understand what you want.
As you begin to increase the time between reinforcing and stopping reinforcement, your cat should start to understand what you want it to do. Be sure to be consistent with your timing and don’t give your cat any treats until it does the desired behavior. For example, if you’re trying to teach a cat not to scratch furniture by rewarding when they scratch on an acceptable surface, don’t reward them unless they are scratching on that appropriate surface. If they continue scratching at inappropriate places, stop all rewards until they properly do so. This will let your cat know that it needs to comply with instructions in order for rewards or attention from humans.
Never punish your cat.
If you want to correct a behavior in your cat, you should never punish him. Never use physical punishment, negative reinforcement or negative punishment. This can include yelling at the cat, giving him a time out or taking away his favorite toy for an hour every time he does something wrong.
Positive reinforcement works best when you want to change your cat’s behavior; this involves rewarding him with treats and praise when he does something good. If your kitty gets into trouble by scratching on furniture when he’s not supposed to, try throwing his favorite toy down next to the furniture so that he knows what’s allowed and what isn’t. He’ll learn quickly that there are better things for him to do with his time than go after things off-limits!
Never give in – if your cat sees that it can get a reward by begging enough times, it will keep begging.
When a cat begs, it’s usually because it wants something. It could be attention, food or affection (or all three). If you give in to their demands even once, they will keep begging until they get what they want.
If you want to train your cat not to beg for food, there are two options: either put the food bowl up high so that your pet cannot reach it or feed them immediately after putting their dish down on the floor. This way, your pet will have no choice but eat from its own bowl as soon as possible and won’t try begging for more food from anyone else at home
Conclusion
To summarize, the key thing to remember with any kind of cat training is that cats don’t respond well to punishment. So, in order to teach your cat a new behavior or stop it from doing an unwanted one, you’ll need to reward it for the behavior you do want and ignore the behavior you don’t. If your cat does something cute and adorable—even if it’s not what you taught it—be sure to give it lots of praise!