A Look At Cat Training Aids
There are a lot of common everyday objects in your cat's life that can be used as cat training aids. You really don't need any fancy and expensive collar or spray if you are patient and willing to work at your cat's pace and not at your own. But first, if your cat has a really destructive problem behavior, please take your cat to the vet. The behavior could be caused by an underlying medical condition.
Your Voice
The best cat training aids cat owners will find is their own voice. Cats' hearing is a heck of a lot better than ours, which is one way they can get around in complete darkness. There is a theory that cats choose their favorite people because these are the people who talk to them. Cats can understand a lot more than they let on and listen to your constantly.
You never need to hit your cat. Just a sharp hiss can let them know immediately that you are not pleased. You need to hiss or growl as soon as you catch them in the act. It's no good yelling at the cat when the deed was done hours or even minutes ago. The cat might think you are upset with him right at that moment he was behaving, because of the change in your tone of voice. This is how powerful these cat training aids are.
Affection
Gently petting your cat or letting your cat on your lap when the cat wants to come on your lap is another great cat training aid. You can easily incorporate petting and chin-scratching into grooming training sessions, for example. Many cats are not motivated by either food or toys - but they are motivated by affection.
Catnip
Catnip is one of nature's best cat training aids. It is cheap and plentiful. However, not all cats get any kind of pleasure from catnip. You do have to rub just a bit on a cat toy and then watch your cat's reaction to see if catnip would be a good cat training aid. Keep small children away when a cat is being introduced to catnip for the first time; some cats become incredibly aggressive.
For the most part, cats become mellow and full of purrs when they encounter catnip. The best thing catnip is for is to smear on scratching posts, cat toys or cat furniture or other places you want the cat to scratch, play with or stick around. The catnip makes these things a lot more attractive to scratch, kick and roll on than all of your other possessions.
