If you're starting to litter train your cat or you want to practice commands and tricks with them, it is very important that you understand one thing: you will not achieve anything through bad words or telling your cat off - let alone abuse.
Cats are very special animals; as you know, cats do not base their happiness on pleasing their owners, as some dogs do. On the contrary, cats expect to be treated like kings and will not lift a paw if they don't get anything in exchange.
Whether you are teaching your cat to use the toilet, not to scratch the furniture or perhaps not to bite you, using positive reinforcement in cats is an excellent way to achieve results in training. Keep reading this AnimalWised article!
What is positive reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement is simply rewarding the behaviors that you like in your pet. You can use food, affection or pleasant words in order to do so. Anything goes if your cat likes it and makes them feel comfortable and pleased.
If you are trying to modify your cat's behavior, such as scratching furniture, rewarding them with treats or petting them when they use the scratching post is an excellent way of saying "This is good, I like it!". You should know that animals trained using positive reinforcement learn faster and better.
Using positive reinforcement in cats
Remember that in order to get the cat to listen to you, you can't just offer any kind of food. You should discard their regular cat food and opt for other tastier products for cats, such as small pieces of frankfurter sausages or cooked ham, among other treats.
If you've never used positive reinforcement with your cat before, you must be very consistent so that your cat understands how the method works and gets used to pleasing you and obeying your instructions. However, once your cat understands how this system works, they will not stop chasing you around the house for delicious and tasty treats.
Benefits of positive reinforcement in cats
While punishment can be the cause of fear, stress and even aggressive behavior in your cat, positive reinforcement is very much accepted and does not cause any backlash.
Also, you will benefit from a better relationship between the two of you. Positive reinforcement in cats stimulates their mind; you will be able to change your pet's behavior and get along easily and peacefully.
If you want to read similar articles to Positive Reinforcement in Cats, we recommend you visit our Basic education category.