behavior blueprint
C A T M A N N E R S
Before you get a new kitten or adopt an adult cat, make sure
© 2004 Ian Dunbar
you complete your education about kitty education. If you
are already living with an untrained cat with existing
problems, simply designate today as the first day at Kitty
College for both of you. Kitten training techniques work
perfectly well with adult cats.
Adopting a New Kitten
Check that the kitten was raised indoors, around human
companionship and influence. Ask the breeder how many
strangers, especially including men and children, have
handled and gentled the kittens. Spend at least an hour
observing, playing with, and hugging and handling
(restraining and examining), your prospective kitten. At
www.siriuspup.com behavior blueprint eight weeks of age, kitten activity recycles every 40 minutes
so. To get a representative feel for your kitten's overall
demeanor, make sure that you observe her while she sleeps, when she plays, and when she is
wild. Check that the kitten already uses a litter box and plays with her scratching post.
Adopting an Adult Cat
Choosing an adult cat is a very personal choice: choose the one that likes all family members
best, and choose the one you all like best. The secret to adopting the perfect cat is patience,
patience, patience, and selection, selection, selection. The perfect cat is waiting for you
somewhere, and so take your time to choose with your head as well as your heart.
Teaching Household Manners
The first week your kitten or cat spends in your home is the most important week of her life.
From the very first day, start an errorless housetraining and scratching post training program so
that you prevent any housesoiling and destructive clawing or chewing problems.
When you are not at home, leave your kittycat in a long-term confinement area (cat
playroom), which has a comfortable bed, fresh water, a litterbox, and a scratching post with
several cat toys and chewtoys (stuffed with food) hanging from the top. Long-term confinement
prevents mistakes around the house and maximizes the likelihood your kittycat will learn to use
her toilet and learn to play with her toys and scratching post.
When you are at home but cannot pay full attention to your kittycat, confine her to a small,
short-term confinement area (cat carrying crate) with a couple of stuffed chewtoys and dangly
cat toys. Confining your kittycat prevents any mistakes around the house, maximizes the
likelihood she will learn to play with her toys, and allows you to predict when she would like
to relieve herself. Knowing when your kittycat wants to go makes litterbox training easy,
because all you have to do is show her where to go and reward her for going. Closely confining
a kittycat temporarily inhibits elimination. Give her hourly access to the litterbox, and she will
promptly pee (and sometimes poop). Then voice gentle appreciation and give her three liver
treats as a reward.
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behavior blueprint
Confinement is a temporary management and training measure. Once your kittycat has learned
where to eliminate and what to scratch, she may enjoy full-run of your house for the rest of her life.
Until she is trained, do not feed your kittycat from a food bowl. Set aside some kibble to use
for safety training, and stuff some of her food into hollow Kong chewtoys with the odd piece of
freeze-dried liver. Moisten dry kibble, squish it into the Kong cavity, and place it in the freezer
overnight. In the morning suspend the stuffed Kongs from the top of her scratching post. Your
kittycat will spend a long time eating, and in the process will be automatically rewarded for
playing with her toys and scratching post.
If eventually you would like your kittycat to eliminate outdoors, use soil in her litterbox instead
of commercial litter. Your kittycat will quickly develop strong substrate and olfactory preferences
for eliminating on soil and will naturally want to eliminate outside.
Safety Training
When cats are scared, they run and hide, sometimes remaining in hiding for several days. Indoor
cats are especially scared if they escape outdoors (usually when strangers visit the house).
Whether you intend your cat to be allowed outdoors or not, safety training is essential. At the very
least you should teach your cat to come when called. The process is simple.
Before every mealtime, call your cat and have him follow you from room to room before
putting his stuffed Kongs (and the following cat) in his confinement area. From time to time
throughout the day, call your cat and handfeed a piece of kibble or freeze-dried liver when he
comes. Back up and repeat the process several times. If you like, you can use a silent dog whistle
instead of calling your cat.
Indoor cats have a longer life-expectancy than indoor-outdoor cats. If you intend to let your cat
outside, you must teach him to remain in the yard, otherwise you will take several years off his
life-expectancy. First, neuter your cat and he or she will be less likely to roam. (Circulating sex
hormones fragment normal brain function.) Second, make sure your fence is cat-proof. Third,
convert a section of your yard into a cat activity center—hang a number of stuffed Kongs and
dangly cat toys from a tree, for example. Fourth, you must teach your cat a "freeway" escape-route
back into the safety of your house. For the first few weeks your cat begins to investigate your
yard, reserve all food for this exercise.
Open the yard door and let your cat poke his nose out and then immediately call him back inside
for a piece of cheese. Next time call him back for a freeze-dried liver treat after he has gone just one
yard outside. Repeat this over and over, each time letting your cat venture a little further outside.
To learn more, read our cat Behavior Booklets, available from jamesandkenneth.com. To raise
and train your cat, you will need a cat-carrying crate, a very comfortable cat bed, water bowl, litter
box, scratching post, hollow chewtoys, catnip toys, and freeze-dried liver, all available from your
local pet store.
courtesy of
SIRIUS ® DOG TRAINING
BE HAV IOR BLU EP RINTS fro m www.s ir iu spup.c o m
New Puppy, New Adult Dog, Housetraining, Chewing,
The original and leading provider
D ig g in g , B a rki n g, Ho me Alo ne , P uppy B it i ng ,
of puppy classes in the Bay Area
F i ght i ng , F ea r o f P eo ple, D og s & Chi ldren ,
1-800-419-8748
HyperDog, Puppy Training, Come-Sit-Down-Stay,
www.siriuspup.com
Wa lki ng On Lea sh, a nd C at Ma nn ers .
© 2005 Ian Dunbar
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