Abyssinian Cat

　　The issue of training cats has always been a concern for everyone. Cats are not as easy to train as dogs, but that does not mean cats cannot be trained. Cats are also very intelligent animals. As long as the owner has enough patience during the training, it is believed that the cat can soon be trained into a well-behaved cat.

　　1. Tone

　　When training, the tone should be serious, firm, and commanding with a deep and powerful voice. When praising, the tone should be exaggeratedly higher and lively. Actually, our pets are like children; when instructing, one must be authoritative, but when praising, don’t forget to be gentle and excited.

　　2. Consistent Attitude

　　If there is more than one person in your house, remember that each member’s training attitude needs to be consistent. The following situations may confuse your cats: Some family members dislike cats jumping on furniture and chase them away each time; unknown to them, others like to hold the cats on the bed and gently stroke them, some like cats jumping on the desk to catch the mouse pointer on the computer screen, others like cats sitting on the sofa watching TV with them. It is really difficult to correct the bad habit of cats jumping on furniture.

　　3. Training Time

　　It’s best to train before meals, as cats respond faster when they are hungry. Each training session should be about five minutes. The more frequent, the better. Ideally, train daily. If the cat feels bored, please postpone the training. Treats should be prepared during training. Cats, after all, are not dogs; merely praising cats will not interest them much in learning. Treats should not be given in excess, so as not to affect the absorption of nutrients from regular meals. It is recommended to substitute treats with the cat’s favorite regular food; if you find a brand of food that your cat loves, save it for training rewards, and then feeding more of it is not problematic.

　　4. Patience

　　Cats obey much less than dogs, so more effort must be spent during training. Since each cat’s personality differs, their receptiveness to various training methods also varies. Some active ones seem to learn commands like OVER (jump over) faster. Quiet ones naturally absorb commands such as STAY better. It usually takes one to two days to teach, about one to two weeks to master accurately. During this one to two weeks, cats seem to be halfway between understanding and not understanding. Therefore, patient teaching is important.

　　5. Immediate Rewards and Punishments

　　Cats’ and dogs’ memories are not like humans’; they will never understand why you yell at them pointing at the scattered trash and the overturned trash bin when you come home from work. If you do not catch them making mistakes immediately, it will only confuse them. Similarly, if they do something right, remember to praise immediately; otherwise, in the meantime, they might yawn or scratch their hind legs, with no idea the treat is because they met your demand. (Source：PetsZone)