Russian Blue Cat

　　Is it theoretically possible to train cats to sit or lie down? Of course it is, and not just theoretically—practice makes perfect! As long as we grasp the techniques, we can more quickly train our pet cats at home into smart and obedient little ones.

　　1. Tone

　　When training, the tone should be serious, commanding, low and strong. When praising, the tone should be exaggeratedly higher and lively. Actually, our pets are like children: we need authority when teaching, but don’t forget to be gentle and excited when praising.

　　2. Consistent Attitude

　　If there’s more than one person at home, remember that every member must maintain a consistent training attitude. The following situation might confuse your cat: Brother dislikes the cat jumping on furniture and always chases it down whenever he sees it. But, unknown to him, family members are the opposite—Sister loves to hold the cat on the bed and gently stroke it, Brother enjoys the cat jumping on the desk to catch the mouse cursor on the computer screen, Mom loves the cat sitting on the sofa armrest to watch TV with her. Correcting the bad habit of jumping on furniture is indeed not easy.

　　3. Training Time

　　It’s best to train before meals, as cats respond better when they’re hungry. Each training session lasts about five minutes. The more frequent, the better—ideally every day. If the cat feels bored, please postpone the training. Prepare treats for training; cats are still cats, not dogs. They won't be too interested in learning with just praise. Do not give too many treats to avoid affecting their meal nutrition. I suggest using their favorite regular food as treats. If you find a brand of main food that your cat likes most, keep it for training rewards—feeding more then is acceptable.

　　4. Be Patient

　　Cats are much less obedient than dogs, so training requires more effort. Since every cat has a different personality, their acceptance of training varies. Some active cats seem to learn commands like OVER (jump over) quickly, while quiet ones naturally respond better to commands like STAY. It usually takes one or two days to teach a command and about one to two weeks to fully master it. During these weeks, cats seem to understand and not understand simultaneously, so patient teaching is important.

　　5. Immediate Rewards and Punishments

　　Cats and dogs don’t have memory like humans; they definitely won’t understand why you come home from work, point at the trash all over the floor and the overturned trash bin while yelling at them. Punishing them when you are not catching them in the act only confuses them. Likewise, if they do something right, remember to praise immediately. Otherwise, during that interval, they might yawn or scratch their hind leg, wondering how they earned a treat for doing what you asked. (Source：PetsZone)