American Shorthair Cat

　　Stopping a cat as soon as it shows signs of bad behavior is very effective. If it starts to paw at houseplants’ leaves or chew on power cables, that is a sign it is about to gnaw—at this time, you should stop it—halt the bad behavior in its early stages while telling it “No playing!” or “Go away!”, with a loud voice loud enough to make it stop what it is doing and pay attention to you or run away. When it runs off and sits quietly, you can go encourage it.

　　If you scare it into running away or hiding, never chase it or force it back for punishment, as this will only confuse and frighten it. When it reappears, tell it what you expect: no, it cannot jump on the kitchen table, but how about this tall and cute cat tree? When it jumps on the cat tree by itself, encourage it again.

　　If possible, you can adopt a “replacement” strategy: use a cat tree instead of the top of the fridge, a scratching board instead of the sofa, and a knotted old sock for chewing instead of power cables. Scratching claws, chewing, and similar behaviors are instincts passed down generation after generation and cannot be completely eradicated. Therefore, you need to find a suitable compromise solution between you and your cat.

　　If shouting loudly or replacement strategies don’t work, you can use “aversion techniques.” When the cat scratches the sofa, spray it with a water gun or sprayer so it associates the unpleasant feeling of being sprayed with the act of scratching the sofa. You can also put several coins in an empty tin can, cover it with a lid, and shake it beside the cat whenever it tries to jump on the dining table; the noise is enough to scare it away. After repeating this a few times, it will remember.

　　Be very careful in the training process not to harm or cause pain to the cat. Observations show that when kittens misbehave, the gently taps the kitten’s nose with her paw as a warning. A cat’s nose is very sensitive, and a light tap on the nose can quickly get its attention. Remember, the action must be gentle.

　　The key to training cats is perseverance. If you try but see no effect and give up training, it will be harder to train again. Cats become confused and stubborn—can you blame them? But if you are determined to train them, you must persist! Although training may be difficult at times, success is not impossible.