If kittens have not been domesticated and are not used to humans, then you will face huge challenges in the process of training.Kittens will be very wary of humans and do not trust humans.Therefore, your first task is to win its trust
If the kitten is eight weeks old but is still not used to humans, it is likely to behave like a stray cat or a wild cat.Unfortunately, once this behavior pattern is formed, it is difficult to change, and the kitten is likely to grow into a lonely and out of group cat.
1.Domesticated kittens
Usually, kittens need to be domesticated by the cat mother for at least two months before they can be separated from the cat mother. During this time, the task of “training” kittens to become well-behaved and obedient domestic cats is mostly done by the mother cat.
Kittens begin to be weaned at about one month of age and are fully weaned by eight weeks of age, eating solid foods.
If the mother cat gives birth to a litter of kittens, and it is entirely up to you to wean them, make sure that the mother and baby stay together for at least two months before they are separated. The mother cat will teach the kitten to recognize its own ability, eat and use the litter box reasonably.
2.Don’t buy out kittens with premature milk
If you buy kittens from a store, you must figure out the age of the kittens.Kittens that are weaned prematurely tend to be more aggressive and require more training than kittens that are weaned normally.
3.Continue to domesticate kittens
Excellent pets are often well domesticated at a young age.Well-domesticated kittens should be cuddled by all kinds of people from the age of two weeks, regardless of whether they are young or old, regardless of gender and appearance.There should be such a cuddling process every day, preferably for five to ten minutes, at least twice a day, the more frequent the better.
4.Be patient in the process of domesticating kittens
You can’t force the kitten, when the kitten is around you, your weapon is to give it patience and positive rewards, so that the kitten will associate you with a pleasant experience.
For example, when you’re lying on the floor watching TV, keep a snack or two in your hands or pockets. The lying position makes you less threatening, and the curious kitten will come close to you. Throwing a treat on the ground to reward the kitten for its bold behavior helps to make it associate with a delicious treat, making it more willing to approach people in the future.
5.Actively intensify kitten training
When a kitten messes up the house, stroking its face or yelling at it is the wrong way to train. You need to reward your desired behavior in order to achieve positive reinforcement, so that the kitten can correct the past behavior habits, which is the easiest way to correct the behavior habits of cats.
If the cat does something you don’t like, ignore it. Often, cats bark at the door or scratch with their paws to get your attention. If it doesn’t work, cats will quickly abandon this practice.
Be rewarded with a delicious treat. Most cats have a “must-have” treat. If your kitten doesn’t respond much to food stimuli, let him try a variety of foods to see what suits his appetite better.
6.Don’t punish kittens
Punishing the little cat may seem to be an improvement, but doing so will make it more cunning.For example, the little cat pees on the carpet in the center of the living room.If you punish or intimidate it for this, it will associate the punishment with you, not with urinating on the carpet.In this way, the little cat will be very careful in the future not to urinate in front of you, but doing so will also be counterproductive, because the little cat is more likely to find a place to hide to urinate, or when you are present, because you are afraid of you and unwilling to use the cat litter box.
7.When you disapprove of the kitten’s behavior, imitate the meow of the mother cat
When a mother cat blames a kitten, she makes a clicking sound in the back of her throat that you can try to imitate. Try the things that the kitten is used to, it will be more effective and more suitable for training the kitten.
When a kitten scratches something with its paws or violates the rules of the house and does something that it shouldn’t do, all you have to do is flick your tongue on the roof of your jaw and make a sound.
8.Use catnip in training
Training a cat with catnip is particularly effective, and rewarding the cat is much more effective than yelling at it. It’s a great way to get your cat to grind its paws on the paw stick, play with the toys you give it, or go to sleep where you let it sleep. Putting a little catnip in the bag is enough for the cat to play for hours.
Not all cats like catnip, which adds to the difficulty of training. If the cat is not interested, you can use something it likes, such as treats, to attract it.
9.Provide plenty of space for cats
If a kitten likes to climb on the kitchen countertop to look or go where it shouldn’t, it’s useless to scare it. It will only make it scared of you. You should set up a table or stool nearby, or put some catnip or treats on top so that the kitten can jump on it and observe the whole area.
Let the kitten understand that this is its territory. If it jumps on the kitchen countertop again, carry it back to the stool.
10.Play with the kittens regularly
To prevent the kitten from behaving emotionally, exercise and feeding can be combined. Before each feeding, stimulate the kitten’s predatory instinct by playing with ropes, straps, laser lights, or other toys that the cat loves. This is an important part of a cat’s daily life. Without this part, they can become emotional or overly excited.
Take out the toy, let the kitten jump in the air, run around, and then let it grab the toy before starting to eat. Usually after eating, cats will groom their coat and then go to bed. Play for at least 20 minutes a day, or until the kitten stops on its own.
Tips:
- Wave a yarn or rope in front of the kitten and play with it. The kitten will like you for it.
- Take a close look at the kitten and assess its good and bad habits. Find ways to correct bad habits and reinforce good ones.
- If you are gentle with your kitten, then it will also be gentle and friendly to you.
- Play with the kitten often and shout its name so it will know that is its name.
- Do not lock or keep kittens in small cages. This can make the cat irritable and may even bite.