When you bring a new pet (whether a cat, a dog or any other animal) to your house, you need to teach him some manners to stay with you in your living place. It might not be so easy, but it’s not hard either. Here I will first tell you some useful tips for training cats, then I will specifically talk about how to train your cat not to bite and scratch?; its reasons, and ways to stop cats from biting. Because a lot of people get confused about do cats bite? Or why my cat bite me?
Tips for Training a Cat
Many people want to know how to train a cat? So I am going to give you some tips for training a cat:
- Be consistent in training your cat
You should keep in mind that you have to be consistent in training your cat. It should not be like that you started training your cat a habit one day and stop after a few days or take one or two days break in between teaching it.
- Brief training sessions
Cats generally have shorter scrutiny spans. A 15 minutes training session is quite enough to keep your cat focused. I know it will take a longer timespan to train your cat for a particular habit with a 15 minutes training session, but it will help you train your cat properly and effectively. Because if you train your cat for more than 15 minutes then it will lose focus. Consequently, it will not be able to learn what you teach it.
- Teach one skill at a time
Do not try to train your cat multiple skills at one time. Because it will overload your cat and it will not learn a single skill properly, just as humans feel overloaded if many tasks are assigned to them at a time. So when your cat takes in one skill then you should move to the next one.
- Repetition
Repetition is very important in training a cat. When your cat masters a skill, repeat it frequently outside of a training session so the cat will not forget it.
- Best time for training cats
Try to train your cats immediately once they wake up. Because they will be more focused and ready to play. They will also probably be hungry and will learn more to get a tasty meal. As the cats’ general routine is eating, playing, and sleeping. So we have to fix the training session in between their routine, and the ideal time is surely when they wake up from their nap.
- Use the same signals to train your cat
Use the same signals such as hand signals or whatever cues you are using to teach your cat, to prevent any confusion, and make sure that all the family members use the same signals too.
- Remove distractions
Find a quiet and peaceful place without any noise to train your cat because otherwise, your cat will become distracted and a distraited cat can’t learn anything. Try to do the training session away from your family members and any other pet. It will help your cat to grasp the skill more effectively.
- Be patient
Be patient with your cat while it’s learning a skill. Because learning new expertise always takes time. So you should give proper time to your cat to take in a skill.
Reasons for Cat Biting
There is no specific reason for cat biting. Multiple factors and reasons can stimulate the cat to bite. Here I will tell you some of these reasons and how to stop them.
- Playfully train your cat
Cats often bite while playing. It’s a routine play behavior that begins with kittens at 12 weeks and extends through their first year. They learn hunting skills as well as adult communication skills from such faux fighting.
- Self Defense
Cats can use their bites for self defense. If a cat finds something dangerous for it then it will surely bite. If a cat senses a harsh environment where it feels uncomfortable, it may react by biting. If it feels like someone is about to jeopardize then it may bite even more forcefully.
- Sudden Cat Biting While Petting
The cat can bite when you are petting it. It may seem to love the attention at one second and then suddenly it may start biting at your hand. It is basically sending a message that it has had enough.
- To Demand Attention
Sometimes a cat bites to get attention. If a cat bites you and then ushers you to an activity, such as playing then this can be a reason that it is demanding your attention.
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- To Stop Unwanted Actions of Humans or Animals
If any action from animals or humans was effective in the past then the cat can bite to stop that action or behavior. Such as, if it had previously bit while having its nails trimmed and then the nail trimming stopped, it may have grasped that it is an effective tool.
How to Stop Cats From Biting You?
Now, I am going to tell you how to train cat not to bite? You can use many ways to train your cat not to bite you.
- Do not Allow It to Play With Your Bare Hands
You should teach your cat that your hands are not toys. If you allow your cat to play with your hands then it will become very risky for you. So, do not allow your cat to play with your bare hands or toes.
- How to Teach Your Cat Not To Play Bite?
To stop your cat from play bite discourage your kitten from biting at your bare hands by directing it to an appropriate toy. Never use your hands to fight back with your kitten as it will teach it inappropriate interactions such as clawing and biting at human fingers. Try not to pull away your hand or foot when your cat bites. It will evoke your cat to attack even harder.
- Train Replacement Behavior
Teach your cat replacement behavior. For example, if your cat becomes overjoyed when you enter the house and attacks your feet then teach it to sit and reward the cat for it. Then whenever you will enter the house it will try to sit and get a reward.
- Avoid Physical Punishment
If your cat bites you try to avoid physical punishment as it will make your cat more aggressive.
- Offer Appropriate Toys
You should provide your cat with a variety of toys so it may not get boring. Toys keep the environment lively and encourage appropriate play behavior with appropriate objects. So try to offer appropriate and interactive toys to your cat.
- Respond If Your Cat Pounces on Your Hand When You are Doing Something Other Than Playing
Make sure that your cat knows when you are working and when you are playing with it. If your cat pounces on you when you are working then you should respond and gently try to keep it aside.
- Consistent Responses
Try to maintain consistent responses and make sure that all the members of your family follow the same rules, otherwise, it will be difficult for your cat to understand what you are teaching it.
