Page 41 - Complete Cat Care: How To Keep Your Cat Healthy and Happy

Listening for the click
Before you start clicker training, make
sure your cat understands the connection
between the click and the reward. To prevent
boredom, keep training sessions short.

△ Almost the real thing
Prevent boredom and satisfy your cat’s hunting
instinct by providing him with toys that mimic
real prey in size, texture, and movement. Playing 39
with you and by himself are equally important.

Keep your
cat stimulated
Domestic life can frustrate a cat’s
natural predatory instincts, leading Training and fun
to a bored pet who may damage
your home trying to entertain
himself. Fulfill your cat’s need to
hunt by providing him with a
satisfying substitute. Interactive
toys, such as play wands with a
dangling feather or a catnip mouse,
give your cat something to chase
and allow you to join in the fun “Make sure you are not the sole source
while keeping your hands at a safe of fun by offering your cat toys that he
distance when he leaps onto his
“prey.” If he does bite during play, can play with on his own.”
simply stop the game so he learns
that you become boring if he bites.
Make sure you are not the sole edges) and filling it with dry food. Clicker training
source of fun by offering your cat Your cat has to paw and nose the If you want to teach your cat
toys that he can play with on his feeder to make the food fall out. behaviors—for example, going into
own. Toys that move or have an You can also scatter food around, his carrier—clicker training is very
interesting texture are most likely so that he has to hunt for it instead effective. A clicker is a small device
to catch his attention. Rotate them of just eating from a bowl. Cats like with a metal tab that clicks when
regularly to prevent boredom. to explore their environment from pressed. By clicking when your cat
Cats are also motivated to work every angle, so provide places for is doing the “right” thing, and
for their food. You can buy puzzle your cat to investigate, perch on, immediately offering him a treat,
feeders or make one yourself by or hide in: cardboard boxes and you can train him to associate a
cutting holes in a plastic bottle paper bags (with handles cut off) click with something good and to
(ensuring that there are no sharp are ideal and cost nothing. perform the desired behavior.

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