How to house train a cat: quickly and for a long time

Each new pet needs its own place. It is important to accustom a cat to a bed from the first days of his stay in the family. It is better to adapt small and young animals to their own corner, in which the animal will feel cozy and safe. However, you can also accustom an adult feline to a crib. Knowing some techniques and methods will make it easier for the owner to train the cat.

Choosing a bed

When arranging a corner for your pet, you need to choose a beautiful and comfortable bed. At the moment, there are many options. These are open baskets, closed houses, hammocks. Which one your pet will like is also an important question. Of course, the house should not be too small. The hammock needs to be placed correctly so that the cat can climb into it comfortably and can get off it independently. When it comes to outdoor beds, there are many options to choose from. When choosing a bed, you need to pay attention to the material, size and filling. Let's take a closer look at the features of choosing a sleeping place.

To begin with, let's focus on ordinary, open baskets or pillows. A cat bed may vary in size and shape. They may be different, but it is very important that the pet is comfortable. Of course, a model that is larger than the size of your pet would be an excellent option. If you have a kitten, then it is better to take a bed for growth. But make sure that the sides are low. This will make it easier for the baby to climb into the cozy cat’s nest. Sometimes cats may sleep curled up or stretched out. This is also an important criterion for choosing a pet bed. If your pet loves space, then it is better to take a closer look at open beds, pillows or bedding. They can be soft or denser. Here, too, the choice is up to the owner.

So, when looking for an open pet bed, you need to pay attention to the material. It can be flock, velor, tapestry or microfiber. It is important that the coating is durable, because it will need to be cleaned periodically. Also an important selection criterion is the filler. It is softer than the coating and the material, accordingly, is selected of a different quality and composition. A cat can sleep in a bed on padding polyester, perioteca, or halofiber. The advantage of these materials is that they prevent the development of parasites inside the bed. Of course, constant hygiene control in the form of cleaning is also important.

Houses for cats can be single- or multi-story. Also, some of them come complete with a scratching post. The hammock can be placed under a chair, near a radiator, or separately on a special frame.

When choosing a bed, observe the character of the cat. Perhaps she is overly active and loves space or to climb higher? Then buy a wide soft mat that can be placed on the windowsill. If you have a lazy and calm cat, you can buy a house. Interestingly, any cat needs a lot of time to sleep. At a minimum, this is 15-17 hours a day.

Basic requirements for a cat's home

A special bed or a whole house can be purchased at a specialized store. The advantages of having your own home for a pet are the absence of co-sleeping with the owner (the kitten will not disturb its owner’s sleep). And also, if a cat is sick, they will not hide in corners or under sofas. During the illness, the animal will sleep in its house and it will not be difficult for the owner to notice changes in the behavior of his mustachioed pet.

Just buying a house and waiting for the cat to want to live there is not enough. It is important to properly accustom the animal to its place, observing persistence and patience. Only in this case will it be possible to convince the animal that it is important to follow the rules established by humans.

Note! It has been proven that young animals adapt well to everything new. But an adult can also be accustomed to a place prepared for it.

A house that does not comply with certain rules will never be able to please a pet, even if the person goes to all sorts of tricks. When buying a home for a cat, you need to carefully select it according to certain parameters, depending on the preferences of a particular pet.

Accustoming an adult pet to a bed

If you bought a bed, but the cat is still not used to resting in it and even walks by, you need to accustom him to the new item. There is also an option that you needed to change the old sleeping place for a new one and the cat, for some unknown reason, does not accept the gift. Let's look at both cases with you.

The first bed can become the most comfortable and favorite place for your cat. But sometimes you need to figure out how to accustom a cat to a bed:

• Choose a convenient place where you can place a basket, house or hammock. Often, cat breeders recommend placing the bed in the place where the cat is used to sleeping;
• Use tricks. To attract your pet to a new bed, you can apply the scent of mint. Sometimes this may be a scented pouch. In some cases, catnip is sold in drops. It is better to buy it at a specialized pet store;
• Place toys in the bed or attract your pet with an interesting treat;
• If you have multiple cats, chances are you may need a couple of cat beds. If you are choosing a bed for a cat with kittens, both baskets and houses are suitable. There are also spacious beds in the form of soft bedding or pillows.

Method three: light pressure plus encouragement

A particularly stubborn cat must be housetrained with gentle pressure. Take the cat (do it softly and affectionately) and put it in the house. Caress her, give her a treat, but don’t insist too much, don’t try to keep her there by force. Just repeat this procedure from time to time, and soon the cat will begin to perceive the house as a place where it feels comfortable.

Video: how to house train a kitten

All cats are individual - some begin to sleep in the house from the day of purchase, and there are those that never recognize their new home. In any case, remember - a cat cannot be forced to do something. Only affection and encouragement (and sometimes cunning) will help convince the purr to do your way.

How to accustom a kitten to a bed

Let's imagine what a small kitten needs, which has only recently been weaned from its mother. Of course, the animal felt safe, warm and comfortable. As soon as the baby is in a new home, it is important to provide him with similar conditions. That is, you have to feed the kitten, care for it, treat it with love and care. But there is one more thing - physical comfort and a feeling of reliability. Therefore, a bed can be useful not only for relaxation. The kitten should get comfortable in its new place. You can try to help him. To make your pet more comfortable in the bed, place a blanket or toy there that smells like mommy cat. This way the baby will begin to perceive the bed as his home.

How to choose a place for a house

Each breed has its own preferences. The issue will be discussed in more detail in Table 1. But there are general requirements for the location of a new home; they must be taken into account first of all:

• absence of drafts;
• location near heating devices;
• location of the home near a computer, TV and other objects that emit radiation.

Table 1. Cat breed and preferred location of the cat house.

At the first stage of training, do not place the house in the place of the cat’s former bedding, to which she is accustomed. Instead of acceptance, it can cause rejection. Place the dwelling close to the litter and begin to actively accustom the animal to it.

Attention! Being located near heating devices activates shedding and simply hair loss. It is strictly forbidden to place a house near a radiator for cats of long-haired breeds.

How to protect your cat from hairballs in her stomach when shedding?

Where to place the bed

Usually, animals have several places to rest. In addition, these places may change over the course of a year. If in winter a cat needs a warm bed, then in summer he will prefer a spacious and cool one. Of course, options such as a window sill can work well at any time of the year. If your window is insulated and there is a radiator near it, you can place the bed there. In winter, it is easier to make a house for your pet or buy one so that it is warm and cozy.

In the summer, owners can lay bedding on the balcony. It’s very good if you have several options in each of the cat’s favorite places. For example, you can first purchase bedding, and after six months, buy a house. This option is good if you live in a private house. Then the second bed can be placed in the yard.

Why does a cat refuse to sleep on a bed?

First, let's look at the common factors that interfere with a cat's bed training. Due to independence and individual character traits, some owners cannot cope with raising their pets and let everything take its course.

It will be much easier for you to raise a cat if you thoroughly study the features of its physiology. Cats are agile, agile, and nocturnal predators who sleep 15 to 18 hours a day. Simply put, sound and healthy sleep is one of the first needs of a healthy animal.

Temperamental and young cats prefer to sleep at “heights”. In an apartment or house, pets often settle on cabinets, refrigerators and other furniture.

It is important to understand that the desire to sleep at height satisfies two strong needs at once:

• Safety is at its best, the cat is instinctively confident that predators will not get it.
• Protection of the territory - from a height the pet has the best view.

Practice shows that owners rarely think about discipline while the kitten is small. The pet is allowed to climb into the bed, sleep next to the owner and break other rules.

The cat understands that breaking the rules does not lead to negative consequences and, as an adult, completely ignores the owner’s wishes. To re-educate a ward, it is necessary to find a motivation that will excite the pet, stronger than established habits.

Note! When choosing a place to sleep, a cat considers three main factors: comfort, warmth and safety.

Bed care

It's no secret that every pet should have a set of its own “personal belongings”. These are dishes for food, toys and a bed. The sleeping area occupies a fairly important period of time in the life of any cat. She spends a fair amount of time there, which means the box should be cozy. Little kittens feel safe and warm in a bed.

But your pets’ sleeping place also needs to be properly looked after. If you bought a bed with a removable cover, you can wash it separately without using bleach. It is very important to rinse the case well.

You can also periodically clean the bed with a vacuum cleaner or brush. It is important to take into account the fact that if you use a damp brush, after a while the cat’s bed will begin to smell bad. Therefore, if you need to clean it as much as possible and remove the smell, it is better to wash it. If the design of the bed does not allow this, you can use the following care methods:

• Ventilate the litter by periodically taking it outside or onto the balcony;
• Shake, brush or vacuum;
• Clean around the bed;
• Watch for any odor.

When washing the cover or washing the house with a brush, you can use laundry soap with a not very repulsive smell. It will not only wash, but also disinfect the bed. If you have a non-washable cat bed, take a bowl of soapy water and give the bed a good wipe down. Then wash it with a damp, clean cloth and dry it.

Reasons for cat activity at night and in the morning

The owners sleep peacefully at night, early in the morning, and the cat decided to play. He jumps on the curtains, climbing up to the cornice, turning over flower pots, fiercely sharpening his claws on the door of a polished cabinet, enthusiastically tearing a plastic bag, chasing a found ball throughout the apartment. From time to time he jumps on the bed and begins hunting for the hands and feet of his owners. It is quite difficult to withstand such tests when you really want to sleep. The situation becomes unbearable if there is a small child in the house, who will take a long time to put to bed after such a wake-up call.

Before looking for ways to deal with the problem, you need to understand the reasons for this cat’s behavior. There are two of them:

• natural instincts;
• schedule.

By nature, cats are nocturnal predators. In the wild, they hunt in the dark, when their main enemies are fast asleep. It is not surprising that many cats are more active at night than during the day - this is their physiological feature.

Most pets are completely alone during the day. The owners go to work and school in the morning, and the apartment is empty. The cat gets bored and goes to rest. Until the evening she manages to sleep well, so at night she does not have such a desire. To maintain health, the animal needs physical activity. Therefore, during a short period of wakefulness, increased activity is observed. We must not forget that the cat needs communication. If he is alone at home all day, the desire to compensate for the lack of attention at night is understandable. It's not your pet's fault that you feel sleepy at this time.

Common mistakes: what not to do

If an owner wants to teach a cat to live in a house, they should not make common mistakes:

• Forcibly holding an animal inside.
• Buying a house that is too small or too large.
• If the animal has already had a negative experience related to housing, it is necessary to wait time, and only then continue training - the tension should subside.

Sometimes it’s more comfortable on a sunbed than in a house

The cat family is an ancient companion of man. Modern life is such that a person always has to take the situation into his own hands, so house training is his prerogative. But one thing is clear: every cat should have its own place, regardless of whether it is a British Fold or a mongrel.