How to House Train a Cat

Cats make perfect pets. They are warm, lovable, independent, and require little maintenance. To get cats to this perfect state, however, you must house train them. Learning to use the litter box is fairly simple for cats if you train them the right way. For cats, praise is the key. Harsh words and punishment go no where. Here are the simple steps you can take to train your cat to consistently use the litter box.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bag of clean litter
• litter box

1. Decide where you will keep your cat's litter box. Cats usually do not like to eat or sleep in the same room they eliminate. Try putting his bed in the living room and his litter box in the laundryroom.

2. Feed your cat on a regular schedule. Cats can typically eat from a full bowl of food each day, but in the beginning this is not ideal. If you know when your cat eats, you can more easily guess when she will eliminate. Get used to this schedule.

3. Introduce your cat to his litter box. Scratch the litter and coax your cat to climb inside.

4. Repeat the previous step until you catch your cat peeing or pooping in the litter box. Then praise her, give her a treat, and pet her. She needs to know she has done a good thing.

5. Clean your cat's litter box daily. Cats don't like dirty litter boxes. In fact, a cat that regularly uses a litter box may discontinue use if the box is constantly dirty.

Tips & Warnings

• Add clean litter each time you clean your cat's litter box.
• Don't punish your cat by putting her in the litter box. She will associate it with punishment.

Resources

• Perfect Paws