How to Train Outdoor & Indoor Cats

Even though they are independent, cats can still be trained.

When the topic of cat training comes to mind, the first thought is usually litter-box training. However, you can train cats in other desired behaviors as well. Indoor cats can be trained to remain indoors, while outdoor cats can learn how and when to go outside. With cats, most training focuses on what not to do, such as clawing the furniture, running out the door or climbing on the counter. Providing negative outcomes for undesirable behavior is the easiest way to make your cats behave as you want them to.

Things You'll Need

• Double-sided tape
• Cat door
• Empty soda cans
• Coins
• Litter box and cat litter
• Cat

Instructions

Scratching Issues

1. Survey your home to determine what things your cat is scratching. Frequent targets of scratching include carpeting and furniture.

2. Purchase double-sided tape, and test it on hidden parts of the floor and furniture to make sure it will not damage these items. The tape must be sticky on both sides but not overly gummy.

3. Place tape on areas where the cat likes to scratch; replace tape as needed. The unpleasant sticky sensation will deter the cat from scratching. After a few weeks, the cat will no longer scratch in these areas.

Keeping Cats off Counters

1. Put a few coins -- preferably pennies or dimes -- inside several empty soda cans and cover the holes with tape. You only need a few coins for each can.

2. Place the cans on the edges of any surface you want to train your cat to avoid, such as kitchen counters.

3. Observe as your cat startles itself every time it attempts to jump on the counter. Check to see where your cat is outsmarting the placement of the cans. Make extra cans if needed, and adjust can placement accordingly. Once the cat the cat has been thwarted for a week or two, it should stop making the attempt.

Training Outdoor Cats

1. Install a cat door to allow your cat free access in and out of the house. This eliminates the need for a litter box altogether. If your cat is new to the outdoors, walk the cat around the property while holding it gently. This helps the animal feel safe.

2. Push the cat in and out of the door a few times, very gently. This will help it understand the mechanism of the door so it feels safe.

3. Place the cat outside if you catch it relieving itself in the home. Do so gently and kindly, but make sure the act is associated with being outside. If you do not catch it in the act, you can still show the cat the "accident" and then immediately take it outside. This also helps it understand.

Training Indoor Cats

1. Place a litter box in your home if your cat is an indoor cat or does not have a way out consistently. The litter box should always be in the same place; often, this is the bathroom.

2. Show the cat where the litter box is by placing the cat in the box. It will rarely take more than one or two demonstrations for the cat to make the connection.

3. Lock the cat in a confined area containing the litter box if you are going to be gone for a long period of time. Be sure to put food and water in the room as well. Do this for the first week or so.

4. Close most of the doors in the home for the first few weeks as well. This helps limit the cat's options and trains it to stay within the limits you have set.

5. Place the cat in the litter box immediately if you catch it eliminating anywhere else in the home. If you can stop it mid-act you will have the best results, but placing it there after showing it the "accident" also works.

Tips & Warnings

• You should provide a scratching post if you have a cat with claws, especially if it is an indoor cat. Outdoor cats will use trees to work on claws, but indoor cats need some sort of outlet.

• Keep the litter box clean. Cats will use other places for going to the bathroom if the litter box is too dirty.

• If possible, do not punish the cat for an accident; especially, do not show the cat the litter box right after punishing it for an accident. Doing so will cause the cat to associate using the litter box with punishment.

• Remove potted plants with sandy soil from the house, since the cat will regard the soil as an ideal place to relieve itself.

References

• My Trains Online: How to Litter Box Train a Cat
• The Fun Place: Yes, You can Train a Cat!
• Petfinder: Transitioning an Outdoor Cat to Indoors
• The Daily Puppy: How to Train Outdoor Cat to Use Litter Box
• The Daily Puppy: Litter Box Training