Cat training

Food behaviour

Cats are hunters of small prey, so they eat small amounts several times a day (even 10 times or more). They should always have biscuits available, whereas wet food should be at the owner’s discretion.

Play and environmental enrichment

Cats need to play and exercise. Cats that roam outside on their own find a way to satisfy this need, particularly through hunting. For cats that live inside only, their environment should be enriched especially for them, with scratching posts, toys and climbing structures. There are many books and websites out there with tips for making an apartment suitable for cats. Below are two examples:

 Reading: 50 Games to Play with Your Cat by Jackie Strachan

 Hauspanther.com (website for finding cat furniture)

A tip for cats living exclusively indoors would be to get a second cat for them to play with. However, this should be done within the first six months of your cat’s life, as later on they may not accept the new companion (cats are very territorial animals).

Toilet behaviour

Cats are very clean animals. From an early age, they learn how to use litter and cover their excrement. A cat living indoors needs two litter trays (number of cats plus one litter tray), because they like to urinate in one place and defecate in another. These must be spacious and with a layer of sand high enough to cover their excrement.

There can be many reasons for inappropriate toilet behaviour, and a consultation with your vet may be necessary to identify and resolve the issue.

Rest

Cats are crepuscular animals. They normally sleep between 15 and 18 hours a day.
It is important that they have a wide choice of quiet places where they can feel comfortable and sleep for hours.

Social contact

Cats can be solitary or gregarious, depending on how they lived when they were kittens. Those accustomed to living with people need contact with their owners. Some cats miss their owner when they go on holiday, and may even manifest this through abnormal behaviour (e.g. wounds caused by licking, inappropriate urination or defecation, etc.).