Did you just become a parent to an adorable feline? You are probably already in love with this precious little animal and only want the best for it for years to come. You want to provide the cat with proper training that provides a healthy lifestyle. Training your cat is crucial to a happy and healthy relationship with your feline, but there are risks you face if you train solely with treats and overfeed your car.
Feline obesity and diabetes mellitus are very common in the little critters and is something you don’t want to have to face. So to avoid that, here is a list of tips for training your cat the healthy way:
1. Choosing the right cat treats
It is really important when you choose a treat to train your cat with, it will benefit their health and is not just empty calories, which could lead to weight issues with your feline. Picking healthy cat treats that are tempting to your cat will make all the difference, so they will be motivated to do the task in order to obtain the treat. It is common to use meath based treats (such as chicken or fish), because your cat will find it much more tempting. But remember every cat is different, so find what works best for yours.
2. Train without food
Most cats will become dependent on their treat, which could cause problems in the future. Too many treats can cause feline obesity, which is not good for the health of a cat and could cause many other health problems, as well as a shortened life span. It is important to make sure you mix up training without treats as well. You can do this by using the same cue you use when giving them a treat, but instead reward their behavior in other ways, such as with affection, play, or catnip.
3. Clicker training
Using a clicker will help with training with and without treats. If your feline responds to your command, they should receive a treat, followed by a click. The goal is to get a positive correlation with the click sound. The clicking sound allows the cat to know why he is getting rewarded. If your cat obeys, receives a treat, and hears a click, the feline is much more likely to understand the connection and will continue to respond to the command.
4. Use patience
Remember that cats are very stubborn and independent by nature. Training them will take time but it is possible. It is important to be consistent with your training and not to give up. Felines are very smart and very capable of responding to commands. They will test you, but the bottom line is be kind to your feline as they are learning.
