Cat Behavior Modification

By the above lines, what I mean to say is, by introducing certain changes in the environment of your cat, you can reduce the stress factor, which may bother the animal. And once you are able to deal with the stress, there would be considerable changes in your pet. And how to go about bringing these changes? Here's how...

Understanding the Techniques Employed in A Cat Behavior Modification System

The measures that you would be taking to deal with the behavioral problems with your cat, are those which have been designed keeping in mind the way felines lead their lives. And according to this, the following points have been detailed as follows:

• The first step towards modifying your cat's behavior is providing the animal with easy access to its food, litter box and water dish. Many make the mistake of keeping such things at places which probably frighten the cats away. So keep all such items at an area where your cat may access them with ease and without any stress. Know about certain cat behavior and what they mean.
• An important aspect to be kept in mind is that you must never take your cat by surprise when it is eating or drinking. Doing so increases the stress in the animal, which leads to undesirable changes in the animal's behavior.
• Also, it is imperative to keep the litter box, and food and water dishes clean and filling them with fresh stuff.
• Cats won't be cats if they do not scratch something. So if your pet does not get to enjoy scratching something suitable, then it would start jeopardizing other stuff in your house. So set up some vertical and horizontal scratching posts in the house. And ensure that they are made of tough, coarse material. The rougher the post is, the more 'scratchy scratchy' your cat will do.
• Whether it is 'Leo', the cat of your house, or 'Zuba', the tiger of the forest, all cats have a feeling of being secure when their perching place is at an elevated spot. From such a position, they can look down at things and feel less vulnerable. One important modification that you can introduce to improve your cat's behavioral aspects is to provide the perch near a window or something. From there, your cat or kitten may have a nice time watching people going by, maybe some birds or butterflies fluttering away, etc. This way it won't get bored and resort to abnormal behavior.
• Felines are one of those animals who fancy monotonous life. Why? Well, it's the way they like it! They do not like changes, especially those which pop out of the blue. Sudden alterations in the location, food or activity may induce stress in these animals, causing behavioral issues. So if you are planning for some changes, be slow and steady. For instance, if you are up to gift your pet with a new litter box, then do not just scrap off the old one. Instead, place the old one near the new one and let the cat decide.
• Every pet enjoys playing around with its favorite toy. It is just a simple way to dissolve stress and boredom. So visit your local pet store and see what you can get for your pet to play with.
• Never resort to punish your pet for any inappropriate behavior. Doing so would only make the animal fear you or its environment. And this is what you do not want if you wish to improve the animal's behavior. Instead of punishing it, make a loud noise or say out aloud 'No'. May be you can throw something across the room. The idea is to distract the cat while it is doing it, and not to injure it.

So, this is it for all the important steps which if you tread on carefully, you are destined to succeed in your attempt to improve the way your cat behaves towards you and its environment. Purr!