Potty-Training Your Cat

You can do it yourself, with household items.

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Training

I have no formal schooling in animal training. These are the first cats I've had. So I figure if I can do it, so can you. I think consistency is most imporant. When you negatively and positively reinforce, you must be clear and consistent. Consistency allows your cats to develop a deep trust in you. The animal will quickly lose respect for your wishes if you don't back up your commands with actions. You should also make the positive and negative signals clearly distinguishable, in multiple ways. Our kitties are clear on the meaning of "Good Boy/Girl" and "No". The words and sound of the praise is much different than the negative words. "Good Boy/Girl" is said in a high-pitched voice while "No" is in a low-pitched voice; almost like the growl of a cat. We also, very quickly, switch to praise, once the kitties comply.
Another thing to consider is the animal's instincts and needs. People think that dogs are more trainable because they want to please people. I think this is true to a certain extent. Dogs are thought to be more social. I believe this social behavior is an advantage for hunting in packs. You can't coordinate a successful pack-hunt if you don't know how to tune in to the commands and wishes of the rest of your team. I think dogs are, in general, programmed to visibly, vocally and persistently try to find out what others in their pack want and are doing. Cats, on the other hand, rely on sneaking up on their prey. This is more conducive to being inconspicuous and not having many others hanging around and blowing thier cover. They do hang out in prides, but their communcation is much more subtle. You just have to realize that they are not anti-social and that they have other needs. They feel the need to sharpen their claws and exercise their hunting skills. Shawna and I feel that this play is very important to their health and happiness. This is why they get a "Good Boy/Girl" when they scratch on their scratching post and when they play. -even if it gets a little rough, by human standards, we reason that as long as they are not completely destroying our home and furniture, they should be encouraged to stalk, run around chasing each other, and wrestle. We play-wrestled with Solmon early on. It seems that this made him very good at determining how hard he can bite, without hurting us. Solomon even hisses in frustration when playing, sometimes (like when he can't seem to get a hold of the play-string). We have never had a problem touching him, even after he's hissed. He trusts us. Ayla will get scruffed and scolded if she poops somewhere other than the bathroom. She sometimes hisses and growls a bit at this. However, she has never lashed out at us. She knows that we have and never will really hurt her. She trusts us. That is very important.