Teaching Your Cat Tricks

Although some cats will respond to positive reinforcement, most cats generally do better if they are working for food rewards. If you use soft moist cat food or dry food as a treat, you will lessen the chance of disturbing a properly balanced diet. If your cat has performed a certain task you have asked of her, make sure you not only reward her with a food treat but with verbal praise as well.

You will have more success if you work with one command at a time. As with any kind of training you have to be consistent and let your cat work at her own speed. When you see even the slightest glimmer that your cat understands the behavior you are trying to teach, reward her enthusiastically. Here are a few you may want to try.

Come
Try teaching this one at mealtime. Use your cat's name followed by the command "come." If necessary, tap on her food bowl to get her attention. When she comes, praise her lavishly and then give her the food. Eventually, your cat will associate the food with the command and then you will be on your way to owning a trained cat.

Shake Hands
With your cat sitting in front of you, touch her paw and say, "shake." As soon as she reacts and lifts her paw, shake it and give her verbal approval along with a treat. Remember to be consistent and repeat the command the same way each time.

Sit-Up
Place your cat into sitting position. Hold a treat over your cat's head and say "sit-up." Do not give her the reward if she stands or grabs at the treat, just repeat the command and wait for her to try. When she does accomplish the desired behavior, give her the treat right away and repeat the command several times.

Wave
Swiping at a morsel of food is a natural behavior for a cat. Hold a treat in your hand. Place it in front of the cat's nose but just out of reach of her front paws. Then, move it back and forth with your hands in a waving motion while telling your cat to "wave." As your cat reaches out for the food, it will appear as if she is waving. Once her motion simulates the waving behavior, praise her and give her a treat.

Being A Good Pet Neighbor

As you enjoy your pet's companionship, a little extra effort on your part will teach her to be a good neighbor.

Most communities require each cat in a household to be registered and some have limits on the number of cats one household can own. Keeping your cat indoors avoids problems with neighbors and protects your cat from being hit by a car, encounters with unfriendly dogs or attacks by other animals. If your cat is allowed outdoors, train her to wear a safety collar with an expansion device and a tag that gives your cat's name and your telephone number to distinguish your cat from stray cats. Proper identification enables someone to contact you if your pet wanders far from home.

Cats who are allowed to roam may damage neighbors' gardens or use planters as litter boxes. If you allow your cat outside, keep a watchful eye on her. If she leaves to visit a neighbor, bring her back to her own yard.

A cat who is not neutered or spayed may become an undesirable neighbor. Female cats come into their first heat cycle between five and seven months of age and may have several heat cycles throughout the year. Spaying eliminates the problem of a female in heat who attracts male cats and annoys the neighbors. A male cat who is not neutered can be prone to roam and fight. He also sprays urine, which has a strong, unpleasant odor.

Keep your cat well nourished by feeding a nutritionally complete and balanced quality pet food. Take her to your veterinarian regularly to keep her vaccinations current and to be certain she is free from internal and external parasites and in general good health.

Caring For Your Older Cat

Maturing — Aging
How can you tell when your cat is getting old? On the outside, she may look much the same, and she probably still loves to bat her toy mouse around the kitchen floor and take naps sprawled across your hand-knitted heirloom afghan. But inside her body, time may be taking its toll.
The Middle Years
You may barely have noticed the subtle changes your cat went through after the first year of her life, but when she approaches her equivalent of human middle age - somewhere between the ages of 8 and 12 - start paying extra attention. Your veterinarian may recommend that you modify your cat's diet.
The Later Stages
Some veterinarians believe that cats reach their geriatric years around age 12. Other experts are more generous, categorizing cats as being "old" at about 15. When your cat is between the ages of 12 and 15, be on the lookout for behavioral changes. You may notice that she catnaps a lot more. It's normal for some old cats to sleep more than 18 hours a day.
As a cat ages, her joints may stiffen and become difficult to move, making her lethargic about many types of activities, even her grooming ritual. But before you decide to do a thorough brushing for her, ask your veterinarian to make sure your cat's not seriously ill -- a lack of desire to groom can also be a sign of sickness.
However tempting it may be to treat her to table scraps, it's really not wise. Overfeeding a cat at any age -- especially with fatty foods -- is actually setting her up for obesity and related health problems in the future.
Above all, you'll need to start watching your geriatric cat very closely for hints of illness. After weeks of seeming healthy, a cat suddenly may display signs of being very ill, catching you, the owner, off guard. Too often, pet owners hope a small problem will go away, only to seek their veterinarian's advice when their cat is beyond help.
The best thing you can do is watch for signs and, if you spot anything amiss, visit your veterinarian.