A good place to start is by training your kitten to be held. You can get your kitten used to being touched by gently massaging their ears, lifting their paws up gently and raising their tail. These are all sensitive areas for your cat, so don’t forget to reward them when they tolerate you handling them. Remember, all cats are different and while some kittens will love a cuddle, other pets might prefer their own space. It’s important to understand your cat’s signals so that you know when they’ve had enough.
Once your kitten is comfortable with your touch, you can move on to other types of training. One of your priorities will probably be to train your kitten to use their litter tray. Fortunately, your kitten is likely to have some knowledge of litter trays, learned from their mother, but you will need to show them where it is.
When you see the signs that your kitten wants to go to the toilet – such as sniffing, scratching or crouching on the floor – pick them up and place them in the litter tray. Also put them there at certain times during the day, such as when they’ve eaten, after they’ve woken up or before they go to sleep at night.
Another important lesson is to train your kitten to respond to your call. To do this, begin by calling them from a metre away. Then, give them a treat when they come. Once they’ve successfully done that a few times, try calling them from two metres away, then another room, then upstairs. Before you know it, you will be a pro at getting their attention and you will have reinforced the relationship between the two of you.
You can also train your kitten to use the cat flap and a scratching post. It’s a good idea to get them used to a cat carrier, too. What’s more, you may like the idea of training your kitten to do tricks.
‘ Clicker training’ is a method that uses positive reinforcement, which is a kind, scientifically valid way to train. It makes use of a ‘clicker’, which makes a click sound, to mark the exact behaviour that you are looking for and signal that a reward is coming. It’s best to learn about clicker training before attempting the tricks below. You can find out more about clicker training by reading The Trainable Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis or Getting Started: Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryor.