Training tips
As part of getting to know his new home and surroundings, your kitten will be keen to explore. His natural sense of curiosity will take him all over the place — potentially even into gaps you probably didn’t even know existed!
There are probably places in your home you would like to designate as cat-free spaces. If it’s a particular room, you’ll simply need to be vigilant and keep the door closed at all times. Unfortunately, you can’t train a cat to stay out — their innate curious natures will draw them in if the door is left open!
KITCHEN ETIQUETTE
In the kitchen, it’s a good idea, for safety and hygiene reasons, to keep your kitten off worktops, cooker hobs, and even the kitchen table. In this case, start as you mean to go on.
Never have a reason for your kitten to want to be up on a kitchen counter. Put any foodstuffs that might appeal to him away, and wipe the surface thoroughly to remove tempting scents.
If he jumps up, immediately distract him with a feather on a stick game or roll a ball across the floor for him to chase.As his paws land on the kitchen floor, give him a cat treat. He’ll soon learn that more interesting things happen when he’s at floor level than on a kitchen worktop.
Be consistent — and that will mean ensuring each member of your family has exactly the same routine. If your kitten is determined to be on the worktop, work out what the attraction is. It could be that he simply wants to be close to you, he wants to be involved in an intriguing activity (you prepping a meal), or maybe it gives him a good view into the garden or the road outside.Think about providing your kitten with an alternative base nearby that gives him these benefits — or at least the view he wants! It could be a chair or a scratch
LEARNING TO USE A SCRATCH POST
Your kitten may not know what a scratch post is for. Help him understand by rubbing your own nails down the surface to make a scratching sound. Gently encourage him to do the same.A little dry catnip rubbed onto the surface will help lure him to the scratch post, and a quick squirt of a feline pheromone spray will let him know it’s a safe space for him. Scratching the post is as much about your kitten using the scent pads in his paws to place his territorial mark, as stropping (refreshing) his claws. post with a platform. Praise and reward him when he’s there, as positive reinforcement. Some cats like being up high and the worktop may be the access route to the top of a cupboard as a look-out platform or a bolt-hole for a quiet snooze. If this is the case, give him an alternative high post with a cat climber, especially one with an igloo-style retreat on the top. If there’s no room, consider putting up a shelf topped with some carpet, or a wall-mounted cat bed that will give him the height and benefit of escape that he craves.