How to turn a “homeless” cat into a domestic cat

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To assure a cat, that spends a lot of time outside, to become domestic usually is not difficult, though it’s often very dull. The fact is, you should be more strong-willed, well-trained and attentive than it is.

Cats are beings which submit to habits. You’ll understand the full meaning of these words when you try to make changes. Your cat got used to spend time out-of-doors, to check the boundaries of its territory, to visit its favorite places for sleeping and scratching, to walk slowly to the best places where chipmunks live. Actually the majority of the most interesting events in its life take place outside. That’s why if you want to close it at home forever, it, without any doubt, will be against it.

First of all get convinced that everything it needs is at home: toilet box of the size and form it likes with filling it agrees to use; access to fresh water and food; acceptable place for scratching; its personal corner, where it can seclude itself and where no one will disturb him. It needs also an appropriate going out for its hunting instincts. It will be especially important if it was a lucky hunter in the past. It mean you must play with it daily, sometimes even twice a day. But be careful, watch over your fingers! Games of hunting type make some cats very excited and they perceive them absolutely serious. As soon as you have provided the cat with everything necessary, it will be the time to set to work.

Appoint the day, when your cat must be exceptionally a home cat, and let it be so. No more any walking in the street, even temporary! If you disaccustom it gradually it doesn’t work! Just stop any walks and finish with it. After this for your cat, as for any creature, which tries to disaccustom from a habit, will be difficult. It’ll be “meowing” under the door, implore look at you, pine, complain, cry for its freedom and damn you in every way. And what else? If you allow it only once to go out, the only thing you’ll teach it is that its lament works and another time its “meowing” will be longer and louder!

Don’t give up! During the first week it can behave bad. The changes in its life can call a stress, and the stress can be the reason of its behavior, which won’t be pleasant for you watch. In this case some exercises can help you, but nevertheless without any hesitation, lock your cat in a separate, safe room, if it starts doing uninstructively or stop to use its toilette box because of disappointment. Everything pass, as it accustom itself to its new daily routine. Here are some pieces of advice which you can follow to make this transition easier.

Use the positive encouragement

If you do all possible for the cat’s staying at home to be pleasant you will promote it feel itself contented. Come up to it a few seconds after it moves away from the door. Reward your cat with something it likes best of all - a praise, a dainty or a game.

Punish the cat

If you make an entrance door an unpleasant place for your cat, it will help you to reduce the level of noise in your apartment. Pour your cat over with a stream of water using a sprayer to make it silent. Shake a tin with coins. If it happens to be non-effective, throw the tin somewhere closer to the door (but not at a cat, please!). It will work! Combine these methods with rewards which your cat should get every time moving away from the door. Then everything will be OK.

Support the vigorous activity of mind

Not only the game helps your cat to adapt, but also the training. Learn it the things which are pleasant to you, maybe, some simple tricks. It will strengthen the link between you and your pet and it will give your cat food for thought. It will change its habits if you encourage it.

When it get used to be all the time at home, you may allow your cat to spend some time out-of-doors. Put a large crate protected by a wise grid by the window, it will allow your pet to spend some time in the open air and it wishes it so passionately. At the same time it isn’t exposed to any risk. Make so that it isn’t possible to get out of the crate. Put a large wooden log in the crate for your cat to climb on it, plant cat’s mint, invent something cheerful. Your cat will adore its personal oasis of feline pleasure.

You can also take your cat for a walk with you. It will not take it a lot of time to get used to team and leash, but when it adapts, it will derive a great pleasure from a walk on its favorite places together with you. There is the only rule which I'd use in this situation: don’t bring it outdoors if he doesn’t demand it. You’ll only encourage demanding behavior for its part with it and you’ll return to that place from which you started. Put a team and leash on it and go for a walk, when it behaves quietly and is in the other part of the house. In that case it will never know in what moment it happens.

Never tie a cat to a rope in the street. Otherwise it can become an easy catch for a dog passing by. If you tie it to a tree in hope that it’ll get on it in case of danger, you’ll endanger it to be hung.

A habit “To rush into the door”

Cats are nimble and extremely quick animals, they passes a perfect skill to choose a tedious moment. The combination of these qualities may lead to that fact, that the cat will get used to rush into the open door. It will run to the door hoping to find freedom as soon as it hears the sound of the key in the lock.

it’s a dangerous habit not only for the cat, but also for any poor fellow who appears near the door outside with bags in his hands. Fortunately, a habit to rush into the door is not difficult to change, if you display some prudence. Choose time to make a situation, when you don’t hurry anywhere and don’t overloaded with bags of products. A couple of punishments timely chosen and good carried out will save your cat’s life.

If your cat hates when it is poured with water, take advantage of sprayer for plants and regulate it for a single stream to punish it. If your cat can’t bear loud, unexpected noise, use a tin with coins or a siren to make it change its decision. Whatever tool you take, use it in the following way.

Take a tool with you or leave it by the door outside. Having come back home, prepare a tool and open the door just a bit. If your pet happens to be there, punish it using the tool. Don’t say anything - you want your cat to associate the troubles with the open door, not with your presence.

If the cat turns out not to be there, open the door as slowly as possible for you to have enough time to react when it suddenly rushes to the door.

If the cat takes you by surprise, use the keys. Throw them straight in front of you. It will frighten the cat without doing it the least harm. May be the keys are not an ideal instrument, but they are always with you when you walk though the door.

If the cat raises this blockade there’s no need to turn and punish it when it runs away - it will just teach it to run away from the house as quickly as possible. If it already has run out from the door it means it’s already late to teach it not to do it. Let this experience serve you as a lesson, then next time you’ll either open the door slower, or use another means which the cat is afraid of more.

As for cats, two-three similar experiments more and they will keep away from the door when you open it.

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