Training Persians

When it comes to cats, few people consider training. For the most part, it is the cat that trains the owner... but in the case of Persians, you must provide some level of training for your cat – after it has been established that he is boss of course.

Few cats can be trained to do tricks. For the most part, when it comes to Persians, there are two types of training. The first is litter training. The second is training good behavior. Cats really can be trained to have good – acceptable – behavior. Tricks, on the other hand, really aren't their thing, although they will be open to training you to do some tricks that will greatly entertain and amuse them.

Litter training is really quite simple when it comes to cats. Cats prefer to dig holes, do their business in that hole, and then bury their business. It’s just the natural order of things as far as they are concerned. The only time a cat will not bury his business is if he cannot physically bury it, or if there is more than one cat in the home. If there is more than one cat, the ‘lead cat’ will not bury his business, but all other cats in the home will, in an effort not to offend the lead cat.

What this burying of the business means to you is that litter training is really easy. The cat will search for a place where that burying can be done, and in most homes, the only available place to dig is the litter box. If you have plants, it is highly recommended that you cover the soil with pebbles or rocks to prevent the cat from using the plant as a litter box.

Behavior training, on the other hand, tends to take more patience. Scratching furniture seems to be the biggest problem that most Persian owners face with their cats. Chewing up houseplants is the second most common problem. Here, it isn't so much about training as ensuring that the cat has a negative result of his actions – and those negative results must come from the object in question and not from you.

For furniture scratching, first provide a scratching alternative, such as a scratching post. Next, treat your furniture with a special spray designed to deter cats. For the protection of houseplants – and the cat – again, cover the soil with pebbles or rocks. Then, spray the plant with bitter apple. The cat will hate the smell of it, and will avoid the plants.

As you can see, there really is no such thing as training a Persian. It’s more a question of prevention and alternatives than anything else. But, again, the Persian won't be objectionable to training you, and training you well!