Once you own a kitten, there are many important things that you need to train her for. One of the many things is to train your kitten to use a bowl.
Training her to use a bowl is the basic one. It is important because kittens are considered independent animals, and they love exploring. Once they start exploring and learning the behavior, it is difficult to make them unlearn.
So, the best way out is that you start training her before she starts learning things herself.
Train Your Kitten to Use a Bowl
It is very vital that you train your kitten to use a bowl. It is because when you start the training at an early stage, it becomes a part of your kitten’s life. So, she will be habituated to eat and drink in her bowl, which will create less mess for you.
You would be confused with the numerous options of water dishes for cats, it will be easier for you to choose the best water bowl for your kitty.
I have listed 6 ways that will help you train your kitten to use a bowl. Before that you need a good cat bowl you can check out the guide on buying the best cat bowl for your cat.
1. Speak the Command Clearly
The first step in the training process is to speak the command clearly. Keep the command fixed that you will use to train your kitten to use a bowl. You can use commands like “Drink,” “Eat,” or anything else that you like.
Be clear with your command so that your kitten knows what she is expected to do. Use a confident voice with positive praises. When you use positive praises, your kitten is motivated to follow your commands promptly.
Make sure that you are using a good cat food bowl, it will enhance your kitty’s training. If not then you can check out the best product & buy one.
2. Give Treats
Treats are the best way to ensure your cat is motivated to do what you ask her to do. It will make your job a lot easy. Well, after all, would you also not work hard if you have a tasty treat waiting at the end of the task?
The same is with cats and kittens. If they get their favorite treat for obeying your commands, they would happily do so.
3. Clicker Helps!
Kittens and cats are very responsive to clicker training. It helps them understand good and bad behavior. When you reward her after the clicker’s sound, she understands that she is rewarded because of her actions. Just giving a treat may not work in the same sense.
Use the command to call your kitten near her bowl. As she comes and uses the bowl, click and give the treat. Repeat every time you want her to use the bowl.
4. Reduce Background Noises
This one is really important! There should be no background noises that distract her or confuses her. There shouldn’t be any noise coming from either your TV or stereo.
Make sure your kitten is fully concentrating on the training, and there isn’t anything that is diverting her attention.
Usually it is not common that you kitty is not drink water? Learn more from here cat won’t drink water from bowl.
5. Keep Short Training Sessions
Long training sessions will bore your kitten. So, keep them brief!
Keep your sessions somewhere between 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to not extend the maximum limit to keep your sweet kitten as fresh as a daisy.
Additionally, many cat owners were asking do cat need elevated bowls?, yes, you will need a elevated bowls for trainings.
6. Be Consistent and Patient
Be consistent with everything that is associated with her training. Be consistent with her trainer, timings, rewards, cues, bowls, and treats. Leave no scope of confusion or vagueness.
Keep the training every day so that she learns the command quickly.
At the same time, it is equally important that you be patient with her. Don’t expect results in just one day of training. If your kitten does something wrong, politely say ‘NO.’ Don’t punish her or scold her. It will make things worse. Praise her, and encourage her to get effective results.
Also read
Tips to Make Your Kitten to Use a Bowl
Once the training is over, there are few tips that you can follow to make sure she uses her bowl. Read them below.
- Keep both her food and water bowl at a distance.
- Keep the water temperature cool especially during summers.
- Elevated and puzzle feeders are the best for kittens. You can even use a automatic cat fountain water dispenser for her. Kittens love to drink moving water.
- If your kitten is not using the stainless steel cat bowls then you can go for the ceramic cat water bowls. If you give them a change, chances are they might learn quickly.
Check out the best cat bowl for whisker fatigue this might help your kitty in training if your kitty has the whisker sensitivity.
Conclusion
Before you start to train your kitten to use a bowl, make sure you visit the vet and get a green signal. Ask your vet to do a full-body checkup of your kitten to see if she has any underlying medical problems.
Better be safe than sorry! If she has any health problem that can lead to joint or other problems, make sure you conduct the training that does not trigger health problems in her.
I hope these tips were helpful. Come again for more useful articles!
References
- Kitten Training Tips and Treat Rewards – WebMD
- Techniques for Obedience Training Your Kitten – Hill’s
- Kitten Training, Socialization & Behavior – Human-Animal Interaction Lab