HousingIf you have decided to share your living quarters with your cat, you must provide her with all the amenities she needs, including cat furniture. Popular cat furniture including indoor cat houses will help her settle into a new environment. This can be as simple as a cardboard box turned on its side or as complex as commercially available cat condos with several levels, lots of peep holes, holes to crawl through, and porches to perch on. Some of these are available covered with tough, indoor-outdoor carpeting and double as scratching posts, particularly when rubbed periodically with catnip.
A Well-Mannered CatCats, like dogs and children, need guidelines, boundaries and firm but loving discipline. Take the time to set boundaries and your cat will learn what he is and isn't allowed to do. Knowing what not to do is half the battle, but you must also take concrete steps to start your cat off in the right behavioral direction. Whenever possible, offer substitutions: cat trees instead of the top of the refrigerator, a scratching post instead of the sofa, a knotted sock to chew on instead of the electrical cord. When she does what you are training her to do - passes up the couch for the scratching post, walks through the kitchen without jumping on the counters - reward her with your attention and a treat. She'll make much better progress if she knows there's a treat on the horizon.
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