7 Things to Teach Your New Cat: A Mini Cat Training Guide

7 Things to Teach Your New Cat: A Mini Cat Training Guide

By Kate Wilson BS, CBCC, CPDT

Recently a friend had a black cat slip through his window. She was hungry with frostbitten ears and determined to make this chance meeting last. While there were no immediate common cat behavior issues to fix in that situation, oftentimes training early can help set an expectation for your cat. No matter how you and your cat started a life together, covering several critical things will help maintain the human-cat bond, prevent cats from being relinquished, and keep your cat healthy, happy, and safe while avoiding cat anxiety.

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1. How to Teach Your Cat to Use the Litter Box

Most cats possess a natural instinct to be tidy and cover their waste, and this is part of why they have been able to move indoors with us. But have you ever wondered how to teach your cat to not pee on things? Every new environment is different and you can set your cat up for success by providing several things to make accidents unlikely. This is where litter box training kicks in.

cats sitting in litter box

Kitten Litter Box Training Tips

  • Number of boxes: As a rule, cats need one more box than the number of cats in the house, this helps prevent conflict and cats feeling they need to find alternative locations to eliminate
  • Location: Place the litter boxes in quiet and easy-to-reach. Lower as cats age and away from places like a noisy laundry room. 
  • Clean litter box: Keep the box clean and scoop waste once or twice a day, cats may discontinue use with a dirty box
  • Substrate and scent: Cats with nail/paw damage may be very sensitive to the litter type, likewise strong scented litter may deter some cats
  • Medical: If your cat is having inappropriate elimination consult with a vet, sudden changes can be the result of medical issues like urinary tract infections.

2. Appropriate Scratching Outlets

Scratching is a natural behavior and an important instinct for cats. Cats use scratching for claw health, stretching, and communication. Naturally, it’s frustrating when a new cat starts scratching, so knowing how to teach your cat to not scratch your furniture early on is essential. Start your new cat off with a good habit of scratching in desired locations like cat-designed furniture with scratch posts.

cat scratching angled sisal pole

Cat Scratching Tips:

  • Provide choice: Studies show that cats prefer materials like sisal, cardboard, and wood, with a lesser preference for carpets. Use horizontal, angled, and horizontal posts. 
  • Lactation: Cats want to scratch in places like social pathways in the house, doorways, and after they wake up. Place multiple posts in the home and one on every level of the house
  • Reward: Play with your cat near the posts, gently pet or give treats after they do use the desired scratching location.
  • Prevent: If you have something your cat seems drawn to use like a couch near the front door, temporarily block its use by removing it, placing a better option in front, or covering it with a furniture cover while you train an appropriate outlet.

3. Positive Socializing and Handling

Whether you are introducing an adopted kitten to your home for the first time or introducing a new cat to a multi-cat household, early socialization matters. Young kittens have a socialization window from early in life after 2 weeks and extending to 14 weeks with the most sensitive time for positive exposure around 4-7 weeks. Learning what is normal and safe through positive exposure is important to kittens in this window; however adult cats should continue to have positive experiences too. 

If you have adopted an adult cat you can still gently provide good experiences with calm people using treats and training to increase their comfort. Keep training at their own pace. Feeling safe and in control is important to creating good socialization opportunities. 

cat being pet

Cat and Kitten Handling Tips:

  • Handling is good: gently lift and give treats or play, help lift them to safe higher places they may want to reach, avoid physically moving them to carriers or places they are afraid or holding them closer to things they are fearful of
  • Holding and petting: a healthy relationship involves your cat feeling the freedom to choose when to be held or pet. As cute as they are refrain from froncing hugs and petting, they will become much more affectionate when given the opportunity to choose the level of contact
  • Alternative ways to move: In order to move your cat without forcing holding, begin feeding treats in an open cat carrier or cat backpack. Training now without the instant trip to the vet will pay off in the future and can keep your cat safe when traveling.

4. Feeding Routines

While some cats struggle to lose weight, others have trouble eating enough. Start a good predictable routine around food to prevent food-related issues like waking you up at 3 am for breakfast. Some cats come from a background where food was truly unreliable and making a predictable pattern will help alleviate food anxiety and food seeking/ vocalization.

feeding cat a treat

Cat Feeding Tips:

  • Scheduled meals can help build anticipation, motivation to use interactive food puzzles and create better food habits/ prevent obesity from overeating 
  • Location and Time: Feed your cat in a calm, safe location away from high traffic and other animals. Keep the feeding time regular and if you will be out of the home, considering using timed feeders that can even keep wet foods cold until the timer goes off. 

Avoid feeding your cat for vocalizing or waking you up, each time this works for your cat they would derelict in their duty as a cat if they didn't repeat that behavior in the future. Instead, consider if they are perhaps bored or need more interactive feeding styles like food puzzles to prolong the feeding behaviors. 

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5. Recall & How to Teach Your Cat Their Name

Training is about communication and creating ways to keep your cat safe. This behavior can help get your cat out of your house in an emergency as well as return to you if they find themselves outside.

orange cat looking into camera

Cat Recall Training:

  • It starts as simple as calling a word like, “Here!” or your cat’s name and giving a treat, (for some cats an amazing toy can work too) but the treat is handy and easy to travel with. Keep up that pairing in the house until your cat runs to you when you call. Recall = treat!
  • Pro Tip: To avoid teaching your cat a treat in my pocket means come find you keep the treats secret until after the cat finds you. You can place it in a treat bag and just have them on you, pocket them, or in containers in different rooms. 
  • Begin adding distance in the house, try calling from 10 feet away, then from the next room, building the behavior up so the only predictor to your cat is the recall being cued. 
  • Keep a few treats in a jar in different rooms so a few times a week you recall your cat, and then reach for the treats after they find you.
  • Once a cat is great in the house, use a harness and leash to teach outside.

6. Preventing Door Bolting

One particularly concerning behavior some cats develop is door-darting, rushing through open doors at the first opportunity. This can be especially dangerous for indoor cats who aren’t equipped to navigate the outside world. In urban environments, the risks are even greater: fast-moving traffic, unfamiliar territory, and potential encounters with other animals all pose serious threats to a cat’s safety.

cats pawing at window

Door Bolting Training Tips for Cats:

  • Create a “wait” zone. You can either only let them out with a harness and leash after they go to this location, or train this behavior so that when you go to the door and open it they get a treat for being somewhere else. Practice coming in and out the door to build a solid “wait” when they see that door open.
  • Prevent the escape. Use catch pens and baby gates to control what your cat learns by not allowing the association, or reducing the opportunities
  • Add more enrichment for cats that bolt, think about catios, and play before you leave to satiate their needs.

7. Cat Tooth Brushing and Cutting Nails

Feline husbandry can turn into quality time instead of a struggle no one enjoys. Start early with positive experiences and start a lifetime of easy care and good cat heath and hygiene.

brushing cats teth

For cat tooth brushing:

  • Try an enzyme toothpaste that your cat likes. Flavors come in chicken, beef, peanut butter, know that your cat may prefer one flavor over others.
  • Start with a small amount on a Q Tip, a cat toothbrush, or finger dental wipes. While they lick slowly, move the paste over their teeth and then allow them to go back to licking. Patiently build their tolerance for brushing.

For cat nail trimming:

  • Start with simply touching the foot and getting great treats like wet food; alternatively, you can also train your cat to give you its paw and nails like teaching “shake” with a dog. Early exposure to cat claw care helps avoid the wonderings of declawing your cat.
  • Slowly introduce the clippers. When clippers come out, we want your cat to predict treats.
  • Start with only one claw, and instantly pair the trimming with treats. 
  • Pro tip: Don't get greedy! Too many claws at once to begin with can be a negative experience.
  • Keep grooming short and positive. 
  • Always bring the good food.

Welcoming a new cat into your life is a special chapter, one filled with curiosity, learning, and love. By setting healthy habits early, you’re not just preventing common behavior issues, you’re creating a lifelong foundation of trust, comfort, and connection. Your cat will thank you for it in purrs, headbutts, and the quiet comfort of simply being near.

cats hanging out together

References 

Inappropriate Elimination

Patronek GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, McCabe GP, Ecker C. Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996 Aug 1;209(3):582-8. PMID: 8755976.

Heath S. Common feline problem behaviours: Unacceptable indoor elimination. J Feline Med Surg. 2019 Mar;21(3):199-208. doi: 10.1177/1098612X19831202. PMID: 30810090; PMCID: PMC11373752.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/behavior/normal-social-behavior-and-behavioral-problems-of-domestic-animals/behavioral-problems-of-cats

Kitten Socializing

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Impact of early socialisation in foster care on kitten behaviour

Human Cat Bond

Jacobson LS, Ellis JJ, Janke KJ, Giacinti JA, Robertson JV. Behavior and adoptability of hoarded cats admitted to an animal shelter. J Feline Med Surg. 2022 Aug;24(8):e232-e243. doi: 10.1177/1098612X221102122. Epub 2022 Jun 20. PMID: 35722998; PMCID: PMC9315195.

Vet Care

The Effect of Toothbrushing on Periodontal Disease in Cats

Scratching

DePorter TL, Elzerman AL. Common feline problem behaviors: Destructive scratching. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2019;21(3):235-243. doi:10.1177/1098612X19831205

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