Ever since cats were domesticated, they have shown to be awesome animals to have as pets. There's nothing better than being able to buy a kitten and watch it grow into a full-grown cat that is able to live his/her life with you. However, though cats make great pets, it is ideal that you train your cat to do certain things, such as use the litter box or maybe even go outside to use the bathroom.

If you've ever spoken to someone about training a cat, they have probably told you that training a cat is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. Cats aren't dogs, however they most definitely can be trained. Though they are known to be stubborn and known not to listen to anyone, cats are generally easy to train if you know what you are doing.

Here are a few cat training tips that will help you be success in training your cat:

1. Don't give up

Two seconds into starting to train your cat, you might realize that's not a piece of cake, but it's not rocket science either. If you have trained another animal before, you have probably noticed that it's not easy, but it's not difficult once you look back on it. With training a cat, you have to stay focused and willing. Though it might take a little more effort, you can train your cat.

2. Know your cat

Your cat is different from any other cat. You must know their personality to know when you are moving too slow or too fast. You need to know when your cat has had enough training for one day, and when it needs time alone. You don't want to stress them out! The training process needs to be a pleasant experience to be a successful training program. Learn what your cats body language means. As soon as you do this training should come a lot easier.

3. Don't Push Too Hard

You need to know when it's OK to train your cat. First, don't wake them from a catnap to train them. They're just like a sleeping baby. If you wake them up when they aren't ready to be woken up and are still tired, you're going to have a cranky kitty on your hands. You're going to get frustrated because your cat is frustrated. It won't want to listen to you, when all they want to do is nap. Plus, you need to keep training sessions short. You don't want your cat to get overwhelmed or worse bored. This will be counter productive, and leave you again frustrated.

4. Positive reinforcement

This is the most crucial part of your cat's training program. When your cat does the desired behavior you reward them with praise or a treat. Don't reward them out of the blue, because they will associate rewards with doing absolutely nothing. Also, remember not to punish them. If they do something wrong, don't react at all! This is important, you don't want them to associate what they did wrong with any attention what so ever.

5. Small steps

Though this might cause the training process to take a little longer, you have to take things slowly. You're teaching a new cat, new tricks, so it will take time. If you want your cat to learn something, you can't expect him/her to know how to do it that first day. For example, if you want to train your cat to use the toilet (yes, people do it these days), then it is best for you to gradually move the cat's litter box closer and closer to the bathroom that you want him/her to use. Don't immediately push the cat into the bathroom and expect that it will learn to use the toilet. Small steps will get you and your cat where you want to be.