Teach a Cat the House Rules

Cats can be trained to use a litter tray, to come when called, not to jump on to the kitchen worktops and not to destroy furniture and carpets with their claws. But remember that a cat’s attention span is limited, so keep those training sessions short and sweet. And cats respond to bribery, so have a delicious selection of favourite treats to hand to reward them when they’ve successfully mastered a new pattern of behaviour.

Here are some ideas for keeping your cat in order and happy:

• Buy a scratching post Or make one by covering a stump of wood with sisal rope, corrugated cardboard or carpet turned the wrong side out – but be careful not to have the same stuff on the scratching post and the floor – your cat may not be able to tell the difference.
• Treat your wiring Stop a kitten from chewing any accessible electric cables by painting them with a chilli powder-and-water paste.
• Make the sofa less appealing Teach a kitten not to jump up or curl up on your armchairs or sofa by temporarily sticking some double-sided tape on the seats. They’ll hate the feeling of their fur being tugged by the tape.