How to train a cat to sleep in a pet bed?

Question

How to train a cat to sleep in a pet bed?

Answer 1

I am not sure about training a cat to sleep in a pet bed, but i know there is a section devoted to pets on answerstv.com.  Link is in source...hope it helps.

Answer 2

How fast your cat learns where you want him/her to sleep can often depend on how young they are when you begin their training.  The first step is to get a bed that is appropriate in size and softness for your cat's size/age.

Then, consistency is the key.  If you have a pet bed for your cat, place them in it at bedtime.  It often helps to have their favorite toy there.  Their toy will have their smell on it, and placing that toy in the pet bed will indicate that this place is their space/territory.  When you put your cat in the bed, pet the cat and talk to him/her in comforting tones while petting, and more often than not, the cat will at least sit down in the bed.

If you are using a pet bed to train your cat off your own bed, be patient.  Unlike dogs, cats are quite independent by nature and tend to choose a wide variety of places to snooze.  So it is unlikely you will be able to train your cat to sleep ONLY and ALWAYS in the pet bed.

So set reasonable goals . . . to keep the cat off the BED, then everytime you find your cat on your bed, pick him/her up and put her in the pet bed.  Or if you're trying to train your cat not to sleep on the couch, or in the recliner, then everytime you find him/her there, pick the cat up and put him/her in the pet bed.  But if you're trying to train your cat to sleep nowhere else but in that pet bed, then you've picked the wrong species of animal to have as a pet.

Have reasonable goals, be kind and patient, and usually a young cat or kitten will learn what you expect of him/her.  But training an older cat, that might be used to falling into slumber wherever they might happen to be, it would be a difficult task to get such a cat to understand WHY it can't sleep wherever it wants, like it always has.

If you are frustrated in your attempts, I would suggest you take your cat to a feline practitice veterinarian, who might have more specific suggestions for you, based on the age and personality of your cat.

Answer 3

u cant its impossible.

Answer 4

GOOD LUCK! you can always pray!

you can't train cats.  remember, cats don't have owners, they have staff

Answer 5

make it warm, soft and everytime it goes to sleep, put it in the bed. maybe let it get its scent in there too?

gl xoxo

Answer 6

oh thats so easy, though it depends upon the weather. if its chilly then it will help a lot to get the cat motivated. otherwise if its warm then the cat may not get the idea until it figures out what it is for when it does get cold enough that it will want to seek out a cozy place to snooze.

you could either put the cat bed (or if its one of those circular beds that I like to call a "kitty nest") in or near your cats favorite sleeping place. Then from time to time pick up your cat and lay it into the nest, or pose it into the normal sitting position it would take if it were sitting in its new cat bed.

its so funny to have someone else stuffing the cat into the kitty nest, and watching the cat's response to the situation,

I've had a few cats that had no idea what to make of a circular cat bed.  Until I showed them what it was for, eventually they figured it out.

If your cat outright refuses to sleep in a pet bed, you could put the bed & the cat in a carrier, that way it has no choice but settle in into it. then it will figure out what its for (i've never had to go to this extreme, because most cats are pretty smart & not as stupid as dog lovers like to think).

good luck sweetie!!