Why You're Probably Training Your Cat All Wrong

Yes, they're independent and willful, but felines can be taught certain behaviors—to the benefit of both cat and human.

Training has always been part of the deal when you own a dog, though methods have changed a lot over the generations. Cats are a different story—but they shouldn’t be.

“People don’t traditionally train cats because they think of cats as ... independent and full of free will,” says Sarah Ellis, co-author of The Trainable Cat. (Read how everything you think about cats may be wrong.)

“What they don’t realize, though, is that they are subconsciously training their cats on a daily basis.”

The bad news is that you’re often training your cat to do the opposite of what you want. How many times have you yelled "No!" and run over to scoop your cat off the kitchen counter? And

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