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National Siamese Cat Day: Effective tips to train your Siamese cat
Siamese cats love human company and are quick learners. Shirin Dhabar, Pet behaviourist and trainer shares effective tips to train them.
Siamese cats, one of the most elegant and popular cat breeds all over the world are instantly recognised due to their unique appearance. Lean but muscular, Siamese cats have long and thin limbs and tails with dark fur near face, ears, legs and tails. Also known as Meezers, Siamese cats are quick learners, intelligent and easy to train. National Siamese Cat Day is observed on April 6 every year to celebrate this popular cat breed. Siamese cats love human company and also appreciate stimulating environment that allows them to play and interact. They don't like to be left alone. It's important to read their body language in order to train them well. (Also read: Do cats feel gratitude? Ways a cat says 'thank you' to humans)
Shirin Dhabar, an Indian pioneer in canine behaviour and training, in an interview with HT Digital shares effective tips to train Siamese cats.
1. Play daily with your cat
Many cat pet parents say their cats don’t play, but the right toy (a cat wand) and the right movements can help bring out the hunting instinct in your cat. Three play sessions of 5 minutes a day are great to begin with. Your cat needs a balanced meat-based feline specific diet to thrive
2. Pay attention to body language
Be considerate with your Siamese cat like all other felines. Siamese cats communicate through subtle body language signals – the eyes, the tail, the posture all are ways of them communicating. Learning to read cat body language can go a long way in helping your cat be heard and understood.
3. Create a stimulating environment for them
Just because cats seem to sleep all day, doesn’t mean it’s the life they enjoy. Siamese cats, in particular, love to hunt and play. Create a fun stimulating environment by getting interactive toys, scratch posts, cat trees, cats wands of different types and then show your cat, using a cat wand how to navigate the cat tree.
4. Help them tackle separation anxiety
Siamese cats love company and hate being left alone. It is a good practice to teach your Siamese cat to learn to be left alone for short periods of time through the day, from the day they come home to avoid separation anxiety issues from cropping up.
5. Use rewards, treats
The Siamese has a short coat, which requires minimal grooming; but you still need to teach your cat to accept being handled and touched on a regular basis. Siamese cats are intelligent and easy to teach. Always use rewards, treats and positive methods when working with pets. Keep all training sessions short and fun to ensure your Siamese stays interested.
