Although extremely independent, the cat is not as stubborn as one tends to think - research has shown that the cat is not so dominated by instinct that it cannot be changed with a little patience. You cannot train a cat in quite the same way that you can train a dog, but by establishing routines and understanding your cat's behaviour, you will make life easier for yourself and more enjoyable for your cat.

It is important for your cat to recognise its name, and by calling it at feeding and bedtime, it will soon learn to respond. Do not provoke a cat or try to get it to obey you by shouting! With a bare minimum of training, a cat will no longer be a menace to your floors or furniture - you can teach a kitten as young as four weeks old to use a litter tray by immediately placing it in a litter tray as it begins to crouch. If a kitten relieves itself outside of the tray do not rub its nose in the mess - the odour will tell the kitten that this is its toilet and it will return to it. Cats need stimuli to keep them from boredom, frustration and consequent destructive behaviour.

Provide scratching posts to stop kitty from ruining your furniture by scratching it. If your cat is allowed outdoors it will probably find a piece of bark on which to sharpen its claws, otherwise a vertical post covered in carpeting is ideal. Provide a few interesting toys like a catnip mouse or ball of wool for it to stalk and catch, thereby satisfying his strong hunting instinct. Better still, set aside some time each day to play with the kitty - the contended purr as it lies in your lap at the end of each day is just reward!