Cat Training

[PeterT]

Heard an interesting segment on the radio yesterday regarding Cat Training to handle behavioral issues.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio...ues-heres-help

The firm mentioned who has trainers is at https://educhateur.com/ (unfortunately the website is in French).

[Sirtel]

I didn't listen (hate listening anything), but I'm pretty sure it's possible to train cats to some extent - how well an individual cat can be trained, probably depends on its personality.

For myself I have to admit I've never tried to train any of my cats. I'm just far too lazy to bother. I've also been lucky enough to not have had a cat with serious behavioral problems.

[MegDreamsofBooks]

In my experience "train" is a bit of an overstatement when it comes to cats, but they can be taught things, if you can figure out the correct motivation so they want to learn. It's not really like training a dog, though, you have to work much more with the cat's personality and motivation, they won't all be willing to learn the same things the way you can usually teach most dogs to sit/stay/heel.

I had a cat who learned to use an exercise wheel, she loved to run and she was food motivated so I was able to teach her to walk on it by giving her treats. Her sister and my current cat learned to take pills easily by being rewarded with treats as well.

My current cat has also learned a small vocabulary of words and phrases, by using them consistently for the same actions I do with him. So he knows "snacks" and "kibbles" and "come snuggle" along with his very favorite word EVER: "BRUSHIES!!"

[Poppaea]

I have one of the button talking cats #fluentpet

Minou has 65 words at the moment, of which she uses about 60. She uses them correctly, some times in combinations I never use or showed her, with those combinations being correct, too.

Her words include: Minou, Mama, Freddy (her dog friend who stays with us at least two days each week), friend, neighbor, guest, bird, mouse, hello, bye-bye,
when, what, concerned, happy, tired, hungry, mad, brush, laser pointer and other toys, play, snuggle, pets, sleep, tv, computer, telephone, bed, chair, ouch, belly, paw, back, eye, head, ear, leg, morning, noon, night, now, later, today, tomorrow, no, yes, eat, food, treat, puzzle, snufflemat, outside, etc.

She tells me when she wants to be petted, snuggle in bed, has a headache, asks for Freddy when he does not come over as usual, asks for a live birdwatching webcam on tv or one with mousies. TV request are for example: 'Bed, tv, Minou'. Then I ask her if she wants to watch the birds and she will answer 'mousie'.

She often asks for 'training', which is giving paw or high-five, sit up and beg, sit or jumping through a hoop. Or she asks me to put on her harness and do some leash training.

She once told my landlord bye-bye, after having watched him with ears back for 15 minutes. She clearly despised him and it was hilarious.

Cats can be trained quite easily, as long as they can see it benefits them. They have no interest in doing something just because it pleases their human, but tgey will learn and do anything that gains them something, be it fun, play, outside adventures or entertainment or food.

[MegDreamsofBooks]

I love Minou's vocabulary! And how hilarious that she actually told your landlord to leave.

I am seriously considering doing button training with Finn, he's very chatty and he definitely indicates when he wants something, it would be nice if he would actually button for kibbles or brushies or snuggles rather than me having to guess my way through the possibilities.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by MegDreamsofBooks

I love Minou's vocabulary! And how hilarious that she actually told your landlord to leave.

I am seriously considering doing button training with Finn, he's very chatty and he definitely indicates when he wants something, it would be nice if he would actually button for kibbles or brushies or snuggles rather than me having to guess my way through the possibilities.

A chatty cat is usually the easiest to get started. The moment they realize they can ask for play or pets or stuff when they want it, they are really keen on it. Go for it! You will have so much fun. Although you should introduce no, later and all done pretty quickly or you will create a monster 😁

Minou didn't use the buttons for NINE months, the dog did, even though I bought them for her. She did pay attention the whole time and when she finally used them, she spoke in full sentences aka three words strung together. I did not know that cats do not press stuff down with their paws voluntarily, it has to be trained. A talking cat mom @justinbieberthecat made a video about it, we trained pressing and off it was to the races.

I think it is a great gift. They can self advocat, we get an invaluable tool regarding their health, when they can tell us if and where they hurt and it really lifts the relationship into something entirely new.

She hated me, when I got her. She had a family with two kids and a large dog before and then I showed up and catnapped her. She bit me for two years, even though I never tried to snuggle or anything against her will. Then she started talking, asked for playtime and our relationship got a lot better.

Three years ago, only a couple of moths after she started talking, we moved to a groundfloor apartment. The first week after the move, she did not touch her buttons, then one morning, she said 'Minou happy, happy, happy, happy, happy'. Now she says I love you often, even climbs out of tge bed at night to tell me or sometimes Freddy, the dog, and then comes back to snuggle. She also uses I love you to butter me up when she wants treats 😁

If you need help or have questions, you can PM me any time.