| CAN DOMESTIC CATS BE TRAINED? | | | | In terms of cats it may be easiest to keep |
| | | | their training at this level. Co-existing |
| Cats are always being compared to dogs. Cats | | | | with a well behaved cat entails the cat |
| are often perceived to be independent wild | | | | knowing which behaviors you disapprove of and |
| creatures while dogs have a reputation of | | | | which behaviors are o.k. This should be |
| being eager to please and trainable. It is | | | | conveyed through tone of voice. A little |
| true that all animals can be trained to do | | | | reinforcement either positive or negative |
| circus tricks with enough positive and | | | | just helps things along. Another example |
| negative reinforcements. Whether or not this | | | | might be that every time your cat does |
| is ethical is another story. | | | | something you like, you scratch him in a way |
| | | | that you know is appreciated or you feed him |
| Training an animal to do certain things at | | | | immediately. |
| home can be done much the same way that a | | | | |
| circus animal is taught. However training an | | | | MAKING A CAT DO SOMETHING IT DOES NOT WANT TO |
| animal not to scratch furniture is much less | | | | DO |
| extreme than training it to jump through | | | | |
| hoops of fire so the conditioning required is | | | | Unlike dogs, cats are not pack animals. They |
| less extreme. | | | | hunt independently and as a result act more |
| | | | independent. They do not have the social |
| HOW TO TRAIN A CAT | | | | hierarchy that dogs have therefore do not |
| | | | care about being submissive and pleasing the |
| Training anyone to do anything whether human | | | | alpha dog. In the cat world there is no alpha |
| or animal consists largely of modifying | | | | "top dog." |
| behavior. The idea is that either you want a | | | | |
| behavior to take place or you want a behavior | | | | The natural way for cats is that they all |
| to stop. If you want a certain behavior to | | | | take care of themselves. Because of this a |
| recur whenever that behavior does occur, the | | | | cat will not want to rely on his owner for |
| subject should be immediately rewarded. There | | | | security. If an aggressive dog approaches, he |
| needs to be an association with doing a | | | | will not trust that a human being can protect |
| particular thing and feeling good. | | | | him and will not look to his master for |
| | | | protection. The claws will come out, he might |
| If a behavior is wished to be stopped there | | | | growl, he'll make himself look bigger than he |
| must be a negative reinforcement. It is not | | | | is but he will not run behind his master. |
| necessary that the negative reinforcement | | | | This characteristic shows how the cat thinks |
| consist of pain but it should be unpleasant. | | | | that he knows best. |
| It can be something irritating, annoying or | | | | |
| even shocking. For example if you want to | | | | In the dog world the alpha dog gets that |
| train your cat not to scratch furniture, you | | | | position because it is the smartest. The |
| could keep a spray water bottle near the | | | | other dogs look for the message about what |
| couch. | | | | they should do from him. A cat does not come |
| | | | from this system and therefore will never |
| You close off the room to the cat when you | | | | look to someone else to be told what to do. A |
| are not there. When you are there with the | | | | cat will always make up its own mind. |
| water bottle by your side you let the cat | | | | |
| into that room. Every time that the cat | | | | So if you have succeeded to train a cat to do |
| begins to scratch the furniture you spray | | | | certain things, you can be sure that it has |
| water in his face. He or she will eventually | | | | been the cat's decision that this is |
| associate scratching that couch with being | | | | worthwhile doing. The cat must obviously |
| sprayed in the face. | | | | think that the reward is worth it and he has |
| | | | decided to do it. This is why the term dog |
| Generally speaking a household pet can learn | | | | training is heard so much more than cat |
| what it is that they are not allowed to do. | | | | training. |