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I thought I was training her but it seems to be the other way around.
I give my cats a treat (Temptations, yes kitty crack) for scratching on the scratching post. It's about the only time the get them. While I don't always give them it seems they know my husband almost always does.
The one cat we have now "herds" him, blocks his way to get him to go towards s/post so he can witness scratching then receive treats . I've noticed he always gives her 3 and walks away. Yesterday he gave her 2 and walked away and she had a fit. She followed into the kitchen and pestered him until she got her third which she ate then was satisfied.
My cat can now count and we are now trained to dispense 3 treats.
Plus one of mine, when he wants inside from the screen porch, uses his paw to attempt to pry open the door...it doesn't work, his paw gets hurt or even a bit bloody...
so NOW if I hear him trying to get in, I RUSH to open the door
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tla921
Now that she knows that you two are indeed intelligent, there's no telling what else she may train you to do.
I've been trained to be a 24/7 servant. I'm pretty good, too.
I am a personal chef, private housekeeper, personal trainer, hairstylist and nurse. It is also listed in my job description - "tasks as needed".
I've always said that training a cat was a double sided affair. The cat has to first accomplish one important task, and that is to make sure that the human in question is totally and completely smitten & hopelessly in love with said cat. Once that's been achieved in the first 5 minutes of meeting one another, the feline training process can begin. The trick, and most cats/kittens are masters at it, is to convince said human that he/she is doing the actual training, when in reality the exact opposite is happening. In truth, the cat will always be willing to do whatever it is (except baths) we want them to do, they just require a bribe first.
Reverse training a human is usually accomplished by obtaining vital intelligence on what the cat can do to really get on the human's nerves. Then said cat does that, and keeps it up until a reward is given to make it stop. Exercise successfully completed.. repeat as desired.
Personally, my weakness in the Feline Extortion game has always been excessive vocalizing with ever-increasing decibel levels. Every kitten we took in learned how to get what they wanted from good old Dad by 3 or 4 moths of age. It doesn't take much vulgar yowling, or plaintive crying from a poor, neglected cat to get me reaching for the treat bag.
Long ago I learned that resistance is futile, but on the bright side, at least I can say I've been trained by the best of them.
Personally, my weakness in the Feline Extortion game has always been excessive vocalizing with ever-increasing decibel levels. Every kitten we took in learned how to get what they wanted from good old Dad by 3 or 4 moths of age. It doesn't take much vulgar yowling, or plaintive crying from a poor, neglected cat to get me reaching for the treat bag.
Long ago I learned that resistance is futile, but on the bright side, at least I can say I've been trained by the best of them.
Haha, Catdad, we had one girl that could reach astounding decibel levels. When she wanted to come into our bedroom, she would sit in the hallway outside the bedroom door and caterwaul. If we did not come running, we could just see her fiddling with the volume knob. Then she would start again, at a level I have never heard before or since. It sounded like she was screaming. Then, of course, we would rush to let her in the bedroom. She would hop up on the bed, cuddle with my husband and throw me a look that said, "You are a distant second to him". I laugh thinking of her attitude. Did I mention she ran into our yard, a starved throwaway that weighed only 4 pounds? And that she marched into our garage as if she had been expecting us to fetch her from outside all along? Oh, yes. From pathetic stray to Queen of the May in about, oh, a nanosecond.
Every day at 3 PM, our very spoiled 14-year-old boy who lives in our kitchen, begins to pace and look up at the clock. He will start to make little grumpy noises if I don't look up from my work. Once I notice him, he gets excited and as I go to the closet with the cat food in it, he runs after me and watches, to make sure I am picking out a delectable can of Fancy Feast for him. Grilled or With Gravy only, please. None of that pate stuff. Then I put it in his plate and serve him, a good 2-3 hours before the rest of our cats eat dinner. By the time they get to eat, he is snoozing in his kitty bed on the table, next to the window. How did he learn to tell time?
He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, glaucoma and has lost the other eye to glaucoma. He seems to have figured out that we are determined to make his remaining years(?) as comfy and as spoiled as possible. Sometimes I call him The Little Tyrant. LOL We love him to death.
I thought I was training her but it seems to be the other way around.
I give my cats a treat (Temptations, yes kitty crack) for scratching on the scratching post. It's about the only time the get them. While I don't always give them it seems they know my husband almost always does.
The one cat we have now "herds" him, blocks his way to get him to go towards s/post so he can witness scratching then receive treats . I've noticed he always gives her 3 and walks away. Yesterday he gave her 2 and walked away and she had a fit. She followed into the kitchen and pestered him until she got her third which she ate then was satisfied.
My cat can now count and we are now trained to dispense 3 treats.
One cat will stand at the front door when she wants to go out. The other will paw at the door. Coming back in is on them - they push the slightly ajar door open.
Every day at 3 PM, our very spoiled 14-year-old boy who lives in our kitchen, begins to pace and look up at the clock. He will start to make little grumpy noises if I don't look up from my work. Once I notice him, he gets excited and as I go to the closet with the cat food in it, he runs after me and watches, to make sure I am picking out a delectable can of Fancy Feast for him. Grilled or With Gravy only, please. None of that pate stuff. Then I put it in his plate and serve him, a good 2-3 hours before the rest of our cats eat dinner. By the time they get to eat, he is snoozing in his kitty bed on the table, next to the window. How did he learn to tell time?
He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, glaucoma and has lost the other eye to glaucoma. He seems to have figured out that we are determined to make his remaining years(?) as comfy and as spoiled as possible. Sometimes I call him The Little Tyrant. LOL We love him to death.
My Electra can tell time.
The morning routine is that Hubby & I read the paper first. When I done with the paper, Electra starts in with "Ma-roo? Ma-roo?" That is when they get their first can (they have dried food all the time). I feed Electra & Elvira in the pantry (which is like a hallway) and I go into the library with Josette so she can eat in peace without the others stealing her food. Whatever she doesn't eat, I bring in the "clean-up crew" to take care of it.
A few months ago, I started feeding Electra a little extra because she had been way underweight. I usually give her a half of can about 2:30-3:00. This time it is Electra in the library so she can have it all to herself. And whatever she doesn't eat (which isn't much), again, I bring in the "clean-up crew" to take care of it. If she takes too long, the "clean-up crew" will reach her paw under the door and start whining. It didn't take Electra long-just a few days, to start asking for it. Sure enough, almost every day about 2:30 or so, "Ma-roo? Ma-roo?"
Funny, I had my son's cat staying with me when he first got out of college (son, not cat). I'm in a 3 story townhouse and the bottom level is my office and the garage. He LOVED playing in the garage as he could look out the little screen in the garage door at passersby and then take a nap in the foot well of one of the cars. It soon became a habit that he would come and stand at the garage door in the office. If I didn't promptly get up & open it for him, he'd start meowing. He soon had me trained.
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