I was recently discussing cat stories with my friend, and I asked her if she believed in cat training. She let me know that she is also allergic to cats, just as I am. So she proceeded to put her thoughts down on paper, and then sent me her interesting story.
Is Your Cat Really Trainable
Last time I looked around at the cats in my life, I realize they pretty much let me leave them alone so they can go about their lives with the least amount of human intervention (i.e., aggravation and "adult" responsibilities) and the most amount of food and love possible.
But my situation differs in that I am allergic and can’t touch or pet them without physical suffering on my part. So maybe they just come rub my leg and purr for a petting to have a great laugh at my expense? I think not. I suspect that they honestly need that massage/petting and have no clue that I suffer loving them.
The psychological possibilities are endless. Having said that, these critters of delight can also be critters of disastrous habits, and I hear there are those who say cats can be trained. Well! Honestly, this should be on the evening news as a headline!
If you take a look at the plethora of advice on training cats, the topics run the gamut:
* Keeping kitty off the countertop
* Different kinds of miaows
* Litter training kitty
* Cats and babies
* Feline aggressions
* Peeing on plants, spraying and other urine issues
* Pooping in wrong places and other such issues
* Chewing or scratching furniture and curtains
There are a number of reasons for their problem cat-behavior, and they can run from boredom to curiosity to stress to outright anxiety. Why don’t cats know how we want them to behave? And why should they care?
So what is it exactly that you want to train your cat to do? In the domain of cat training, there seems to be 2 basic ways to motivate your favorite feline: negative conditioning and/or operant conditioning. Negative conditioning includes things like spraying your naughty kitty with a spray of water from a bottle when s/he does something unacceptable.
Operant conditioning positively affirms acceptable behavior by giving strokes or treats to Kitty Dearest. Each method, of course, has its drawbacks and each method has its possibilities.
Your cat is probably smarter than you, so you’ve
got to figure out the best way to outsmart her back so that you can live in a semblance of peaceful coexistence. And then she will adore you forever, letting you think you’ve figured out the Cat-Vinci Code.
Ah, my furry feline loves - ShiShi, Nibo, and Ira – just thinking about all this makes me wonder: Exactly who has trained whom!
Rima Savage
And that is my friend Rima's amusing tale of her cat-ventures. She is now exploring the possibility of cat training.
Fred Farah
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Have fun with Your Cat Training
Cat Training Fun
