Dr. Meredith Kennedy, DVM, Long Beach Animal Hospital (LBAH)
So—why would we even want to train cats? Don’t they know how to be cats already?
They sure do—they are beautifully designed by nature to be sleek, resourceful, athletic, predatory survivors. Cats are the ultimate predators and can survive just fine with or without human beings.
But the natural behaviors that make them so successful as solitary predators don’t always translate into being good roommates. Marking their territory (spraying urine), sharpening their claws (on the furniture), hunting for food (on the kitchen counter and dining table) and exploration (zipping outside when the front door is open) are common complaints from exasperated cat owners. The cats see nothing wrong with any of this because they’re all natural behaviors. But what if we started young cats with behavior modification by reinforcing desirable and discouraging undesirable behaviors? What if we did it in a way that mimicked the sounds made by a mama cat with her kittens?
In order to do this, we come up with a “yes” noise and a “no” noise. “Yes” is a pursed-lips “kissing” type sound repeated four or five times in a row. The sound is similar to the chirping of a mama cat. This sound calls her kittens to her, and they’re rewarded with food, grooming, safety and comfort. We reward the kittens similarly by providing food and petting when they come near. They’re rewarded for coming to you when they hear the “yes” noise.
“No” is an immediate sharp and strident “PSSSS—PSSSS—PSSST!” reinforced in the early days of training with a hand slap on the table or counter at the same time. There is, of course, never any indication for physical punishment; we are simply getting the kitten’s attention with a loud noise and hissing similar to a mama cat’s hiss. This means “No! Stop what you’re doing!’ and usually results in the kitten stopping; backing away a little from the table, curtains, open doorway or wherever the undesired behavior is; and expressing confusion by ear twitching and widened eyes.
Now is the time to reinforce good behavior with the “yes” noise. So, your kitten has stopped doing whatever “bad” thing he or she was was doing and is momentarily confused. Watch the behavior as you reinforce with the kissing “yes” sound. The cat approaches, relaxes, purrs in response to your petting—just as with his or her own mama. Climbing on the table, scratching the couch, going out the open door and whatever else has stopped, and the cat has been reassured that he or she is a good kitty, you’re happy with him or her, everything’s okay. Discourage the undesirable and encourage the desirable behavior.
What about using a spray bottle? A quick blast of water from a water bottle also has an immediate “Stop doing that!” effect, but it has to be done immediately or it won’t have the effect you want. If you have to go into the next room to find the water bottle while the cat is running outside, eating your sandwich, or spraying the curtains, it won’t be very effective. But you always do have your voice and hand, and a quick “PSST—PSST—PSST!” with a hand-slap on a table or counter is something you can do immediately, anywhere. If you’ve successfully gotten your kitten’s attention and the cat stops the behavior, then give a “yes” reward combined with petting. You’ve now communicated with your cat and helped to shape his or her behavior.
Two things to remember about behavior training with cats:
- It may save your cat’s life someday. An indoor cat who stays indoors will never be run over by a car, attacked by dogs, fall from a tree, or be exposed to viral diseases from stray cats.
- Take a look at overflowing animal shelters. The number-one reason for surrender of cats is behavior problems. Most of these are probably very nice pets—but how much effort was put into modifying their behavior?
