Mary Allen
Do you agree that cats are untrainable? Or does your cat seem to prove it, for example by repeatedly jumping on the countertop while you’re cooking even though you keep telling it not to? Then I have some suggestions for you today that will change living with your cat. And do it in a way that you both can have a lot of fun with.
What Should Change?
What comes to mind when you think about raising your cat? What behavior do you want your cat to change? When answering these questions, most people choose phrases such as “I don’t want my cat to jump on the worktop anymore” or “I don’t want my cat to meow so much anymore”. So the cat should refrain from doing something. However, this causes problems for some cats. She had a reason for her behavior beforehand that was good enough to expend energy on it: Leaping onto the worktop is probably often rewarded by the fact that she finds exciting smells and, in some cases, can even get hold of something to eat. And when you meow, many cats get attention in the broadest sense, so maybe being spoken to, but also tenderness, the next meal or door service to the outdoor area. So the behavior that you want your cat to stop showing has paid off for her in the broadest sense of the word so far. If you take this knowledge into account, you will achieve better parenting success.
Rephrase!
Instead of thinking about what to stop your cat from doing, think about what you want your cat to do instead. For example: “I would like my cat to sit on a stool next to the workplace while I cook” or “I would like my cat to be quiet more often and for longer.” In this way, you define a concrete behavior that your cat can show and – and that’s the highlight – that you can reward! If you want your cat to exhibit a certain behavior on a regular basis in everyday life, make that behavior rewarding for her.
Reward desired behavior
“But I can’t stuff them with treats all the time!” you might be thinking. You probably don’t even have to. Think about what you could do to make your cat happy during the special training moments. Would it really be fodder? Or maybe simply attracting attention through a friendly address? Would she like a little cuddle? Or would she be more in the mood for some action in the form of playing together or going outside? You can also think of a catnip pillow, a round of brushes, putting out a new box of toys, or opening a drawer to explore. You can probably think of many other things that your cat enjoys more often. I will briefly explain how you can use such rewards to educate your cat using our examples.
“I Want My Cat to Sit on a Stool by the Counter While I Cook.”
Place a stool next to the counter so your cat can sit comfortably and out of your way. Give her a few one-minute workouts where you lure her onto (or gently sit on) the stool and then do something extra special for her there. To get started, this can be several treats given one after the other, but also a nice cuddling session or blissful brushing. This is how she gets to know the stool as a great place to sit.
The next time you’re working on the counter and your cat comes over, guide her straight to the stool. Once she jumps on it, reward her. Be quick with your reward, otherwise, your cat will keep jumping from the stool to the worktop. In this phase, it is important that your cat gets attention at fairly short intervals on the stool.
Be sure to try and see how your cat finds it when you hand it objects from the worktop as a reward for sitting on the stool so that it can smell them: a piece of the cucumber you are cutting, the handle of the knife you just picked up. Allowing your cat to explore may be the greatest reward you can choose right now.
How often should you reward?
That depends on how motivated your cat is to do the behavior you don’t want and how self-rewarding the new desired behavior is. The more important it is to your cat what it should no longer do, the more frequently and in a higher quality you must first reward the desired behavior.
Basically, if you want to establish a new behavior, reward it particularly often at first. This may mean rewarding your cat on the kitchen stool every few seconds at first. Then you begin to slowly but steadily vary the rewards and increase the length of time in between. You give your cat a piece of food on the stool, after ten seconds you speak to her in a friendly manner, after another ten seconds you hold out the cucumber, after 15 seconds you stroke her behind the ears (if she likes it), etc. If you find your cat doing 10-15 seconds well, slowly increase that to 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds.
Important: Never stop rewarding your cat when it shows behavior that you want from it!
“I Want My Cat to be Quiet More Often and Longer.”
Behaving quietly is much less specific than sitting on a stool. Nevertheless, we can also develop reward ideas for this. The key will almost certainly be attending, as long as your cat is healthy. Because most cats experience: “If I sit still or move quietly around the room, my human ignores me. But as soon as I meow, I don’t always get what I want immediately, but at least a reaction!”
You are now turning the tables. In everyday life, consciously pay attention to situations in which your cat is awake and behaving calmly and pleasantly – and pay attention to it in these moments. In order to give them a particularly high-quality reward, choose moments when you already know that your cat is actually hungry or has another need, but still sits quietly next to you or rubs your leg, for example. This will teach her that she doesn’t have to be loud to get your attention. And that she can point out her needs to you with kind, calm demeanors. If you carefully implement such a program for four weeks, you will probably achieve great changes!
Important: If you are not sure whether your cat that meows a lot is healthy and if it is at least 8 years old, please have it examined at your trusted veterinary practice. The meowing can be a sign of an illness.