They say that you can't train cats--who are they kidding?
The only way to train a cat is with positive reinforcement. I have used clicker training with Thunder in the past. I used to set up obstacle courses for him, and we would play walk over and in boxes, across boards and through hoops. It isn't as practical now that my dog, Maggie, is a clicker dog. She wants to be right in the middle of the game.
Just because we don't use a clicker, we still use positive reinforcement. I have brushed Thunder's teeth for years, and I used to give him treats when we were done. This helped, but he isn't really a treat oriented cat. Sometimes, he would just walk away from them.
Since I am retired, I have a lot more flexibility as to the time of day that I brush his teeth. Since he eats about a can of food a day, I started to brush his teeth right before I open up a new can.
He seemed to be more and more willing to have his teeth brushed, and the whole thing has become a much better experience for the both of us. Was it my imagination, but is he actually starting to ask me to brush his teeth?
Well, you can't imagine how satisfied I have been the last few days, when I picked him up to put him in position for his tooth brushing, and he started to purr!!! Of course, he stopped as soon as the toothbrush touched his teeth, but still--he was purring!
Now, dogs thrive on positive reinforcement. Maggie knows that when I get the toothpaste out, that I will brush Thunder's teeth, give him food, brush her teeth and then give her food, too. When she sees me with the toothpaste, she is glued by my side until it is time for her teeth, too.
That brings us to Arbez, Kevin's highly sensitive senior cat. The vet diagnosed her with a thyroid condition. She needs a pill 2 times a day. She can be a ferocious, dangerous cat. Bez needs to be drugged just to take her to the vet so that nobody ends up requiring stitches. The only people who can "safely" handle her are Keven and me. This could be a problem.
At first, Kevin tried putting it in Velveeta Cheese balls. That worked, but eventually Arbez figured it out and started to refuse. It looked like he needed to give her the pill in the normal way--open mouth and throw it in.
How was this going to work out with "The Queen of Mean?" (She really isn't mean--she is just high-strung--with sharp claws.) If she starts anticipating it, will she go into hiding? Will she strike out? This has to be done twice a day--forever!
I suggested giving her treats after the pill. She just loves treats.
It worked. She still is reluctant to open her mouth, and she still tries to spit the pill out. But she doesn't try to run away. When our technique is good, the whole experience is a happy one. She gobbles down those treats with glee. We just have to work on our technique, but at least we don't have to worry about sharp claws and hiding cats.
Positive reinforcement is an awesome thing with cats!!!
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