Diva

Diva

by Ellen 

I had a life-changing event happen last year.  I found a kitten, and she followed me home.  I might sound like a little kid when I say that, but I felt like one, too.  

I was broken after my after my wonderful cat, Stormy, passed away.  I wanted another cat, but how could I be sure it would be the car for me?  I wanted a furry boy cat; like Stormy.  I looked, but I could never take the next step.  I didn't want it to be the wrong step.  The months passed by, one by one, and I still didn't have a cat.

Then one day, I found a sleek, black girl cat about six months old in my garden.  She was not what I was looking for, but sometimes it is not what you want but what you need that comes home with you--and won't leave you even when you leave the door open.

She needed me, and I needed her.  I named her Diva because she knew she was too good to be a stray cat. There is a lot more to the story of Diva, but I want to concentrate on telling you about some of her training.

My last cat, Stormy, was terrified of the cat carrier and going to the vet.  It was miserable for both of us; ending in an undignified accident by the time we arrived at the vet.  They called it a "sample" to make us feel better.  I was determined that Diva would not have the same experience.  after all, she is a Diva and will not arrive at the vet messy.

I do clicker training with my horse, Dante.  Clicker is magic with dogs and horses, but with cats; it can be rather tough.  Some don't like treats, like my last cat, or they have a small, delicate tummy like my sister's cat, Thunder.

I am so lucky.  Diva loves treats and seems to be bottomless when it comes to food.  Perfect.  We started with clicker basics; targeting and such.  Then I started putting treats in her carrier and clicked her for going in it.

She progressed quickly which is what I wanted.  My boyfriend was due to take her to the vet, and she needed to load easily for him.  He is not a cat person, and he can be a bit awkward with them sometimes.  I was going to be at work on the big day, so he was on his own.

He said she went right in.  He just put a treat in it, and she followed it.  Yes, so satisfying, but I wasn't going to stop there.

The carrier lives in our play area in the basement.  We practiced with it a lot and used it in our games.  My next step was to make her my backyard adventure cat.  I bought a cute harness for her and used a clickera to help her to get used to it.  I also used the clicker to teach her  "come, come" to follow me.

We practiced with the harness.  I would harness her and load her in the carrier.  This was a slow process because I wanted her to be very comfortable with each step.

The big day came.  

I put her in her harness, loaded her into the carrier and we were off to our backyard adventure.  It went really well.  Caution: don't expert to get much exercise walking a cat--just gratification seeing the world through their eyes.

We have since been on a few adventures.  She really likes it.  Last week, we took her for a car ride after her walk, and she seemed to enjoy herself.

It's worthwhile to train a cat to load in a carrier--much like when we work with our horses.  It is time well spent teaching a pet a skill like this for life gois a long way.  For everyone's health;both mental and phycical.