Where Speaking Meow Becomes Your First Language

"Operant Training is opportunity training.  The cat presents you with a desired behavior and you have the opportunity to reward that behavior."  Understanding Cat Behavior, Chapter 10.

Finicky supports positive reinforcement (R+) for cat training.  People often associate this type of training with dogs, but R+ training has been used for decades around dogs, horses, whales, dolphins, lions, tigers in zoos, and yes even around house cats.  The method is highly effective in communicating with animals of all types.  

Let's define what exactly is positive reinforcement (R+) in terms of behavior.  Positive simply means we are going to apply something to achieve a desired behavior.  Reinforcement simply means we are going to reward that behavior in a way that is going to increase the  behavior.  So for example, when you shake the treat container, call your cat's name, and they come running you are providing positive reinforcement for your cat responding to their name. 

Punishment in cats is never helpful.  The reason for this is the cat is both predator and prey.  Punishment is therefore seen as a serious threat to their safety and will either backfire (scratch/bite) or the cat will become so upset that other undesired behaviors will surface.  Punishment suppresses the undesired behavior without addressing the cause of the behavior.  

 The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (ASVAB) recommends that training should focus on reinforcing desired behaviors, removing the reinforcer for inappropriate behaviors, and addressing the emotional state and environmental conditions driving the undesirable behavior.” 

So for example you cat is persistently seeking your attention by meowing at you.  Some people love a chatty cat, but are now finding their chatty kitty in the work from home environment is distracting.  So we look to two solutions for this behavior.  The first is to recognize it as attention seeking and what is driving that behavior.  I often suggest the cat be provided a bed/shelf of their own in the office to settle on while one is working(desired behavior).  The second is to remove the reinforcer of the behavior, you.  After a few days of ignoring the cat, they will get bored with you and choose to settle in their office bed. 

R+ training your cat involves rewarding your cat for the desired behavior.  In the example above you would reward you cat for settling in their office bed and being quiet while you work.  The faster you reward this behavior when it occurs, the less likely the intense attention seeking behavior occurs.  So as you can see cat training using the R+ strategy has two parts.  We have to provide the cat with an alternate desired behavior that fulfills their needs.  If we fail this component of training not only does the undesired behavior remain or get worse, we fail to address the underlying cause of the behavior.

Most cat behavior issues are rooted in fear, anxiety, and stress.  High enough levels of stress will cause serious medical conditions in your cat.  Trying to show your cat who is boss will only cause your cat to view you as a threat to their safety.  Using R+ training with your cat, you can gradually teach them that they have better choices of tolerating their human environment.  Addressing the overall environment to meet the needs of the cat can go a long way to helping you train them to be a great companion.

Cat behavior is a complex industry, and this just scratches the surface of training and positive reinforcement. We highly recommend you ask questions in the comments.  You can find more information at: 

• Fear Free Happy Homes
• Understanding Cat Behavior by Beth Pasek
• Train You Cat by Karen Pryor Academy