Cats can be trained, just maybe not in the same ways. We’ve got a pair of new kittens that like jumping on the table. Kittens are not allowed on the table, so I push them off. To begin with, they really fought against being pushed off the table (understandable) and tried to stay on as long as possible. After a couple of weeks though, they just let themselves get pushed off. Our old cat (who the kittens are replacing) used to jump off as soon as I walked towards him or even verbally asked him to get down.
I’m also training the kittens to be parrot cats sitting on my shoulder. We’ll see how much I regret that when they’re fully grown…
I’ve had multiple cats, all trained in one degree or other. Getting a cat to do what you want is kind of hard. Getting them to do something they like to do on command is pretty easy. I had a cat that would play catch, usually with uninflated balloons. I’d try to make her do backflips for the catch. All my cats were trained to stay off the counters and tables (when we were around). But I also recognize that cats don’t see us as masters and authorities, so you bet they would go on the counters when we weren’t around, for instance.
We put foil on the counters and eventually the cats lost interest in going up there. It took a long time and we make sure there are never plates for them to lick so there’s nothing to entice them.
I still hear them jump down from the counters at night and know there’s nothing I can do about it.
The old cat died (or at least, didn’t come back one morning) and the new kittens are replacing him. That’s just how it is. I’ve lived my whole life with usually two dogs and two cats, as well as anywhere between five and thirty poultry. I must’ve went through 100 animals by now, at least 15 of whom were close pets… You get used to it. He was getting old, so I like to think he went and curled up somewhere warm to die rather than anything else happening to him. We did the best we could when he was alive and he seemed to genuinely enjoy living with us, so what more could we ask for in a pet?
Cats can be trained, just maybe not in the same ways. We’ve got a pair of new kittens that like jumping on the table. Kittens are not allowed on the table, so I push them off. To begin with, they really fought against being pushed off the table (understandable) and tried to stay on as long as possible. After a couple of weeks though, they just let themselves get pushed off. Our old cat (who the kittens are replacing) used to jump off as soon as I walked towards him or even verbally asked him to get down.
I’m also training the kittens to be parrot cats sitting on my shoulder. We’ll see how much I regret that when they’re fully grown…
I’ve had multiple cats, all trained in one degree or other. Getting a cat to do what you want is kind of hard. Getting them to do something they like to do on command is pretty easy. I had a cat that would play catch, usually with uninflated balloons. I’d try to make her do backflips for the catch. All my cats were trained to stay off the counters and tables (when we were around). But I also recognize that cats don’t see us as masters and authorities, so you bet they would go on the counters when we weren’t around, for instance.
We put foil on the counters and eventually the cats lost interest in going up there. It took a long time and we make sure there are never plates for them to lick so there’s nothing to entice them.
I still hear them jump down from the counters at night and know there’s nothing I can do about it.
It will be inconvenient, but there will be no regret.
…maybe don’t phrase it like that…
The old cat died (or at least, didn’t come back one morning) and the new kittens are replacing him. That’s just how it is. I’ve lived my whole life with usually two dogs and two cats, as well as anywhere between five and thirty poultry. I must’ve went through 100 animals by now, at least 15 of whom were close pets… You get used to it. He was getting old, so I like to think he went and curled up somewhere warm to die rather than anything else happening to him. We did the best we could when he was alive and he seemed to genuinely enjoy living with us, so what more could we ask for in a pet?
The question remains as to who trains whom 😉
If I were the old cat, I would prefer my service staff to talk to me instead of throwing me down.
I’ve got a ~20lb Turkish Van that I trained to ride/sit on shoulders when he was a kitten. He wrecks my shirts now (and the skin underneath).