Training Cats

Cats can be trained.

Years ago when my boys were very young, we had a cat, Boots I think. She was seven years old when we got her, she lived to 14. In the morning, someone would hold her back and say "stay" while I put her food in her dish. She would be held back for a short while, then let go. Eventually, we didn't have to hold her, just say "stay" and she would until we said OK.

Now, Crash seems to be trained too. Every evening around 11:00, I say "bedtime, go" and she starts heading for the bedroom. Occasionally she needs a little more prompting and some nights, she heads right for the bedroom at 11:00 PM. Bernie usually has to be carried, protesting, into the bedroom.

Today I was having some work done and the cats were locked up in the bedroom. I had to get something from there and when I opened the door, I said "stay" and she did. When I left, I again said "stay" and she did. I was shocked. I never knew she recognized that word.

Her vocabulary is growing. She's also beginning to understand "bad cat" which I yell whenever she scratches the furniture and "good cat" when she uses the scratching post or rug.

Bernie knows what to do when he gets into trouble. After relaxing and sleeping most of the evening, Bernie seems to think that bedtime means playtime. The only problem is that Crash doesn't want to play and they fight. She hisses and growls, but that doesn't stop him. One night, I just got up and pointed to the bathroom. He walked in and sat down on the bathmat. Since then, whenever he gets in trouble at night, if I say his name or point, he just walks into the bathroom and sits on the mat for a little while. He takes his own time-out.