Can cats be trained like dogs?

suomi

I've been kind of thinking about getting a cat for a while now, and I haven't had a cat since I was a kid so there are lots of things that I would need to figure out before seriously considering it! One of the main things is the question in the title, can cats be trained like dogs to behave well, not walk around on the counters and eat the food off your plate etc? Or do cats just follow their own rules and not really listen? I'd imagine they're probably more stubborn than dogs, since they don't have that same need to please their owner, but with the right training, would it be possible to have an obedient, well-behaved cat?

SillyMangoX

Ah, yes and no. My cats are (mostly) little angels when supervised, never will go on counters etc but the second they are left in the room alone Peach will go up on the counters and sit in the sink. If she's caught she knows she's wrong and jumps straight down but it still doesn't stop her when she knows she won't be caught! But saying that they can be trained but it's by their own terms, like I've trained both of mine to sit, speak and give kisses but they will only ever do it for food. Except Cream when it comes to kisses, he just likes kissing

Nody

Yes but you also need to let the cat be a cat and plan accordingly (they like to be at high places for overview so give them a high place to sit instead of the counter etc.).

suomi

Thanks for the replies!

SillyMangoX, your cats sound lovely. I wouldn't mind if the cat was on the counters when no one's in the kitchen, but if someone's trying to cook and there's a cat walking all over place - no thanks! :eek:

Nody, you're right. I wouldn't want the cat to completely stop behaving like a cat!

How would you go on about training a cat then? The same way as a dog, just repeating things until it learns what it's supposed to do or what?

SillyMangoX

Well to get mine off of counters/tables etc a loud 'ah ah' and shaking a newspaper (or anything noisy) scared them down, just kept doing this and they eventually learned not to get caught!

Unregistered.

Cats only walk on tables/counters if the own allows them to!

suomi

Well that seems simple enough! I always thought cats were really hard to train compared to dogs. Cats don't seem like they feel guilty when they do something forbidden.

SillyMangoX

Takes a lot longer than with dogs, and cats are extremely stubborn for the most part, I just got lucky with my 2 babies :P Their personalities can have a lot to do with it too though, like one of mine is a little shy and he will just sit on the floor waiting for a treat very patiently, the other will be jumping up clawing at the treat and she will sit on me while I'm eating my dinner. But I wouldn't change them for the world If you do get a cat make sure to post pics

suomi

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Takes a lot longer than with dogs, and cats are extremely stubborn for the most part, I just got lucky with my 2 babies :P Their personalities can have a lot to do with it too though, like one of mine is a little shy and he will just sit on the floor waiting for a treat very patiently, the other will be jumping up clawing at the treat and she will sit on me while I'm eating my dinner. But I wouldn't change them for the world If you do get a cat make sure to post pics

That's interesting, I've actually read somewhere that male cats tend to be calmer, more obedient and more relaxed and female cats are usually more feisty and stubborn. Anyway if I am able to get a cat, I'll definitely post pictures!

Ziegfeldgirl27

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Well to get mine off of counters/tables etc a loud 'ah ah' and shaking a newspaper (or anything noisy) scared them down, just kept doing this and they eventually learned not to get caught!

I love this response! Yes, you can train them (not to get caught)!

SillyMangoX

That's how they differ to dogs, you train dogs to please you, you train cats not to get caught

brrabus

I have sort of trained both of mine to say thank you when I let them in. The girl however is much more responsive. When she runs in after I open the door, I call her back by making the noise of clearing my throat and say "Excuse Me" quite loudly. She comes back 9 out of 10 times, circles me, I then point to a position on the floor and say sit, she sits and I bend down to her and say kiss and point to my nose. She gets up on her back legs and then kisses me. It is so sweet, everyone is gobsmacked when they see it.

boomerang

suomi wrote: »

Well that seems simple enough! I always thought cats were really hard to train compared to dogs. Cats don't seem like they feel guilty when they do something forbidden.

Being lone predators by nature, they haven't had the need to develop the range of social behaviours that dogs have. Nor have they developed the same facial anatomy, which makes them look impassive. I think that's one of the reasons some people dislike cats for being 'sneaky.' Their solitary nature might also explain why they are not as actively co-operative as dogs.

Anyhoo, dogs don't do guilt. We misinterpret their apprehension for guilt when they sense our anger.

You can train cats to do all kinds of things - even agility! The difficulty is finding something to motivate them with. Foodie cats are easier to train. Although I really don't see the point, to be honest. I prefer to let cats be cats.

ABajaninCork

Apart from potty training?

I trained my cats to go to bed on command if they'd been naughty. They were also trained not to jump on worktops. (amazing what a water gun can do!)

suomi

boomerang wrote: »

Being lone predators by nature, they haven't had the need to develop the range of social behaviours that dogs have. Nor have they developed the same facial anatomy, which makes them look impassive. I think that's one of the reasons some people dislike cats for being 'sneaky.' Their solitary nature might also explain why they are not as actively co-operative as dogs.

Anyhoo, dogs don't do guilt. We misinterpret their apprehension for guilt when they sense our anger.

You can train cats to do all kinds of things - even agility! The difficulty is finding something to motivate them with. Foodie cats are easier to train. Although I really don't see the point, to be honest. I prefer to let cats be cats.

Oh, that makes sense then! I wouldn't necessary want to do agility or anything like that, I'd just like to teach the cat a few things that I'd like it to do or not do. Mainly stuff to do with food and hygiene!

Thanks for the great replies everyone, you've been very helpful.

looksee

A previous cat was taught not to go on worktops, and he didn't. Not at all, not even if there was food there. Of my current two cats, one doesn't go on worktops anyway, because -presumably - she doesn't want to. The other goes on at every opportunity - she will jump down in a hurry if she hears me coming, but it doesn't stop her going up. It is much easier to train one cat than two.

They will make every effort to train you. If you respond every time they look for food they will find increasingly irritating things to do that will get you to pay attention. My foody cat will go to the door as she knows I will let her out, then as soon as I am moving she will trot into the kitchen and suggest I feed her.

One piece of advice - get one of those scratching posts, mine only use the post and never do any damage to furniture.

Nody

And if they scratch the furniture put on double sided sticky tape for a couple of weeks at the relevant location(s) but as per the post above make sure they have an alternative close by that you want them to scratch.

FloatingVoter

Dogs have masters
Cats have staff

Lifelong cat servant speaking.

Ambersky

I am the owner of a cat for the first time having been a dog owner all my life.
By now I am a little more aware of the differences between cats and dogs and am happy to appreciate them both.
Animal Planet have a television series called the Cat Whisperer and like the Dog whisperer he goes to visit people who are having trouble with their pets and shows them what the animal needs and what they need to do to make for a happier relationship.
Like most things it is usually the human that needs the training in order to modify the behaviour of the animal.
The main thing seems to be consistency and to decide what you want from your pet and encourage that behaviour from the start. No letting cute puppy or kitten up on things you dont want the adult to be up on for example.
Next thing seems to be to provide alternatives. So if kitty needs to have a high place to view whats going on out of interest or in order to feel safe you need to provide that place for her to be and not just demand that kitty not get up on what is available. You can buy tall cat stands that provide a place for a cat to sit to look out a window or you can put up shelves that the cat can jump up onto to get height and safety or you can allow the cat onto particular areas like the top of a dresser etc.
Cats need areas to feel safe in and to retreat to if necessary. They need to be amused, played with and stimulated or they will create their own entertainment. They need a scratching post or they will scratch furniture and they need clean litter every day and access to that litter at all times.
Anyway YouTube can supply some interesting videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXqlEV6olVw

heres a link to a video on how to begin training cats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okty_dX-FTk

Nody

His name is Jackson Galaxy and the show is known as "My Cat from Hell"; strongly recommended for any person who's a cat owner as you can pick up nice tips in there. There is also more on his web site. Be warned that if you do look at the series that you'll be dismayed every so often ("Do you think him not being neutered has anything to do with his behaviour of running out at every oppertunity?" "We have not gotten time to spray her yet; is that bad?" etc. but season 3 was just bad... esp. the chihua mother and the "healer" episodes)

suomi

Ambersky wrote: »

I am the owner of a cat for the first time having been a dog owner all my life.
By now I am a little more aware of the differences between cats and dogs and am happy to appreciate them both.
Animal Planet have a television series called the Cat Whisperer and like the Dog whisperer he goes to visit people who are having trouble with their pets and shows them what the animal needs and what they need to do to make for a happier relationship.
Like most things it is usually the human that needs the training in order to modify the behaviour of the animal.
The main thing seems to be consistency and to decide what you want from your pet and encourage that behaviour from the start. No letting cute puppy or kitten up on things you dont want the adult to be up on for example.
Next thing seems to be to provide alternatives. So if kitty needs to have a high place to view whats going on out of interest or in order to feel safe you need to provide that place for her to be and not just demand that kitty not get up on what is available. You can buy tall cat stands that provide a place for a cat to sit to look out a window or you can put up shelves that the cat can jump up onto to get height and safety or you can allow the cat onto particular areas like the top of a dresser etc.
Cats need areas to feel safe in and to retreat to if necessary. They need to be amused, played with and stimulated or they will create their own entertainment. They need a scratching post or they will scratch furniture and they need clean litter every day and access to that litter at all times.
Anyway YouTube can supply some interesting videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXqlEV6olVw

heres a link to a video on how to begin training cats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okty_dX-FTk

Thanks for the great post and the Youtube links! I'll watch them later tonight. I'd definitely get a scratching post for the cat, preferably one that's tall enough for it to climb and sit on it too. It's been so long since I've had a cat, I can't remember what it's like owning one! Especially because I was a kid when my family had cats and my parents took care of feeding them. None of the cats we had were very social either, they were just... there.

Nody wrote: »

His name is Jackson Galaxy and the show is known as "My Cat from Hell"; strongly recommended for any person who's a cat owner as you can pick up nice tips in there. There is also more on his web site. Be warned that if you do look at the series that you'll be dismayed every so often ("Do you think him not being neutered has anything to do with his behaviour of running out at every oppertunity?" "We have not gotten time to spray her yet; is that bad?" etc. but season 3 was just bad... esp. the chihua mother and the "healer" episodes)

I've heard of that show actually, I've been meaning to watch an episode. Thanks for reminding me!

Whispered

My cats recall is fantastic, 100%. If you call him him you get a big "miaooooooooow" in response followed by thunder-steps down the stairs. It's so cute.

He also sits, when he feels like it. He goes up/down stairs when asked and speaks in response to you.

He doesn't "take part" in learning the way the dogs do. He just figures out things get him cuddles or food and he does them again and again.

suomi

Whispered wrote: »

My cats recall is fantastic, 100%. If you call him him you get a big "miaooooooooow" in response followed by thunder-steps down the stairs. It's so cute.

He also sits, when he feels like it. He goes up/down stairs when asked and speaks in response to you.

He doesn't "take part" in learning the way the dogs do. He just figures out things get him cuddles or food and he does them again and again.

Awww, your cat sounds great. I guess that's what training's all about, you want something and they want something in return, and as long as the reward is good enough, they'll probably do it!

spookwoman

A lot of it is to do with their personality. Have 3 at the moment Eldest is very good except he's very grumpy. The 2nd is thick but will jump up on the arm of the chair when fingers snapped, the new one don't go there she's very unruly but smart.

A few years back had one that was trained to walk on a lead could let him out into the garden and tap on the window and would come in. As he got older you could take him off the lead and he would walk ahead in front of you and would wait till you caught up. Was taken out at night for his walks, police came up the road one night and spotted my dad out with him and you could see them looking, thought my dad was acting suspicious stopping outside houses until they spotted the cat.

tatli_lokma

looksee wrote: »

A previous cat was taught not to go on worktops, and he didn't. Not at all, not even if there was food there. Of my current two cats, one doesn't go on worktops anyway, because -presumably - she doesn't want to.

you sure about that??? what a cat does when no one is watching is a very different thing to when the staff are home!

For anyone who thinks their darling kitty doesn't go on the worktops and tables when you are not there, sprinkle flour on the worktops...the little kitty paws will be clear to see - you can then see from that where else kitty went when you follow the floury paw prints! That's not to say they do it all the time - only when the mood takes them!
Also, I find that if the kitchen counter is a bit untidy or there is bits and bobs on it, it sparks madam's curiousity and she is more likely to jump up. If the worktop is clear and there is nothing of interest to her up there, she will by and large not bother. But I say not bother, not that she never does it, cos I know full well that she does jump up there from time to time.

SillyMangoX

I agree with little Ted about keeping counters clear. Cream is a demon for swiping things just for the sheer pleasure of being a brat, the only time he walks on the counter is to swipe things off. My dad had over a hundred euro in small change left on the edge of the table, I heard an almighty crash and himself came scuttling in.. You can imagine what happened!

getz

suomi wrote: »

I've been kind of thinking about getting a cat for a while now, and I haven't had a cat since I was a kid so there are lots of things that I would need to figure out before seriously considering it! One of the main things is the question in the title, can cats be trained like dogs to behave well, not walk around on the counters and eat the food off your plate etc? Or do cats just follow their own rules and not really listen? I'd imagine they're probably more stubborn than dogs, since they don't have that same need to please their owner, but with the right training, would it be possible to have an obedient, well-behaved cat?

only one cat fits the bill,its called a savannah cat,it will walk on a lead and even bring things back that you throw,its very loving [like a dog] and good with family,children,dogs, and people,and very loyal.

tatli_lokma

well I must have a savannah cat diguised as a moggy! my little lady gives kisses and cuddles, is very loyal, has a very sweet and easy going temperament, will play fetch, comes when you call her the way a dog would and although I haven't tried her on a lead I reckon she would be happy enough on it. When she goes in the car she doesn't even need to be in her box as she will sit happily on the passenger seat (to be honest, for the first few minutes she does try to sit on my lap while I'm driving, but a firm shove onto the passenger seat and she gets the message - although for safety I will have her in the box and the seatbelt on 99% of the time in case there was an accident.) Ihave her nearly 3 years now and not once, ever, has she scratched, bitten or even hissed or swiped at me. And where did I get this wonderous cat? From a rehoming charity of course! She was supposed to be a foster cat, but with a personality like that, sure how could you not keep her?? lol

getz

Little Ted wrote: »

well I must have a savannah cat diguised as a moggy! my little lady gives kisses and cuddles, is very loyal, has a very sweet and easy going temperament, will play fetch, comes when you call her the way a dog would and although I haven't tried her on a lead I reckon she would be happy enough on it. When she goes in the car she doesn't even need to be in her box as she will sit happily on the passenger seat (to be honest, for the first few minutes she does try to sit on my lap while I'm driving, but a firm shove onto the passenger seat and she gets the message - although for safety I will have her in the box and the seatbelt on 99% of the time in case there was an accident.) Ihave her nearly 3 years now and not once, ever, has she scratched, bitten or even hissed or swiped at me. And where did I get this wonderous cat? From a rehoming charity of course! She was supposed to be a foster cat, but with a personality like that, sure how could you not keep her?? lol

i am in envy of you little ted,savannah cats are so expensive to buy,in the UK they can cost up to £2000,i would love to get one but my car could not cope with a savannah cat and a massive english bully.

tatli_lokma

just googled the savannah cat - oh my, what gorgeous felines! but having read wiki I am now certain that I have a savannah cat disguised as a black and white moggy!

Savannahs are commonly compared to dogs in their loyalty, and they will follow their owners around the house like a canine. They can also be trained to walk on a leash, and even fetch.

Check

Some Savannahs are reported to be very social and friendly with new people and other cats and dogs,

check (although she is a little jealous of other cats getting my attention. However she is the neighbourhood Miss Popular, and all the local cats come to call for her. She invites one or two of her closest pals in on occasion!)

Many Savannah cats do not fear water, and will play or even immerse themselves in water. Some owners even shower with their Savannah cats

check - she sits at the end of the bath when I am in it, and desperately wants to get in, but it would be too hot for her. So when the bath is almost empty I add some cold water and in she goes. And she gets into the shower with me too!

Vocally, Savannahs may either chirp like their serval fathers, meow like their domestic mothers, both chirp and meow, or sometimes produce sounds which are a mixture of the two. Chirping is observed more often in earlier generations

she's definitely a chirper and she when she 'talks' to you she chirps rather than meows. She only meows if she wants something like food or to go out.

The only thing that she doesn't do is the jumping thing.

And the really weird thing is that when I fostered her and ther brothers, they were wild as anything. Right little terrors, hissed, scratched, bit, hated being handled. I managed to calm one of them down to the point where he would come to your lap and snuggle, but only if he initiated it - he wasn't keen on you picking him up if he didn't want you do. Hard to believe that litter mates could be such polar opposites.

getz

Little Ted wrote: »

just googled the savannah cat - oh my, what gorgeous felines! but having read wiki I am now certain that I have a savannah cat disguised as a black and white moggy!

Check

check (although she is a little jealous of other cats getting my attention. However she is the neighbourhood Miss Popular, and all the local cats come to call for her. She invites one or two of her closest pals in on occasion!)

check - she sits at the end of the bath when I am in it, and desperately wants to get in, but it would be too hot for her. So when the bath is almost empty I add some cold water and in she goes. And she gets into the shower with me too!

she's definitely a chirper and she when she 'talks' to you she chirps rather than meows. She only meows if she wants something like food or to go out.

The only thing that she doesn't do is the jumping thing.

And the really weird thing is that when I fostered her and ther brothers, they were wild as anything. Right little terrors, hissed, scratched, bit, hated being handled. I managed to calm one of them down to the point where he would come to your lap and snuggle, but only if he initiated it - he wasn't keen on you picking him up if he didn't want you do. Hard to believe that litter mates could be such polar opposites.

there is a video of one playing with a child on youtube,for some reason i cannot get it on here, there is one woman who walks her savannah cat on the rocks by the sea near me.hell of a big cat size of a cocker spaniel