Saturday, January 18, 2014

Teaching Our Cats

Everyone agrees that cats are lovely to look upon and captivating to cuddle. But then, "they" say, cats are difficult to train and don't care about us.

Not only are "they" wrong, they don't realize that proper training springs from love... and vice versa. What they are missing is just how easy it is to do both.

When we do it right.

(l to r) Olwyn, Reverend Jim, Tristan
In my tenth podcast, Training is Communication, I explain that Training is actually the wrong way to think about how we raise and civilize our cats.

Trading is probably a better concept. What it boils down to is friends, doing each other, favors.

In the podcast, you can hear me asking favors from Olwyn and RJ, who, at different times, interrupted the podcast. I requested that they settle down and be quiet while I was recording. And they did.

The success of my method depends upon good communication. How else will my cats understand that I love them? How else can I convey my requests based on friendship?

Likewise, my cats need a way to communicate their love for me, and their own requests to have their needs met in the best possible way.

We can develop this vital skill in no time. I explain how in How to subtitle ourselves.

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