I’ve been teaching Kitten Kindergarten classes for a few months and it’s been a super interesting process. Kitten behavior is so different from puppy behavior, so I had to play around with the class structure quite a bit to find something that works. Each class we work on socialization to new people, animals, stimuli and places, introduce a behavior to train, and walk the owners through cooperative care strategies.
Thanks to the classes, Bebe has learned bite/claw inhibition, Porky has learned to love his carrier and car rides, Furiosa sleeps through the night, and Blossom (foster kitten) found a forever home. And of course everyone learned targeting! I really hope these kinds of classes become more common, since early training and socialization can prevent so many behavior problems and keep cats out of shelters. Every time I hear someone tell me cats are untrainable I roll my eyes up into outer space.
So I actually do have a guide I made for this class! It’s simple but hopefully has some useful info. The file labeled “printable pamphlet” is formatted so you can print 2 sided sheets and fold/staple them like a little book. Here’s a Dropbox link to the files because I think this information should be free and accessible to whoever wants it:
Do you have any tips for harness training an adult cat? I just adopted a very sweet boy who is 4 years old and so far I’ve been putting the harness on during feedings, what else can I do? I’ve tried putting the harness on him and reinforcing with treats but he’s so uncomfortable in it so far he won’t eat the treats while he’s wearing it (I don’t give them to him after I take it off though, I don’t want to reinforce him hating the harness lol) btw I love your work and I think you’re rly cool!!
Well thanks a bunch! I appreciate that.
If he’s into playing with toys I’d see if you could try putting on his harness and then quickly whipping out his favorite wand toy (my cats go bananas for “da bird” brand stuff). A lot of cats are convinced they can’t move so showing them that they actually can helps sometimes.
I’d also try some free shaping with the harness: put the harness down near kitty, click for literally anything they do to it (look at it, sniff it, approach it), and toss food/offer reward AWAY from the harness. That way as soon as they finish the food, you can click for them even turning back around towards the harness. This will reward kitty for interacting with the harness on their own and will start to build positive associations with it.
Depending on the type of harness, I’d also consider teaching kitty to stick their head through it on their own. If it’s an H style you can adjust the neck loop to be way bigger than you need so it’s super easy to either lure or shape the behavior of head through loop=food. You can gradually work your way up to actually clipping the harness all the way on.
Also! Cat School has a “Harnessed and Happy” online course that covers all of this with videos and everything. Julie is an awesome trainer and makes cool resources for cat owners!
Learn how to clicker train your cat. Teach your cat tricks and practical behaviors using clicker training. Reduce boredom and aggression in
Good luck training! Definitely go way slower than you think you need to. I’m in the process of conditioning one of the cats to sit in a backpack carrier and we’ve been at it for almost a full month with no attempts to actually go for a walk with him in it. I want to make sure the animal is 1000% on board before moving on to outings, even if it feels painstakingly slow on my end. Also I’m way more active about posting training advice on Instagram: @clickerkittens
Hi!! What kind of treats do you use for training? I have some picky kitties but I don’t want to give them anything super unhealthy for them
My go to high value food are those squeeze tubes of treat mush. A bunch of folks are making them these days with all kinds of proteins/flavors, but I personally use Inaba Churu and Tiki Cat. I’ve also used canned wet food that I’ll deliver in little bits on a popsicle stick or with a big ol syringe. My two kitties love the freeze dried meat treats (which is helpful so you have some different food delivery options like tossing treats), but I’ve worked with a lot of cats who are meh about them.
Apologies for all the cat training videos but here’s an update on the “who’s your best friend” trick I posted a video about a while back. We had to work on Jiji’s aim cause this trick had turned into “slap Jude in the face.”
I’ve been teaching Kitten Kindergarten classes for a few months and it’s been a super interesting process. Kitten behavior is so different from puppy behavior, so I had to play around with the class structure quite a bit to find something that works. Each class we work on socialization to new people, animals, stimuli and places, introduce a behavior to train, and walk the owners through cooperative care strategies.
Thanks to the classes, Bebe has learned bite/claw inhibition, Porky has learned to love his carrier and car rides, Furiosa sleeps through the night, and Blossom (foster kitten) found a forever home. And of course everyone learned targeting! I really hope these kinds of classes become more common, since early training and socialization can prevent so many behavior problems and keep cats out of shelters. Every time I hear someone tell me cats are untrainable I roll my eyes up into outer space.
Real talk I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed or felt good about anything I’ve made. During grad school being in the studio was so detrimental to my mental health that I avoided it as much as possible. I have no idea how to change that, and it feels like the one thing that used to be an escape and coping mechanism is no longer available to me. It’s kind of the worst? Idk. Anyway here’s a grumpy opossum.
Sit happens. These three nuggets will be available for adoption in a few weeks through Friends of Upland Animal Shelter! We’ve been socializing them to accept handling, wear harnesses, and even offer polite behaviors like sitting. Training and socializing kittens leads to more confident adult cats with fewer behavioral issues.
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
titsay
dededos
romaincrisis