Monday, November 22, 2021

WHO KNEW??

I am 82 and I just learned something.  It is possible to train a cat.   I didn't realize till recently that my cat had so totally trained me. Whenever she meowed, I figured she had a need so I sought to give her something. I mean she is 17 after all. 

Lately, it seems she seemed especially needy and meowed a lot. She would get a few feet from me and let me hear her outside voice. 

I would lift her on to the bed or couch and that usually would stop it for a bit. Then she would get near my shoulder--also my ear-- and let me have it full blast.   Ok, you want food?  Fresh water?  New litter in litter box?  A treat? How about a  head rub? 

Often none of the above, except maybe the head rub, stopped the noise and she would then vigorously slam her head into my shoulder to make the point. How did she know which arm I got my booster shot in?   

 She has been vet checked. He found nothing wrong, said she is just old. The harder I tried to appease her, the more she would holler.  OK, she is old but so am I.  I had enough. 

"NO", I said quietly but firmly one day as she squalled at me.  She cocked her head at me as if I weren't quite sane. Again she squalled and again I immediately said "NO."  Now I had provoked the cat curiosity quotient. I could almost swear she then muttered,"Huh?"  

Now a firm "No" is also a command Callie knows and responds to quickly. Callie gave me the, but I'm not doing anything wrong look, so I let Callie outside to ease her confusion.  Then I continued to train Minnie.  

Lord have mercy, it has worked. All the demanding squalling has stopped. Now, all I have to do is look her directly in her eyes, mouth the word No (so Callie doesn't think I mean her) and not a peep follows. If she says anything now, it is with her inside voice. Ahh. 

I still pamper her but it is on my terms, not her demands. 

Have you ever tried to train a cat?  There is hope. I think she now realizes she will get more with a purr than a yowl and that I mean business. 

Well it is now nice and quiet so I will finish this.  I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  Hope you have a special day and have much to give thanks for.  I know am really thankful for the quiet. 

60 comments :

  1. Well done, Patti! I'll remember your lesson if Ellie Mae ever becomes a shouter. She responds well to my voice. Especially, "Oh, alright then."

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    1. Florence,
      Thanks, so far it is still quiet. Hope Ellie Mae never gets to the shouter stage. It is really annoying.

      Delete
  2. So old dogs may not learn new tricks but apparently cats can.
    Our last cat (and the best of them all) got very loud in his later years. And then I finally figured out that he’d gone deaf.

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    1. Marty,
      I had thought about that hearing was perhaps being her problem but I tested her and she responded to a quiet voice when sound asleep.

      Delete
  3. Well, congratulations on putting the kibosh on the caterwauling. And having it work is wonderful! I also wish you a very happy and serene Thanksgiving. :-)

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    1. Djan,
      Oh it is so pleasant now. Thank you and hope you have the same.

      Delete
  4. Patti, I don't know what to say but I sure loved this Minnie story! I'm sorry I chuckled when Minnie nudged you in your booster arm, but boy you got me when I pictured you mouthing NO so Callie wouldn't get confused! What a great story, I sure hope you have a nice Thanksgiving too :^)

    PS. I replaced the nightly ice cream with a mini peppermint patty a couple weeks ago, it's been a big help--thanks again.

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    1. Doug,
      So glad you enjoyed the silent No and the booster parts. They amused me also.
      So glad the mini peppermint patty savored slowly has helped you give up ice cream. They are so good aren't they?

      Delete
  5. It didn't take long to "train" Isaiah what NO meant. But when he seethe nail clippers in my hand he commands a "no" to me. I don't listen and go ahead with the job "at hand". When done he runs away and mumbles 'double standards'

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    1. Anni,
      Wish I had chosen "stop" instead of No but too late now. Had to laugh at the "double standards." He has a point.

      Delete
  6. That cat is more trainable than some children I know. Imagine having a cat that understands what No is all about. Happy Thanksgiving, Patti.

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    1. gigi,
      What amazed me was how quickly she picked up on it. I am grateful.
      Know you and David will have a wonderful feast.

      Delete
  7. I would not dare to try and train my cats. They are definitely in charge and are barn cats who rule the outside world. They have jobs to do and they do them well...

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    1. Annie,
      Well if they are outside, you have the perfect cat all ready.

      Delete
  8. As a cat mom, I can assure she's just biding her time. Minnie will figure another way to assert her superiority...they always do.

    Just kidding, I'm glad you were able to figure to get Minnie to be quiet. My Saku, now that he is the only cat, has suddenly started vocalizing a lot more. Thankfully, he's not very loud or at least not as loud as Sasha was when he wanted something.

    Take care, stay well.

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    1. Eileen,
      You are probably right but I am enjoying the quiet for now. Hope Saku doesn't discover the outside voice. Wow, is it loud.

      Delete
  9. I didn't know cats could be trained to do anything. LOL! I love when I learn something new. Minnie is lucky to have you for her human companion. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Patti. We're thankful for the quiet too.

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    1. robin,
      You know, I felt the same way cause basically it they use the litter box, that is good enough for me. This hollering was a new thing for me. Hope you enjoy your quiet also.

      Delete
  10. 😆😂 I love it! I'm down to 3 cats from 7. Two are 20 years old. My feral tree climber/snake killer has arthritis, as I do too. He loves sitting in my lap on my old heating pad. I give him hemp oil in his food and it helps. Congratulations on your success! I hope it sticks. 😸 xo, Marion

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    1. Marion,
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. You have a couple of seniors also. Cats are long lived thankfully. That heating pad sounds perfect for the both of you. Great for arthritis. You are a good mama.

      Delete
  11. I do think cats are 'trainable' (at least the smart ones are). But they are better at training us than the other way around. I once read that a smart cat/dog probably has the abilities of a 3 year old child when it comes to understanding... I found that interesting. A 3 year old would understand the word, "No"... but how he/she responds to it is a different story.

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    1. Rian,
      Oh I agree we are so much more easy to train. She had me jumping through hoops to please her. I am just glad my mentally 3 year old has chosen to obey. Could have gone the other way.

      Delete
  12. That is impressive. I have had several cats in my life and was only able to get one to come when called. It was always when I wanted to feed him, so he did like the reward The others refused to be trained.

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    1. Sue,
      I know, my success with training a cat has been negligible at best. I did have a blog buddy that trained her cat to use the toilet. Not sure if she trained her to flush or not. I tried, bought the kit but nothing. Would have been nice.

      Delete
  13. Never succeeded training any cat. LOL

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    1. Mage,
      Don't feel badly. It took me 82 years to succeed:)

      Delete
  14. I would love to train my Mari not to scratch on the furniture. She has a perfectly good scratching post! Unfortunately, I can never catch her in the act. The little devil!

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    1. Margaret,
      That is the key, catching them in the act. I lucked out and found a Wave Cat Scratcher Lounger at Walmart that my previous cat loved and even slept in. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Classy-Kitty-Collection-Wave-Cat-Scratcher-Lounger/51277175. Not sure it will work for all cats but mine loved it.

      Delete
  15. Love this story. Cats and dogs who won't give up trying to ask for something can be so frustrating. Especially love the part where you mouth the word 'no' so callie doesn't get confused.

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    1. Jean,
      Who knew cats could lip read? Do wish I had chosen another word though. Sometimes she deliberately looks away and I am forced to hiss NO.

      Delete
  16. Dear Patti, this posting just tickled my innards. I've lived with cats since 1972 when Dulcy came, as a kitten, into my life. She trained me thoroughly and well. And since then every cat with whom I've lived--Bartleby, Tybalt, Eliza Doolittle, Laz, Noah, Jeremiah, Raissa, Ellie, Maggie, and Matthew--have continued the training. I'm a sucker for training! And now you tell me I could have been training them!!! Not only am I a sucker; I'm also a sap! So I'm going to try to begin trianing Ellie as I attempt every day to give her the amoxicillin (in an eyedropper) for her bladder infection. She's driving me nuts with her refusal to open her mouth! thanks. Oh, and any suggestions???? Peace.

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    1. Dee,
      Delighted that you enjoyed. Outside of flying, the thing I fear the most is medicating a cat:) I think if I were you, I try to suck up some tuna juice into the eyedropper along with the meds. I have yet to meet a cat that won't do about anything for tuna.
      Good luck.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for that suggestion! I don't have tuna here because of being a vegetarian, but I'll get some today! Peace.

      Delete
    3. Dee,
      Hope it works for you. If not, I'm sure Ellie will be glad to finish it off:)

      Delete
  17. I will suggest this to my mother who says it is impossible to train a cat. :-) I did train Izzy to chase them away does that count?😀

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    1. Peg,
      I wish your Mom luck. As I mentioned to Sue, I had a blog buddy that toilet trained her cat. I bought the kit and tried my best but it didn't work for me.
      At least with Izzy on patrol, you won't be tempted to adopt any.

      Delete
  18. My borrowed cat, Charlie Mewdini, loved to have his head rubbed. Occasionally he then decided it's time to play fight. Teeth and claws appear. The first time it happened I raised my hand and loudly said "No". It worked, and it still does. He tries but stops immediately when he hears "NO!"

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    1. Linda,
      That really gets them excited doesn't it? Minnie gets almost orgasmic.

      Delete
  19. That is so interesting. I have never tried to train a cat. I had an elderly neighbor that adopted a stray cat and would walk it on a long thin ribbon around the courtyard. I never saw the cat strain at the ribbon. I guess they had an agreement.

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    1. Barbara,
      I have heard of leash trained cats and that is way above my skill level. Liked your idea of the "agreement."

      Delete
  20. I knew it is possible to train cats, I had Angel trained and I'm working on Lola, with mixed results though, as she was older when I got her and she has anxiety issues. But we're getting there.

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    1. River,
      I guess most of us are just happy when they use the litter box and don't try for anything else. They are possibly just as trainable as any animal.

      Delete
  21. We had a heck of a time just training our cat to use the litter box. She eventually reached about an 80% success rate. We loved her anyway.

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    1. Tom,
      Yikes, I thought they came out of the womb knowing that. Bless you for loving her anyway.

      Delete
  22. What a great cat story. I'm sure my cats were trained, as far as I could go with them. I don't really remember. But I do remember being very well trained by all of them. I've lived with six cats during my life and now I have none. And I miss them all and I miss just haveing a cat to snuggle with.

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    1. Inger,
      You are right. Dogs are absolutely wonderful but nothing snuggles like a cat.

      Delete
  23. I have always trained our Cats thru the Years, they are actually very intelligent, yet independently feisty and demanding creatures, so they prefer to train us if they can get away with it. The Granddaughter's new Kitten is now huge, but still very Young, he's a Maine Coon Cat and they can be a very animated breed. She's been trying to train him but he doesn't take her so seriously... so in comes the Enforcer {me} and she is amazed at how obedient he suddenly becomes once his Gt. Gramma Human enters the Room and demands respect and obedience. *LOL* Glad your Old Fur Baby is not so set in her ways that she tested you and realized you meant business. I do think that as all us creatures Age we become a little more cranky, vocal about it, and perhaps demanding?? So I won't Judge her either. *Smiles*

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    1. Bohemian,
      Those Maine Coons are really big. Didn't know that about them but I knew Siamese were talkers.
      Think you are right. They need to know this is not just a phase we are going through but something we want to become permanent. I really don't mind her being vocal, it was the volume that got me. For now, all is just right.

      Delete
  24. Did you know that "January 22 is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day & urges humans to try to see the world through cat's eyes." Sounds like that's just what you did. Congratulations

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    1. Ginnie,
      Oh how funny about Jan 22. Got it on my calendar--thanks. I promise to be more aware on that day. Hey, it is only one day a year.

      Delete
  25. And a happy Thanksgiving to you. Hugs from here.

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  26. Wow! You are the premier cat trainer! That is so awesome. You have a dog with the ability to sniff out diseases and now a cat who understands your commands. Yes, you really do have so much to be thankful for and so does Callie and Millie.

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    1. Kay,
      I have been lucky. A dog with super powers and a trainable cat. Yes, I am thankful.

      Delete
    2. I just read your Callie and Minnie posts to Art and he chuckled and said you are an impressive writer. You're one of the few bloggers that he likes me to read to him.

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    3. Kay,
      Thank you and Art so very much. That just made my day:))

      Delete
  27. Hope your Thanksgiving was great! What more could you be thankful for -- your cat has responded to your training!

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    1. Joared,
      Thank you, it was. And yes, I couldn't have asked for more.

      Delete
  28. My cat is the one in charge in my house, as I think you know! She "talks" to me to give me my orders!

    Around My Kitchen Table

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  29. Remember the lion tamers - those were really big kitties! So, I guess cats can be trained. I loved the post though I don't have any experience with kitty training.

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