Meow and welcome to another Service Cat Monday. We’re getting a lot of questions regardin’ the “new” wheelchair and how we’ll be affected by it. Unfurtuantely we can’t really answer those questions till the “new” wheelchair gets here. We can say that mommy’s had 2 wheelchairs now and, fur the most pawrt they are similar enuff that they don’t require a lot of new training. However, we will certainly keep you all updated once we’ve received the chair. As with anythin’ involving the government, the red tape is long and we’re still waitin’ fur said chair to be ordered and delivered. That bein’ said, let’s get the business pawrt of this posty outta the way and get on with today’s question. The followin’ post will be written in human English fur reader and translator ease. Our Service Cat Monday posts aren’t intended to be an all inclusive Trainin’ Manual but rather Tips, Tricks and Techniques used/developed by mommy thru her many years of animal trainin’, cats in purrticular. Ifin you have any questions or topics you would like us to cover, purrlease let us know in the comments section or send us an email. When asking behavioral questions, purrlease be as specific as pawssible. And, ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, you can ketch up by clickin’ the links at the end of this post. Always remember, Training is all ‘bout Repetition and Rewards.
The first question we’re going to meow about today comes from our sweet friend Annie from the Gooeylounge. She asked “what we thought about the use of water bottles, water pistols and the like being used to Discipline kitties.” She noted that they’re not used in her house, but she’s familiar with a lot of peeps that do. We added the word Discipline to her question, as a water bottle can really only be used for discipline purposes. Since so many kitties actually hate water, being squirted with the same for sure wouldn’t be seen as kitty having fun.
As you know, we always tell the truth. When mommy started out, she had a water bottle. It was recommended by not only the VET, but also several trainers at the time. We must note, these trainers worked with dogs only. Back then there weren’t any kitty trainers to get advice from. The first time mommy used the water bottle, it had very little effect on the kitty’s behavior. Mommy quickly learned that discipline should NEVER be used as a training tool. So, the water bottle moved back to it’s home in the bathroom to be used to spruce up mommy’s perm (a hairstyle popular throughout the late 70’s and early 80’s).
In recent years we’ve seen Air Cans being used to train cats. The idea is the same as the water bottle. A can of compressed air is placed near the area you want kitty to avoid. When kitty comes near it, the Air can forcefully spews out a blast of air at kitty to startle him/her. These Air cans are yet another form of disciplining kitty. Our stance on any form of Negative Discipline to kitty’s body is that it has no place in Training. The old saying, “Two negatives doesn’t make a positive” is absolutely true. We suggested other forms of swaying kitty to behave properly in our post entitled Discipline. Cats respond better Positive reinforcement and Love.
We also wanted to address a question asked by Jan from the Funny Farmers. She said, “Raena seems to be doing a lot and going everywhere now. Does Dezi get jealous? How is Dezi?” Thanks for worrying about me awnty Jan, but, no worries. Me is doing great. When me joined mommy and sis Lexi all those years ago, me did most of the going and doing as sis Lexi was getting older and not enjoying the hustle and bustle of certain outings anymore. She still enjoyed trips and short outings, but Walmart and the like were a bit overwhelming. While we may be calm and quiet, our presence does draw attention. A lot of children seem to have no boundaries and often try to poke at us through the stroller. As a kitty ages, that type of behavior can become a bit too much. Me loves mommy very much and will tolerate anything for her, but thankfully, Raena enjoys being the center of attention and for the most part doesn’t get annoyed at the poke attempts from sticky little fingers. And, me quite enjoys the few hours of alone time me gets while Raena is out accompanying mommy. There’s no reason for jealousy, because when we’re together, mommy spends plenty of time with me. Me also continues Training each day to stay sharp; and me still goes on short outings with mommy as well as strolls around the apartment complex.
Well, we hope we’ve answered some of your questions today. As me said earlier, we have quite a few questions regarding the “new” wheelchair that we can’t answer till it gets here. So, ifin you have any other questions or topics you’d like us to cover, purrlease leave them in the comments section or send us an email. And, remember, you can ketch up on any post you’ve missed by clicking the links below.
Are your kitties sociable?
Do you have one that seems to like outings more than the other(s)?
Till the next time………………………………………..Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Service Cats
Service Cats U.S. 