Meowllo and welcome to Service Cat Monday. On Monday’s we answer your training questions and tackle topics associated with Service Cats and their training. As with all our educational postys da followin’ will be in human English. And ifin you’ve missed any of da posts in this series purrlease click on da linkys at da bottom of this post. Ifin you have any questions purrlease leave them in da comments or email us via our contact page. Our post today is all ‘bout gettin’ emergency help to our disabled handler/mommy. Awnty Katie and Katie Kat of Katies Furry Mews asked, “How do you train a kitty to dial 911?” So let’s get right into it.
Mommy says, Purrlease remember, our training posts are not intended to be a complete blueprint for your training. These posts are merely tips and tricks mommy has developed over many years of animal training. Mommy adopts a positive method of training closest to the animals true nature. You must always be realistic in your expectations, and never ask more of any animal than said animal is capable of performing. Training is Consistency and Repetitive.
First up you’re gonna need some old fashioned supplies. Our training is ever evolving, but mommy still hasn’t figured out a way to train a cat to dial using a cell phone. If a cell phone is all you have and you’re not worried about being incapacitated, then you can train kitty to bring you the phone, but at this point and time, there’s no conceivable way to train a kitty to use a cell phone. For all of you who just said, “My cat plays games, or My cat can take a selfie, or I’ve seen lots of videos of cats playing with cell phones;” we would say, those phone are already unlocked and the app opened for them. So, you’re going to need a landline with at least basic local and 911 service. We have magic jack and pay one low rate each year for unlimited calling anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. The phone can be corded or cordless but should have a speaker phone feature. This is a typical feature on most phones these days. If you’re using a cordless phone, make sure to attach the belt clip to the phone so kitty will have something to pick the phone up with.
So you have your phone and are ready to train kitty. Make sure you have implemented the bonding exercise discussed in our Training Foundation post. You must make the phone fun for kitty. Use the speakerphone option when talking on it. Let kitty sniff and paw at the phone. Do Not let kitty chew on the cords. If there’s an answering machine, let it answer calls. All these things will cause kittys’ interest to be peaked. Once kitty is comfortable with the phone, you can begin training. First you’ll want kitty to turn on the speakerphone. Put kittys’ paw on the speakerphone button and gently press down while saying, “Call for help, or Emergency”. Repeat this step while gradually calling for kitty to come and press the speakerphone button even when kitty’s nowhere near the phone.
As me said, our training is always evolving; so mommy now uses a preset emergency button instead of the old dialing of 911. All phones allow numbers to be programmed in for the speed dial option. Mommy recommends using the number 1 spot for 911 programing. Typically all one needs to do to complete a speed dial call is to press the assigned number and the speakerphone button. So this step cuts down kitty having to learn 4 pushes to only 2. It’s easier for large pawed animals. It also lessens the chance of accidental number pushes by large paws. When you are ready to train kitty to dial 911, DISCONNECT the phone from the jack. It’s a crime to call 911 without having an actual emergency. And it takes away valuable time and resources from those who have an emergency. So let’s get on with it.
Gently push kittys’ paw on the number 1 and then speakerphone while saying, “Call help”. Repeat this step daily for 10 to 15 minutes in the morning and night. That means kitty will get two training sessions a day. Once kitty can successfully push the buttons by themselves, reprogram the number with a friend or family member who can assist you with the next step. Ask kitty to call for help. When your friend or family member answers the phone, they should say, “911 what’s your emergency.” This will get kitty used to having someone answer their call and let them know what they’ll be hearing. Since you are pre-programming the number, you can choose who your emergency contact is. You might prefer a family member over 911. Whoever your choice, just make sure the number is programmed in so that it’s easy for kitty to remember. Always reward kitty with lots of praise and extra love during training sessions.
When kitty proves to be consistent with their calling for help, check with your local dispatchers for a less busy and stressful time to actually call them so kitty can get the full experience. Check with your local phone company and/or emergency dispatchers to see if they can add instructions to your number for emergency dispatch. When our number comes up on 911 calls, it says to send an ambulance if there’s no response or just meows. Remember training is all about consistency and repetitiveness. Calling for help isn’t something kitty will have to do often, so you must maintain kittys knowledge and ability with continued training. And remember to always reward kitty with lots of praise and extra love during training. You’ve got to keep it fun and rewarding for kitty.
Well that’s it in a nut shell. How long it takes depends on your kitty and whether or not you are committed and consistent. And how successfully you implement mommys Training Foundations. We’re runnin’ outta questions to answer, so ask what you will and we’ll give it our bestest answer. Next week we’ll be dealin’ with our shower duties, so stay tuned. In da meantime, have a pawsum day.
Is there something specific you would like to train your kitty or doggy to do?
Would you want your kitty or doggy to answer the phone?
Welcome to another Service Cat Monday. We’re comin’ to da end of da questions we‘ve been asked, so ifin you have trainin’ questions, or questions ‘bout Service Cats in general, purrlease let us know. As with all our educational postys da followin’ will be written in human English. And ifin you’ve missed a post you can ketch up by clickin’ da links at da bottom of da posty. We have a busy day ahead, so without further adieu, let’s get to todays question. Shoko and Kali our Canadian Cats furiends asked, “Is there any fighting over who gets to perform a task?”
This question was meant to be specific to us, as there are 2 of us who can perform the same tasks. At least there will be 2 of us. Right now there are still things that Raena can’t do and hasn’t been trained to do. So for the purpose of this post we’ll go back and discuss mes’ recent past. We would also need to clarify the word fighting. Fighting can mean different things to different people. While mommy doesn’t like to see or hear us hiss or growl at each other, she doesn’t consider that fighting. Mommy says she’s been very blest and has never had 2 kitties who fought at any time. So a better question to ask is, “Have there ever been any disputes over who was to perform a task?” To which our answer would be…”Of Course.”
When a kitty begins training they are excited and eager. Me loved the telephone. Every time it rang me would run to answer it; even when it was inconvenient for mommy. Even tho’ me would answer the phone, me wouldn’t meow. Instead me would carry the phone to mommy, where ever she was. Mommy says it took less time to train me to use the phone than it did to train me to leave it alone unless there’s an actual emergency. We’ve been asked to give tips on 911 training, so tune in next week for that post. Anyways, mes point is that a training kitty gets very excited and wants to perform all the time.
Guess who’s callin’ mommy.
Mommy says the only disputes have been over who massages where and who gets to drive and when. Sis Lexi had been mommys’ head, neck and shoulder massager since almost the beginning. So when me came to live here me’s massage duties were to be mommys arms, legs and lower back. That was all well and good when we would lay down to go to sleep at night, but sis Lexi liked to sleep between mommys’ legs and me slept up under her arm. So when we would wake up in the mornings me would naturally start to massage mommys’ shoulders and head. Of course that was sis Lexi’s job and she wanted to do it. So, she would give me the hiss of disapproval and try to push me off the bed. Being the good natured Ragdoll me is, me would gladly climb on mommys chest and stretch out to massage her arms and legs. Dispute over.
So what about driving the wheelchair? Well those disputes weren’t always settled so quickly. Me wasn’t the best driver in the beginning, but only mommy and sis Lexi know what she was like in the beginning. Anyways, when me was first learning, me thought it was a little scary. Me did run into more than one wall, dresser, chest of drawers and even off the sidewalk into that cold white stuff called snow. But mommy was so encouraging and it really was a lot of fun, so every morning, me would try to get into position before sis Lexi could. Oh sissy would often give me the hiss of disapproval, but me didn’t care. Me would put me’s paw on the power button and push before sissy could even get in the chair with mommy and me.
Ifin me didn’t move when sis Lexi hissed, she wouldn’t even bother getting into the chair. Well at least in the beginning. Once me quit running into walls and furniture sissy finally joined me in mommys lap in the chair. And yes, on occasion she would try to push me off the joystick so she could drive. Of course once the novelty wore off, we would just take turns. Whoever got into place first would drive us to the bathroom and often the other would drive us to the kitchen while the other availed themselves of the litter boxes. We were pretty well coordinated when it came to most of our other tasks, and mommy hopes Raena and me will follow that pattern as well.
Now let me get this straight. You want me to put mes mouth on this
stick and push forward, right?
Mommy says based on Raena’s personality and things she’s seeing, she does expect a few hissy fits in the beginning. But, Raena is a quick learner, so mommy expects the novelty will wear off much earlier with her than it did with me. Raena appears to be very versatile and will massage wherever me isn’t, so we have very few disputes in that area. Altho’ she’s still too small to help me push mommy out of the shower after passing out, Raena is trying. She quickly joins me in the tub and gets under mommys arm. She just doesn’t have the strength to actually push, She does watch intently and stays by mommys side till she comes too.
Are ya’ talkin’ ’bout me?
Well, me hopes dat answers your question. Mommy doesn’t really allow fighting, and so long as we can settle our disputes amicably, she lets us try. The only time mommy would take charge of a dispute is if she needed to get to the human potty and we couldn’t agree on who was driving. Anyways, gotta go now and get ready for the a/c repairman. We do want to fank our furiends who donated money to get our bootyful furiend Foxy back home to her daddy. We were goin’ to share the fundraiser today, but they have already raised the money for the pet deposit at their new apartment. It won’t be long now and Foxy and her daddy will be reunited. Don’t furget to leave any questions you might have in da comments below.
Meowllo and welcome to Service Cats Monday. We’ve kinda been teasin’ you ‘bout todays posty all last week. Truth is today’s posty isn’t a fun one, but unfurtunately sometimes necessary. As with all our educational posts the following will be in human English. Ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series you can ketch up by clickin’ on the links at the end of this post. As always, we welcome your questions and thoughts, suggestions and ideas, so purrlease leave them in the comments or send us an email. We try to answer all questions, especially training questions as quickly as pawssible. We do like to answer trainin’ questions in our posts so that everypawdy can benefit from it. As with all our trainin’ postys, the tips, tricks and methods have been developed by mommy thru her many years of rescue, animal ownership and bein’ owned by kitties. And most purrtant, training is all about Repetition and Consistency. Well let’s get on with the trainin’.
Our sweet furiend Herman Tattlecat asked, “How do you teach kitty to stay off the counters, etc.?” We of course can expand this question to include all the negatives, and restate the question as, “How do you un-train bad behavior?” Mommy will tell you that it’s easier to train good behavior than to break bad behavior. Mommy’s never had a kitty that counter surfed the kitchen counters or sat on top of the fridge. She doesn’t allow it. Before we go on, we want to reiterate the importance of love and positive reinforcement. Hitting kitty IS NOTan effective training method!!! Drenching kitty with the water bottle or water gun Is Not an effective training method!!! To train, means to know your subject and understand their motivations. We are mommys children…but, we aren’t human and our brains don’t work like a humans’ brain. So mommy says you have to think like a cat and act like a cat to train a cat.
So let’s start off by saying, Before you adopt a kitty, decide what kind of rules you want to implement. Do you want to allow kitty anywhere and everywhere? Or are there places you don’t want kitty to go? Stick to your decisions, and make sure everybody in the house is in on the plan. Remember, you have to be consistent for kitty to learn. Just because you don’t want kitty walking around on your kitchen counters doesn’t mean you’re abusing kitty or making him/her sad. You’re not depriving them of anything either, so long as you provide places they can get up on. And it doesn’t have to be the biggest and fanciest cat tree made. As most of you know we have a great cat tree; actually we have 2 great cat trees and a small perch. But, mommy could have never afforded them herself, and all the kitties before me never had a cat tree to climb on. We are so thankful for those who gave us our trees, but the point is, that they’re not necessary to make kitty happy.
It’s all well and good to tell you to never allow kitty to get on the counters in the first place, but not everybody is starting with a brand new kitten. You now have an adult cat that is jumping up and lounging on your kitchen counter, or sleeping on the refrigerator. Or maybe even walking all over the stove top, or even hanging from your curtains. Aaaaaaaaw Isn’t kitty cute unrolling the toilet paper roll? It was soooooooo cute when they were kittens; you couldn’t get the camera/fone fast enough. Isn’t everything kittens do adorable? NO!!!
None of those behaviors are cute especially not when kitty weighs 10 – 20 pounds and is supposed to be an adult. Not when you want to prepare food, or need to avail yourself of the bathroom facilities. Not when kittys’ paws are tracking litter onto the table. And certainly not when the burner on the stove top has been turned on. So how and what do you do to train kitty not to do those things in the first place? Just say, “No!!!” Be firm and remove kitty if they get up there. Offer them an alternative. Remove the toilet paper from the roller. This step is only temporary, so don’t worry, you will be able to put it back as soon as kitty learns a firm No. Altho’ this applies to all stages of training, this paragraph is still a little more focused on the younger cat.
So, let’s suppose your kitty has been doing it so long you don’t remember when it started. What do you do now? Can kitty be trained to stay off these surfaces. Yes, absolutely. Altho’ mommy’s not had these issues, she has trained others kitties who did. So let’s look at mommys’ training kit and see what we have. First, training is repetitive and constant/ongoing. Second, don’t worry about what others think of you. You may need to look and be a little silly. You are after all only human. You are training a superior being, the cat. So let’s get to know and understand your subject. Cat mommy teaches and disciplines her kittens with hisses and bites. Littermates train each other with hisses and bites. Disputes between cats are often solved with intimidation, hisses and growls. So humans must become as cat like as possible for training purposes.
Let’s look at Intimidation. A cat who wants to intimidate another will puff themselves up in an attempt to look bigger and scarier. Obviously humans can’t puff up, so what can you do? Mommy has a move she calls her Space Danger move. She waves her hands in the air and repeats loudly, “Danger!!! Danger!!!” She says anyone old enough to remember Lost in Space will recognize this, for the rest of you, do a youtube search and check out the robot. Anyways, this will startle kitty and generally cause them to back away, get down, and/or remove themselves from the situation. Yes, you may look a little funny, but nobody/kitty gets hurt and it works. Initially your kitty may freeze. If this happens, remove kitty from the area. Once kitty has removed themselves/been removed or stopped the inappropriate behavior, remember to praise and love on them. If you have to remove kitty yourself, do it quickly and gently but Do Not hug or love on kitty until they have been put down in a more appropraite area. You don’t want to confuse kitty or reinforce bad behavior, so praise should only happen when kitty is where you want them to be, standing on their own.
Mommy had to go way back in da files to find us puffed up.
Now let’s look at Hissing. Let me tell you, no kitty has anything on our mommy when it comes to hissing. If you’ve ever listened to hissing kitties, there are variations of the hiss. From a nonchalant don’t touch me to a you’re dead. We kitties are very smart, and once we’ve been told No, we know when we’re doing wrong. That being said, if kitty jumps back on the counter and you’re in another room? No doubt kitty’s going to jump down and disappear before you can get to them and start your Space Danger move or remove kitty yourself. So what can you do to be consistent in training kitty to stay off the counters, etc.? Hiss. Yep, you read that right, hiss and say No, or Get down in a firm voice. You may have to hiss more than once, but you will eventually find the appropriate hiss for the occasion. And of course you need to head towards kitty to make sure they do get down or stop the behavior. And remember to praise and love kitty for their good behavior.
Me’s givin’ a hissin’ example and Raena be puffin’ up.
We discussed biting in a previous post, so we won’t cover it again here. We will say that biting isn’t an appropriate method of training for these particular issues. Okay, we’ve covered what to do when you’re home with kitty, but what do you do when you’re not at home to keep an eye on kitty? We’re going to list some tips here that can work so long as they are used in conjunction with the hands on training listed above. Put “noise makers” on the edges of counters, shelves, fridge tops, etc.. Examples of such noise makers are:
Coin Filled aluminum cans
Coin filled plastic bottles
Crumpled Aluminum Foil
Whoopee Cushions
Large sqeaky toys
Parchment or Wax paper
For the coin filled items, we don’t mean full cans or bottles, just enough coins to rattle when shaken or dropped. They must be light enough for kitty to knock them over. Altho’ you can’t control what kitty does when no one’s home, DO NOT let kitty play with these training items. And by edge, we mean they should be balanced along the edges so that if kitty tried to jump up, the can or foil will immediately fall. Whoopee cushions and squeaky toys should be at the edge so that if kitty jumps up on them they will be startled by the noise and immediately jump back down. In recent years we have seen the development of air cans that spray kitty with air when they get close to it. This Is Not a method mommy likes or promotes.
Remember to provide kitty with appropriate toys and areas to jump on and/or play with. Always end discipline with love and praise. When removing kitty from a counter or other area, do it swiftly, but gently. Do Not hug on kitty until he/she is in an appropriate area and only after kitty has been set down. Mommy doesn’t like or promote cat trees, perches, or any other climbing apparatus near the kitchen or counters. This is too much temptation for kitty to step off of their tree and onto the counter, table, shelf, etc. Don’t set kitty up to fail. Before humans welcome a child into their home, they prepare the home and try to make it as safe as possible for the baby. The same should be done for the pets brought into your home.
We have shelves and small tables around the house. As long as they are filled with books or knick knacks, they’re off limits to us. But if a shelf is empty, mommy allows us to lay/sit on it. We’re allowed on the bathroom counters any time we want and have a small table in the living room for us along with the cat trees, perch and chair. We’re also allowed on the bed, shower chairs and cat steps. As long as kitty is provided with sufficient perches keeping them off counters should be an easy train. Remember to be consistent. Kitty wants rules and structure and lots of love.
Well, guess we’ll wrap it up fur today. We hope this has helped ya’ll out. If you have any questions about today’s post or any other training post, purrlease let us know in the comments below as well as any other questions you might have. And yes, mommy has hissed in public. It works on children of the 2 legged variety as well. Don’t furget to click on the links below ifin you’ve missed any of our Service Cats Training posts, and have a pawsum day.
Welcome to another miserable Monday. It’s time fur another Educational Service Cat Posty. Our last few posts have dealt with training specifics dat are good fur all cats and kittens, not just Service Cats; and today’s post will be no different. We got some great questions dat we’ll be dealin’ with fur da next couple of weeks, but ‘member to ask your questions, so we can get them answered too. Now, ifin you’ve missed any of da posts in this series you can ketch up by clickin’ da links below. We do suggest befur you begin trainin’ kitty to purrform any task dat you start with mommy’s Foundation which you can read ‘bout in Part 2, Training Foundations. As with all our educational posts da followin’ will be in human English, so get your coffee, note pad and let’s get to it.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s get to our question. Our friends from Toby’s Wrecking Crew wanted to know how to get a kitty ready for something like BlogPaws. And what they are asking is how do you get a kitty adjusted to a lot of people, noise and other animals, unruly doggies to be exact?. This is a great question. It most certainly applies to Service Kitties who must be accommodating to any situation, but it’s also good for all kitties. You never know what the future holds, or what situation you may find yourself in. For instance, you find yourself having to evacuate your home and go to a shelter full of people and other animals, a kitty who is comfortable in this setting is certainly going to be easier to deal with during this time of crisis. Or heaven forbid, you have to take kitty to an emergency vet during a busy night. Again, a kitty that is comfortable with noise and commotion, is going to be much calmer than one who isn’t. Now that we’ve pointed out why all cats should be trained for commotion, let’s explain how it’s done. Remember, It’s NEVER too late to train kitty.
Of course this is something mommy starts on immediately with the new kitty. But remember that first Service Cat mommy had? Well she wasn’t a kitten when she was trained, so it can be done. The first thing you want to do is make kitty as comfortable and safe as possible. So here comes the harness and leash training. We do recommend a stroller for these kinds of outings as opposed to a carrier, but keeping a carrier on hand is also a good option. (See the photo below of sis Lexi in her carrier on top of the stroller in the car.) Even in a closed stroller, kitty should be leashed and tethered in. We’re going to take this from the start. Buy a proper fitting harness. Mommy prefers the ones with material that have closures around the neck and body, like you see in the photos. We prefer them as well. Cats are more comfortable being wrapped up. So we recommend staying away from the strappy cat harnesses and go straight to the dog department. You can also order online, there are a lot of great companies that make these harnesses for kitties. You’ll need a leash that’s not to heavy. Remember, the typical kitty weighs less than 20 pounds so they’re not going to break even the skinniest of leashes. Now that you have the proper tools, you can start training kitty. We recommend keeping the stroller and carrier out at all times and open for kitty to use for sleep or play.
Harness Training:
Each day put harness on kitty for about 15 minutes and walk away. Initially kitty may go limp and fall over. Don’t Worry, kitty is fine. Do Not remove harness or kitty has trained you. Only take the harness off after 15 minutes. And take it off even if kitty seems okay with it. You don’t want kitty to over do it initially. Do this twice a day for a few days and then increase the amount of time the harness stays on once kitty actually gets up off the floor. The amount of time this will take will vary from cat to cat, so we can’t give you an exact number of days or weeks, but once kitty is comfortable in the harness you can now add the leash. Please, Do Not Rush Kitty. Take your time, this will mean success. And remember, all of this is being done in the house. Kitty hasn’t set one foot outside. Okay, you’ve added the leash to the harness. This should be done the same way as the harness, start with 15 minutes twice a day and increase until kitty is comfortable. During this time, please be careful as kitty will be dragging a leash and this could be a trip hazard for all humans. And keep an eye on kitty if opening any doors or cabinets, etc.. Once kitty is comfortable with the harness and the leash, it’s time to add you to the mix. Pick up the leash and let kitty take you for a walk. At this time you may venture outside if you want. This is also the time to start taking kitty with you in public.
Going Public:
Even tho’ kitty is now harness and leash trained, it’s no comparison for a stroller or carrier. Harness and leash kitty and tether in to stroller for your outing. Of course a pet store is the obvious choice, we like to go places like parks, banks, pharmacies, post offices, etc.. (me’s visitin’ the pharmacy in the photo below) Try going for a stroll in the park. You’ll likely encounter a few dogs and curious people. Your bank, or a small town bank will most likely say nothing and will expose kitty to a lot of lookey loo’s (curious people wanting to see kitty) During these outings as kitty gets more comfortable you can open the stroller and let people pet kitty and let kitty sniff them. You can also allow kitty to walk around a little if permitted since kitty is harnessed and leashed. These outings expose kitty to a small number of people/animals and noise, but prepare them for the commotion of a crowd. Now that kitty is comfortable in these small settings it’s time for the big crowds. Again, the pet store during an adoption event is a great place. A school football/basketball/baseball game is a great place. A local parade or flea market is another great option. Look around your area, you’ll find several great options. The more exposure you can give kitty the better.
Visitin’ da pharnacy
The following instructions are for BlogPaws only, and something mommy regrets having to say, and hasn’t yet done for us. Altho’ me’s been thru it already so me doesn’t need the training. Find a “yard” that’s protected by large guard dogs and take kitty to the fence. Please be sure kitty is tethered into their stroller and that the stroller is closed and secure!!! Do Not leave kittys view at this time. The dogs will charge the fence and thus the stroller, barking and growling and baring teeth. The action you want from kitty is to quietly go to the back of the stroller and lie down. Remove kitty from the situation. If kittys response is to try and fight, remove them immediately and try again another time. Not all the dogs at BlogPaws are this way, but there are a few and their humans have no respect for anyone. Of course, you never know when you walk out your front door what you might encounter. Even tho’ we are Service Cats and are taught not to react, sis Lexi and me both did hiss at a few doggies that charged us. But we did then return to the back of the stroller and lie down as we should have. So if kitty hisses and lays down, you’re alright. You just don’t want kitty going crazy and trying to escape the stroller. They need to feel completely safe with you in their stroller.
Remember, Training is Repetition. Don’t rush any step or you’ll fail. If you’re planning for a specific event, stat your training early and keep at it. Don’t let a day go by without training. Once kitty is comfortable in all these situations, reward them by taking them out and about just because. Mommy says that training is also forever. Meaning you have to keep exposing kitty to these situations or they’ll grow complacent. Make it a point to take kitty out at least once a week. Mommy tries to take us for a stroll every week, weather permitting, and for a drive at least once a week, even if it’s only around the block. Most importantly, have fun. You want kitty to find this as enjoyable as you. Big snarly dogs and all we would love to go back to BlogPaws. We would be better prepared this time around. And we’ve got our paws crossed we make it there again.
We’re gonna wrap it up for now. Hope this helps ya’. Ifin ya’ have any additional questions or comments ‘bout todays topic or another training tip you’re interested in, purrlease say so in da comments below. You can also email us using our contact page which is completely purrivate. All this talk ’bout strolls has me wantin’ to go fur one. Gotta run now.
Do you (your kitty) like to go on outings?
Would you like (your kitty) to go on outings?
We’re curious how many kitties are already harness trained?
Service Cats U.S. 