Managing - not Punishing - Cat
Behavior
Here's the short and simple: Cats are sentient beings with a high order
of intelligence. Cats respond to management. Cats do NOT respond to punishment.
They DO respond to a leader.
Follow
the Leader
Cats ARE social, congregate into colonies and have a sense of social
order. Just as with dogs, there is an established "alpha". Your
cat or cats will come to recognize you as the "alpha" with
a little care and management. To your cat, you are just another cat. Take
on the role of leader, and the cat or cats will follow.
Care is the Key
Cats are self-centered and do everything for their own benefit. Knowing
this, you now have a tool for managing your cat by becoming the "alpha" in
your home-- the secret is care.
If you feed your cats, brush them and clean their litter boxes they will
recognize you as the dominant or "alpha" cat. The more you care
for a cat, the more it will respect you. If you don't care for the cat, then
you're just another member of the colony. To lead, you must be the source
of a benefit (food, grooming, etc.) and that benefit must
be consistent.
Punishment vs. Management
Many people make three mistakes when dealing with cats:
- The cat knows what you mean and want.
- The cat will do what you mean and want.
- You can punish a cat for bad behavior like you can a human.
This NEVER WORKS! Management DOES.
Punishment is a human concept to control behavior and often involves
some degree of pain or deprivation. This will NOT work with a cat. Cats
simply avoid pain and won't be deprived.
Management is a way of controlling behavior to arrive at an expected
outcome-- preventative or proactive. All animal trainers use management
techniques. Management uses strategic thinking and tools
to keep order. It is painless and encourages. This always works with cats
because cats are endlessly expectant (i.e. cats expect to be fed, to be
groomed, etc.) A good manager follows the simple steps of OAR:
Observe, Alternative, Reward.
Management - Observe
Before responding or reacting to cat behavior in your home, you must
observe it. There may be a very intelligent reason behind it. Here is
an example:
Kitty is constantly clawing at the cupboard door beneath the kitchen
sink. You chase her away constantly, but still, she returns and claws.
One day you reach in the cupboard and pull out something very soggy
and extremely wet. You have discovered what Kitty knew all along. Your
faucet is leaking at the joint and the water was building up in the
cupboard, causing mildew which Kitty smelled.
In this case (which actually happened to me) the cat was scratching not
only by instinct but to tell you something-- cat scratching as communication.
There was no problem-- as soon as the mess was cleaned, the scratching
stopped.
Management - Alternative
Alternative thinking has become a hot topic in management circles (thinking
outside the box) because it has proven to be so effective. When your cat
exhibits an unwanted behavior, you can relieve the situation by alternatives.
Here's an example:
Kitty has stopped using the litter box. You observe and see her go
to the litter box, then back away. Later on, you find her "deposit".
Kitty is not sick or stressed. You observe that the litter box is next to
an outer door. You observe that the room is always chilly and discover a
draft blowing in from under the door. You apply some weather stripping and
the draft stops. The room is warmer, and Kitty now uses the box as normal.
In this case you observed the cat, then created an alternative. It was
a simple fix, you stopped the draft. You could also have relocated the
box to a warmer location. There are many alternatives, and it is up to
you to seek them out.
Management - Reward
Reward is a very effective management technique. Whatever your cat's
behavior, if you are trying to change it, reward (with patience-- these
things take time) is highly effective. Animal trainers have been using
the technique for years, and it always works. Reward MUST be INSTANTANEOUS.
Here's an example:
Kitty likes to jump on the kitchen table. You don't want kitty doing
that. You have been yelling at Kitty and it seems to work. Or does it?
Kitty still jumps on the table, only now, she's got YOU trained to yell
at her.
You observe that Kitty jumps on the table whenever you are making a
sandwich. You think of it from Kitty's point of view. You are another
cat; you are eating, hence, Kitty should be eating. You apply an alternative
and a reward. You watch Kitty and as she is about to spring, you say quietly
and simply while looking her in the eyes: "No, I don't
want you to do that." This is an alternative to the yelling. You
have just taken control. She relaxes and maybe switches her tail, but
she doesn't jump. IMMEDIATELY, you give her some dry food or other suitable
cat treat, stroke her and say "Good kitty!" and go on
about your business. You watch her carefully. If she appears to want to jump,
repeat the procedure. Eventually, Kitty no longer jumps on the table-- EVER.
Here, you have used ALL the management techniques. Kitty gets a reward
for behaving and learns that life is a lot more pleasant when she does
what you want, rather than making you do what she wants.
Management is a tremendously effective tool for improving your life with
your cat. You both will get what you want without stress or pain. The
key to this is mutual respect. Remember that your cat is NOT a
thing, she is a sentient being deserving of respect. She sees life
from a different viewpoint and thinks you see it that way too. As a manager,
you understand how she sees life and manage her life with you so it is
peaceful, pleasant and mutually rewarding. You'll be surprised how responsive
she will be to this humane and sensible approach.
Tim Thompson,
author of this article, has been living with cats for many years. As a student
of behavioral statistics, he has learned the importance of observation to
understanding behaviors in humans and animals. He has served as a member
of the Board of a local rescue shelter and worked with their foster care givers for 8 years. On the home front, he is the human companion of Gertrude
and Eddie, two tiger tabbies who are constantly teaching Tim new things about
living with cats.
