I figured it was time to dust off my training in Psychology, now that my two Siamese kittens are in their adolescent stage. They are intelligent, confident, strong, and willful spirits. If I want to save my home, my business, and my own person from the unintended consequences of their enthusiasm for play, mischief, and affection, I figured I should learn from the folks who manage the big cats, like lions and tigers.
Trainers start by bonding with the big cats at an early age. Most of the lions and tigers you see in animals shows doing tricks were born in captivity and spent a lot of time bonding with their trainer. I think I've got that one down. My cats sleep with me and follow me around the house. Once the bond of trust and affection is there, a trainer can teach the big cats how to do things and motivate them to do them by using operant conditioning. With operant conditioning, animals are taught to connect a behavior with a cue or signal and then reward the animal for correct behavior.
For example, I want my kitties to come when they hear a fork tapping a china dish, because the sound carries. They are indoor cats and if they ever accidentally got out, I want them to be able to find their way home by hearing a sound that travels far. When my cats hear this sound they associate it with food and they come running to me. Cue (sound of the fork against the plate), behavior (running over to the sound), and reward (food).
I also want my cats to use the scratching post instead of my carpets and my furniture, so I have found an all natural treat that they love. In this case I had to shape their behavior,
which means rewarding closer and closer approximations to the desired behavior. I began by rewarding my cats when they climbed the scratching post and sat on top. Then I only rewarded them when they scratched the post. I don't reward them every time, because intermittent reinforcement is actually a stronger reward than rewarding each and every time. The cue is seeing the scratching post, the behavior is scratching it, and the reward is the treat.
If I had the time, I would teach them some tricks. I have one cat who is very talented at walking upright on his back legs. That's Dylan, on the left doing his Merkat impression. I know I could use these techniques to get him to walk upright for a number of steps. My sweet Charlie is in the first photo. I haven't figured out what his talent is, besides striking adorable poses for the camera.
I don't have any plans to get my house cats to jump through burning rings of fire. I would just be happy if they left my drapes alone and stopped unplugging my router.
Comments(9)