"You let the house provide the negative reinforcement, while you provide the positive reinforcement," Buffington said. When your cat does the thing you want her do to, reward her with a treat, or affection. Then, put the now-more-attractive alternative nearby: A scratching post covered with catnip, or the awesome cat tree you built from scavenged driftwood. For example, put two-sided tape on the corner of your couch, or tinfoil on the kitchen counter. “The way to train a cat is through their environment,” Buffington said.
This is because cats evolved as solitary hunters with little need for reading social cues, especially those for behavior modification.
My cat is obsessed with me how to#
He just doesn't know how to connect your negative reinforcement with his behavior. Your cat isn't ignoring you, Buffington says. It's all futile, because eventually he's at it again. You snap, shout, squirt water, and maybe even throw a pillow. You hear the unmistakable sound of claws on couch. He believes the best cure is learning to listen to your cat, giving him choices, and reducing the environmental factors that trigger his stress response. His research indicates a stressful home environment may cause the condition, and perhaps other chronic cat diseases as well. For years, he's been studying the root causes of interstitial cystitis, a painful and chronic inflammation of feline bladder tissue. These aren't just tricks to score more cuddle time, but ways to create a more harmonious home that could improve your cat's health. Buffington (a great name for your next kitten, by the way) sat down with me to explain how to listen to cats. That's because no matter how much we love them, cats are our captives, domesticated aliens with no way of explaining their customs, or of interpreting ours.ĭr. This can make things more frustrating for them than for us. Even though we feed them, clean up after them, and pet, hug, and hold them, Buffington says that few of us know how to listen to our cats. Tony Buffington is a veterinarian at Ohio State University, and he recently told me many cat owners are constantly frustrated by their feline companions. I'm not alone as a conflicted cat fancier. I love him like crazy, but he gets under my skin.
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