The phrase “training is logical” comes from Dr. Bruce Fogle (Complete Cat Care). I think that it is an interesting phrase. It implies that caregivers should be training their cat as a matter of course. And it makes sense because informal training is going on constantly. From cat to person and vice versa. The classic is when you feed your cat. Your cat is aware of the time and there’s the noise in the kitchen when you prepare their food. They are there waiting for it to be served up or they ask at the same time each day. Or your cat comes to the front door when you come home. They are aware that you are coming home because they have an internal clock like humans and rhythms and routines are set up which are a form of informal training. But what about a more formal form of basic training?

Rewards
Of course, training is conducted with positive rewards and the classic will be a food treat of some sort. The advice from Dr. Bruce Fogle is that you should start training as soon as your new cat joins your household. You should train in a quiet and small room just before mealtimes or just after your cat has woken up.
In order for a cat to be motivated by a food treat reward they need to be hungry. He suggests “freeze-dried liver treats” as a good starting point. Don’t be too generous in the rewards. If you use dry kibble, make sure that the treat you give is counted in to their daily diet. You might consider skipping one meal for your cat in order to motivate them better in a training session.
The more confident the cat the easier it is to train them because they are more willing to engage in new experiences whereas the timid cat is more fearful of new experiences. They will tend to avoid challenges and being trained will be a challenge to them. They prefer to be left alone.
Target training
Dr. Fogle states that “all cats need training”; quite a bold statement. Very few cat owners train their cats. It requires patience. You can start with “target training”. This is how you do it. You show your cat a food treat in your hand. When your cat touches its nose to your hand you praise him and give him the food treat. Do this several times and he will understand that he has to touch his nose to get the treat. At the same time, you give verbal praise for the nose touch. Soon the praise will be enough for your cat to touch your hand. If you are fearful of being bitten by your cat you can use a stick to present the food. This form of training is a starting point for more complex stuff.
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Training to get your cat to come on command
Using the target training technique, you show your cat the treat and praise for paying attention to it. As he touches his nose to the target you move your hand towards you and say his name and ‘come’: “Charlie come”. As he comes you say “good come” and when he reaches you, you provide the reward.
Using a clicker when you provide the reward helps the cat to understand as it acts as a bridge between the action and the reward. It adds a precision to that process. Your cat will understand that the word ‘come’ is linked to the sound of the clicker. When your cat comes on your call you can reward them less frequently. You can start with short distances, as short as about 6 inches, and then gradually increase the distance.
RELATED: There are advantages to minimal leash training of your cat
Short sessions
Training session should be short of a few minutes a few times a day. Dr. Fogle states that within a week your cat should come from another room to you on your request to “come”.
Speaking when spoken to
This is useful training because it can help to find your cat if they go outdoors. And sometimes cats can hide themselves in homes. The training takes place like this. When your cat talks to you, you say your cat’s name and the word “speak” afterwards: “Charlie speak”. And you give him the treat. Do this over a few days and your cat will speak when he hears your command to speak. This will lead to a very quiet cat speaking more often which may please some cat owners.
It might be possible to train a noisy and talkative Siamese cat to speak less! Some people find loud, talkative cats irritating. You can do this by training as above to get your cat to speak to you on command but you don’t give them any reward. Instead, you “redirect its attention to something else such as a thrown toy”. When your cat reacts to that diversion you then give them a treat.
Sit when asked
Your cat is in front of you. You have a food treat in your hand. You present the food treat to your cat at nose level “and lift it up and back over your cat’s head”. Your cat’s head will go back keeping their nose in line with your hand. When he does this, he will naturally sit. When he sits, you say “sit”. Then you give your cat the treat and use the clicker if you have one. If he goes up on his hind legs your hand is too high. It should be about an inch over your cat’s head. If your cat backs up as your hand goes over his head you can place your cat in the corner of a room so that he can’t back up.
Roll over
In the video on this page, we see that the guy has trained his cat to roll over. Dr. Fogle says that this is a good trick for cats that like to sleep on their backs or expose their bellies. You will need to train your cat to stay and lie down first. When they are lying down you move the food treat down one side. When your cat is on his side move the treat towards their upper hip. As their eyes follow the food treat you praise them and give a reward. Once he does this consistently you proceed to the next stage which is to get your cat to rotate by following the treat combined with praise and the reward.
Patience
As mentioned, training your cat requires patience but the rewards will be evident. You are interacting with your cat a lot more. You are stimulating your cat’s brain. Their environment has become more enriched. You are communicating with your cat more productively. You have a closer bond. You can make a video for TikTok and get a few million hits! There are rewards but the greatest is that your cat is challenged and stimulated and the relationship you have has been enhanced. It is logical.
Below are some more articles on cat training.
I think it is a kind of seizure or automatic response to sharp sounds. It looks bizarre. The cat might be partially deaf. I am guessing.
You think it’s a seizure? You would think the cat would run away but it seems not to care.
This is a better post but they were written when research into this condition was at an early stage as far as I remember.
Running a thumb across the teeth of a comb caused this cat to retch. Why?
In that article I refer to I say I am unconvinced. I have changed my mind. It is a genuine medical problem.
This is Auditory Induced Reflex Seizures in Cats. Click on the link to read about it if you wish.
Okay Mike what kind of training is this? LOL! Can you explain why this is happening because I sure as heck can’t. Weirdest thing I ever saw.