A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat
Dog owners know that dogs can be trained, but the idea of training rarely crosses cat owners’ minds. But as bestselling anthrozoologist John Bradshaw and cat expert Sarah Ellis show, not only can cats be trained, but they absolutely should be to ensure a happy and healthy relationship between pet and owner.
Once we comprehend cats’ emotions and needs, we can train them to overcome their natural fears and anxieties. Full of training tips and exercises for nearly every scenario—from introducing your cat to a new baby to teaching cats to live alongside dogs to helping cats deal with visits to the vet—The Trainable Catis an essential manual for cat owners everywhere.
“John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis have demystified cat training, making it accessible to all cat lovers—from professionals to owners alike. Clear instructions for training along with real-life anecdotes expose the amazing potential of our domestic cats. This is a must-read for all cat lovers who are interested in providing the best life possible while building a deeply trusting partnership with their feline companions. This book has the potential to save lives!”
—Miranda K. Workman, clinical assistant professor, animal behavior, ecology, and conservation, Canisius College
“I love this book! We often greatly underestimate the capabilities of our pet cats, and The Trainable Cat is a thorough yet completely accessible resounding YES in response to the question: Can you train a cat? Training can not only solve behavior problems, but it strengthens the bond between cats and their humans. This book will enhance the welfare of cats everywhere, and change how we think about what cats can do.”
—Mikel Delgado, certified cat behavior consultant, scientist, and blogger
“Finally, a comprehensive look at how operant training can be used to benefit our feline friends by preventing or modifying behaviors that we humans find upsetting. Bonus, it’s really fun too!”
—Jacqueline Munera, certified cat behavior consultant and cocreator of What Is My Cat Saying? Cat Communication 101
“Fantastic! The Trainable Cat is an accessible resource for cat parents and professionals alike. The authors debunk common myths and misconceptions about cats and their trainability, all while equipping trainers with the knowledge they’ll need to overcome challenges relating to rewards, motivation, and individual learning styles. I will definitely recommend this book to my clients!”
—Ingrid Johnson, certified cat behavior consultant, Fundamentally Feline
Table of contents :
Sarah’s Preface
John’s Preface
Conventions used in this book
Introduction: Why Train a Cat?
CHAPTER 1 How Cats Learn: And what you can do to make it easy for them
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Your Cat’s Training Requirements
CHAPTER 3 Our Training Philosophy: Mastering the key skills
CHAPTER 4 How Cats Adapt to Living with an Alien Species (Us!)
CHAPTER 5 Cats and Other Cats
CHAPTER 6 Cats and Other Pets
CHAPTER 7 Cooped-up Cats
CHAPTER 8 Touch: Insult or indulgence?
CHAPTER 9 Flight, Fight or Freeze? Cats don’t take kindly to stress (especially visits to the vet’s)
CHAPTER 10 Cats at Large: The big outdoors
CHAPTER 11 Shredded Drapes and Bloody Corpses: The less appealing sides of cat behavior
Conclusion
Once we comprehend cats’ emotions and needs, we can train them to overcome their natural fears and anxieties. Full of training tips and exercises for nearly every scenario—from introducing your cat to a new baby to teaching cats to live alongside dogs to helping cats deal with visits to the vet—The Trainable Catis an essential manual for cat owners everywhere.
“John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis have demystified cat training, making it accessible to all cat lovers—from professionals to owners alike. Clear instructions for training along with real-life anecdotes expose the amazing potential of our domestic cats. This is a must-read for all cat lovers who are interested in providing the best life possible while building a deeply trusting partnership with their feline companions. This book has the potential to save lives!”
—Miranda K. Workman, clinical assistant professor, animal behavior, ecology, and conservation, Canisius College
“I love this book! We often greatly underestimate the capabilities of our pet cats, and The Trainable Cat is a thorough yet completely accessible resounding YES in response to the question: Can you train a cat? Training can not only solve behavior problems, but it strengthens the bond between cats and their humans. This book will enhance the welfare of cats everywhere, and change how we think about what cats can do.”
—Mikel Delgado, certified cat behavior consultant, scientist, and blogger
“Finally, a comprehensive look at how operant training can be used to benefit our feline friends by preventing or modifying behaviors that we humans find upsetting. Bonus, it’s really fun too!”
—Jacqueline Munera, certified cat behavior consultant and cocreator of What Is My Cat Saying? Cat Communication 101
“Fantastic! The Trainable Cat is an accessible resource for cat parents and professionals alike. The authors debunk common myths and misconceptions about cats and their trainability, all while equipping trainers with the knowledge they’ll need to overcome challenges relating to rewards, motivation, and individual learning styles. I will definitely recommend this book to my clients!”
—Ingrid Johnson, certified cat behavior consultant, Fundamentally Feline
Table of contents :
Sarah’s Preface
John’s Preface
Conventions used in this book
Introduction: Why Train a Cat?
CHAPTER 1 How Cats Learn: And what you can do to make it easy for them
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Your Cat’s Training Requirements
CHAPTER 3 Our Training Philosophy: Mastering the key skills
CHAPTER 4 How Cats Adapt to Living with an Alien Species (Us!)
CHAPTER 5 Cats and Other Cats
CHAPTER 6 Cats and Other Pets
CHAPTER 7 Cooped-up Cats
CHAPTER 8 Touch: Insult or indulgence?
CHAPTER 9 Flight, Fight or Freeze? Cats don’t take kindly to stress (especially visits to the vet’s)
CHAPTER 10 Cats at Large: The big outdoors
CHAPTER 11 Shredded Drapes and Bloody Corpses: The less appealing sides of cat behavior
Conclusion
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