My cat "Troy Pawlamalu" (A.K.A. - "Bubbles" or "Bubby" for short) has become quite a terror since our move in January 2010. We used to live on a farm with my parents and their dog Zoey. While I was at work for 10+ hours a day (as a veterinary technician), Bubby would usually have at least one of my parents and the dog for company. Also, he learned to use Zoey's dog door and would roam the farm in search of tasty critters. (Chipmunks and birds were his favorite prey.)
Now it is just the two of us living in a small house in town. The first few months were no problem, but lately I have been getting "attacked" on an almost daily basis, several pieces of furniture are being chewed up, and other behaviors like jumping on the counter, stealing food, and yowling have increased significantly.
I decided it was time to order Karen's book and give cat training a try. I thought Bubby would be a perfect canidate for this training because he is intensely food oriented and a very active, playful, and inquisitive cat.
Thursday May 20, 2010 - The first session! I had read the book cover to cover the evening before and I felt very mentally prepared. I didn't have any soft treats on hand, so I decided to start by using some of his dry food. Even though Karen recommends doing the sessions before feeding, we started an hour or so after his dinner. I knew if we tried to do it before that he would get too wild and vocal when he smelled his food. I just "charged the clicker" during the session. Click then treat, click then treat. Everything went well. I made sure not to click when he was being vocal/demanding. That is something I am trying to discourage. I stopped after about 5 - 10 minutes even though he was still interested.
Friday May 21, 2010 - Started this session about 5 hours after his breakfast. Still using the dry food. Not as productive as the first session due to him getting frantic/vocal when smelling the food or hearing the kibble in the little plastic container. Stopped after about 5 minutes and didn't get in nearly as many clicks as the first time. I probably should keep sessions closer to meal times, and also try to find a different (quieter) container for kibble, or use soft treats.
Saturday May 22, 2010 - Tried a session in the morning (about 3 hours after breakfast) too frantic/vocal. Tried again later (about 5 hours after breakfast) and he was much calmer. Charged the clicker with soft treats. He liked them, but even in small amounts they seemed to be hard for him to chew quickly. Spent a lot of time licking lips/chewing. Switched back to kibble and introduced the target. More interested in me at first. So started to click for just walking towards the target. By end of session (10 or 15 minutes) touching target with cheek most times it was presented. Also hit target with paw two or three times. Stopped session when he lost interest.
