Prince

Whenever my wife and I argue these days, it has something to do with the damn cats. Today we bickered over how often the cats should be fed. She feels that they should be fed at least 3 times a day...which I guess is an improvement from when she would be putting down cat food whenever the cats so much as opened their mouths.

I grew up differently... to me, first come people, then dogs (because they're actually good for something), and then waaaaaaaaaay later, come the cats. And the last thing I'm about to do is kiss a cat's ass. It's the other way around, as far as i am concerned.

This is what I believe. It's not the God honest truth or the best way to do things, but fuck it, it's what I believe. I believe that you feed the cats twice a day. You feed them once in the morning, and once in the evening. Now, if the cat wants to first whine in your face about how hungry he is, take a sniff and a disappointed look at the cat food that is being offered, and reluctantly eat a few bites before walking off just to come back five minutes later, then TWO FUCKIN' BAD. Wait for the next feeding if you're not hungry when the food is being offered.

I've heard people say that dogs have owners, cats have staff. I've also heard them say that cats cannot be taught things. I disagree with both. For one thing, a cat will walk all over you quite eagerly - if you let him. If you put the food bowl down for every meow, or give a bite of food from your dinner plate, then you accept your role. Cats can and do learn things, but they cannot be, for the most part, taught with treats and rewards, like dogs. Because of cats' stubborness, the only way to get them to learn is to be rough and clear-cut about where things stand.

Princess will still try to bite or scratch my wife if she does anything that her highness does not like. This is because she's let the cat walk all over her since the beginning of time. That kind of behaviour really irritates me, partially because it undermines what i try to get through those cats' skulls. The old grinch never tries to scratch or hiss at me anymore. Why? Because she knows what will happen if she does.

Pets are pets, but they're also animals. While there is no need to be unnecessarily cruel to them, I do believe it is just to put them in their place.

Do you believe that cats can be taught to mind their manners and fit in, instead of trying to take over? If so, what is your secret?

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bernadette

my cat eats canned food generally once a day, in the morning. occasionally a 2nd can at night, if he complains & his plate is indeed empty.

when i had 2 cats, they'd get fed a 2nd time in the evening, cuz well, there was 2 of them sharing the food.

the dry cat food bowl is always full, so if my cat doesn't dig on the can flavor du jour, well too bad, there's the dry stuff.

cats can be trained somewhat, such as learning to stay off of the cabinets & dining table or whatever. sometimes just repeatedly saying "no!" does the trick, other times a spray bottle of water will work.

rest assuredly though, as you seem to know already, your cat is always training you as well.

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Snakebyt

I know a spray bottle will help "train" a cat, when they do somthing undesirable, give them a couple of good sprays..

Prince

LOL.

I believe you're supposed to spray the objects you do not want the cat to go on top of, and somesuch....as opposed to spraying the actual cat. But whatever works, I s'pose.

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Rodney

Our cats are indoor cats. We put out a bowl of dry food, and they eat on it until it's empty. When it's empty we fill it. Rarely have to do it more than once a day.

Can cats be trained? They can be taught that certain actions have consequences. I taught a cat not to bite me when he was mad. Everytime he did, I acted like a maniac, picked him up and yelled and so forth. So he stopped doing it; when mad at me, he would _pretend_ like he was about to bite me, but always stop short. And I would take from that that he was pissed about something or overstimulated or whatever, and act accordingly. So bad behavior actually morphed into a form of communication.

Cats can be trained to do certain things that fit with their instincts: use a litter box, use a scratching post. But aside from those few things, all that you can expect them to do is behave themselves _when you're around._ Because all they learn is that certain actions have consequences _from you._ And if you're not around, there are no consequences; they're smart enough to know that. Which is why nobody I know has ever been able to train their cats not to walk on the kitchen countertops at night, short of closing off the kitchen.

Kaos

I fill my cat's bowls (Water and Food) every night before I go to bed. They never are empty by the next night when I add fresh food and water, and I have a fairly big cat.

Rodney is right about cats learning about consequences. And that doing certain acts will either get them in trouble or rewarded with a treat or affection. But don't kid yourself for a second if you think they will keep the same behavior when you are gone or asleep.

lurkette

Twice a day should be plenty - most cats in the wild only eat once a day, and it's a mouse or some other small critter, so they're not going to starve if they don't get three square meals. Putting it down and taking it back up regardless of whether they've eaten it or not is the preferred method - free-feeding tends to lead to obesity. You can train cats to some extent, but it usually takes more energy and more consistency than most people are willing to put in.

The real issue isn't the cats but your respect for your wife's feelings. If the cats are very important to her, what does it matter to you whether they're fed three or two times a day? It is better for their health to be fed fewer times, and to have to eat it when it's put down, but in the long run, what's more important to you: being right, or having your wife be happy?

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ratbastid

Cats most certainly CAN be taught. They're animals, and ALL animals, right down to amoebas, respond to classical conditioning. That's all you're doing with a dog (or a child.... oh wait, did I say that with my outside voice?) when you train it. You associate certain behaviors with reward, and those behaviors increase in frequency. That's called positive reinforcement, and it's the most effective training technique.

Picking up a cat and throwing it around when it does something unattractive is negative reinforcement, and while it works, it tends to foster less than sympathetic feelings for the trainer on the part of the trainee. Think about how cadets feel about their Drill Sargeant; boot camp is a classic example of negative reinforcement. And your little recruits have very sharp claws and teeth, and have access to you while you sleep. Think about THAT when you're showing the cat who's boss.

I know a woman who has clicker-trained her cat, just like she did with her dogs. It took longer, because a dog has more desire to please built in as an instinct. It took a lot of patience and consistancy, but it worked.

bing bing

My cats eat 3 or 4 times a day. Yes, they're in control.

Frowning Budah

Damn, my cat eats at least 5 or 6 times a day and still is meowing for more. I think part of the problem is the dog is around to finish it off if she doesn't.

guthmund

My Aunt microwaves the cat food so they won't have to eat it cold. She's got it all timed out to the second and she always waits for the cats (She's got three) to start eating so she knows its just right. She does it for her dogs as well, which leads me to the conclusion she's nucking futs.

My cat knows how to use the litterbox and that's about it. My relationship to the cat is comparable to Inspecter Closeau and "his little yellow friend." (Was his name Kato?) We like each other enough, but were always trying to out smart each other.

For instance, she wants to be outside. Can't go outside, wants to be outside anyway. I spray her; block her with my foot; make threatening gestures with my heels; yell; make loud animal noises; catapult her with the top of my shoe across the room; I even sprayed the door jamb and such with a nasty tobasco combination (It works for dogs, why not cats, eh?) all to no avail. It's been a little over a year here and everytime I open the door it's an invitation to the cat to try and sneak out.

Maybe it's just the cat. This summer I couldn't open any windows while she was around. She found out she can bite and scratch through the screens to freedom. Good cat, just convinced she's a prisoner of war.

Oh yeah, the cat eats at my mercy and discretion. She's got me setting food out once a day.

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ForgottenKnight

Set out dry catfood 24/7 and let the cats eat as much as they want. As for wet catfood on top of that? Twice a day is fine. Just remember that you are your cats servant... Owning a cat is like electing a dictator. If you can't live under a cat's rule, then don't get a cat. Cats can be trained though. If you live under the cat's rule, then you and the cat will get along just fine...

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galaxygirl

I just leave a bowl of dry out for my three, it has to be refilled once a day. I have one cat who is on special food - she has kidney disease, so I try to feed her when they other two aren't around - otherwise they will eat her food.

i8one2 has done wonders at training my cats - he has that dominant hiss that cays give each other down pat.

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Cynthetiq

so long as you don't have to feed them or pick up the cat shit.. what do you care how she takes care of the cats? it makes her happy, leave her be. And when she gets mad because you leave your socks on the floor, tell her it makes you happy to take care of your socks like that.

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Prince

Well, I wouldn't care, if the cats didn't try to stick their faces in my dinner plate because she's taught them that it's okay to do that while a person's eating.

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TM875

Cats cannot tell when they're full, so therefore will keep eating as long as there's food around.

That being said, I leave out dry food and water for them all day. At night, if they're whining, I'll give them some canned stuff. Other than that, they pretty much just lay around and scratch stuff.







Lucky bastards :P

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matthew330

I don't know if you can teach them - but well, here's a cat story:

My friend and I hanging out drinking water (real real hung over) and the cat just staring at us. My friend sets his water down, and the cat walks over to it, wraps his paw around the glass to the other side, and bites the edge of the glass. It was the wierdest thing - he actually tried to take a drink like a human would.

phaedrus

Yes.

My sister taught her cats to play "fetch" among other things, also they learn pretty quickly to use the catbox. They can be taught, they just arn't as inclined to please as dogs.

HeadyIncognito

My cat gets half a can at five, and all the dry food she wants. I didn't make the system, but it seems to work. One thing that I still haven't figured out is how the cat gets water...

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Fly

we had a cat that would play fetch with this little squeaky toy.

run and get it,bring it back,run and get it,bring it back

she'd play shake a paw.......sit.....stay.......

she used to climb the ladder when i was up on the roof......

she walked around with a cigarette in her mouth......funny as all hell

loved to fight with me and understood what NO was.

no water spray or hitting her.....just NO .



i miss that damn cat

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Rubyee

Cats can be taught very easily, actually, if you start when they are kittens. My cats have been taught that when I snap my fingers, they had better stop whatever it is they are doing. Now, I am still working on getting them to stay OFF certian furniture, but when they get on it, all I have to do is snap and they get down and run into the other room. They are actually getting on the furniture less and less.

They have also been taught that when the TV goes off in the bedroom, it is time to sleep. Otherwise, they get kicked out of the bedroom until we wake up.

As for the food- don't make it so diffucult. Just put a bowl of food out, not a big one- big enough to hold 1 to 2 cups of food, and when they you see it is empty, fill it. I don't usually mess with the wet shit. It is messy, they get it all over the place, and it usually gives them the shits. They each get a pouch of it on the holidays- Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, but that's it. It just makes them fat and can really upset their stomach.

Trust me, I consider myself something of a cat expert- I took care of a mentally retarded cat with FIV for 8 years.

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stankybcn1

For those of you I've seen mention that they can't get their cat(s) to stay off of countertops and such try lining the edge of the countertop or whatever with double-stick tape. It works great. Cat's hate it.

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Tirian

I would think that any cat that gets fed 3 times a day will end up fatter than is healthy for cats. Try and get a book or advice on cat nutrition to help. You could feed them 3 times a day I expect as long as it was a small portion.

guthmund - we actually named one of our cats Kato, because she used to jump all around as a kitten and looked like she was doing karate moves. Kato liked baths - weird - she seemed to like the warm water in the tub, and once dry she would be so fluffy and clean - it was nice.

I don't have cats anymore, and I don't really remember how often we fed them when we did.

Hard8s

I have 3 cats, they have dry food and water all the time. They get 1 can of wet food between the three of them at night. And they tend to follow my wife around and mope until she feeds them too!!!

I have also taught my cat to shake hands, just like a dog. People who see it think it is the coolest thing. It was just something I did when I was bored. He sits on his back legs and holds the paw out waiting for you to shake it. I even taught him to switch hands.

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wry1

From my experience with cats: no, they cannot be taught.

However, you can batter-fry them!

Just a suggestion - it'll also stop the arguing over the cats....

cchris

I taught a cat to fly once.
It lasted all of 5 seconds in the air and made a purrfect landing.

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TopRamen66

I just have a bigass bowl of dry food sitting in the garage for my cat. He can eat whenever he feels like it and its way easier for me, unless the damn racoons get in there.

spived2

just get dogs. they're easier. and more fun to play fetch with.

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vveronica

Just sat here and read all the responses in this thread. I think most everybody has the right attitude. Cats are trainable, They are also very intellegent and like child know how to push the limit they are allowed...
Lest we forget they can get mad at us as well, and taking their anger out on the drapes or your favorite chair.

two phrases really I think explain a cat..
1) Dogs view themselves as part of our family,,, cats view us as part of the help.
2) Dogs Drool... CATS RULE!

It always amazing how guys who dislike cat, always love their dogs... I figure it is because, while a cat does not need constant reassurance, Dogs need to show their affection all the time and constantly have it reinforced. So this can be quite gratifying for the more insecure or emotionally handicapped individual

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beejay

I subscribe to the "put food out in the morning and let them be" school of feeding the cats and both of mine seem pretty OK with that.

I think all animals need to be shown who the alpha's in the house are. Don't get me wrong, my kitties do what they damn well please, but they also respect me as the leader of the house...

(wish my wife did!)

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viejo gringo

I taught one to run like hell the other day---he was a slow learner, and only made it to the fence line---damn that ground was hard to dig...

stickyrice

My sister's cat knows how to roll over

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wry1

I've always preferred dogs for the simple reason that they'll love you unconditionally. It's what we all look for in a relationship, right? So why shouldn't it be the same way with a pet, I ask you?

Cats, on the other hand, will love you only so long as you keep them happy and they feel like loving you.

So yes, I'm primarily a "dog" person. But that doesn't mean I don't like cats....you do the batter right, they taste just like chicken!

macro

I would say conditioned rather than taught. They can certainly be conditioned to act predictably under certain circustances, but I don't know if I would call it 'being taught'

My old (sadly departed) cat stopped crapping inside after it learnt that it didn't like having it's nose rubbed in it..

onodrim

Always works for me.

AS far as cats being able to be trained - I belive they can be to some extent. When I was younger, I thought it would be funny to get my cat to drink out of a running faucet, so I taught her to do it. Ever since then, it's the only way she'll drink. So while it is amusing, it also makes taking care of her more difficult, so be careful what you teach your cat to do!

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~springrain

Cats simply tolerate our existance...

theguyondacouch

idk about that, cats are pretty light...

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sailor

Why bother?

<--Likes Dogs

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Nazggul

I knew a cat that would fetch once. It was odd to say the least.

My cats eat like pigs, they definitely own the place. Hey, their life is short and boring, they should be treated like kings.

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