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We talked about training cats yesterday and I asked if you\u2019d taught your cat anything. I believe that most of us have rituals with our cats and routines that involve them. Is that training or conditioning? What is the difference? Does it matter? I mean, if you have a sweet routine with your cat that the two of you enjoy, it really doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s training or conditioning. It\u2019s sweet. And it helps to endear you to your cat and vice versa.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the theme of today\u2019s blog post. But first, I\u2019d like to share a link to one of my recipes. Yes, I said recipe. It\u2019s off topic, I know. But Kaycee at My Crafty Zoo expressed an interest in my Klepto Cat Mysteries. She\u2019s a reviewer of books and other things. She posts reviews, giveaways and recipes. So I submitted a recipe for Quinoa Squash Soup. Here it is if you\u2019re interested: https:\/\/mycraftyzoo.com\/quinoa-squash-soup\/<\/a><\/p>\n In the meantime, here are some of the things I\u2019ve enjoyed with my cats that may be Winfield, our white odd-eye cat, always checked his water and food bowls when we started closing down the house, lights, etc. preparing for bed. If they were low, he\u2019d sit next to them and wait for us to walk by and notice. I\u2019d say he had us trained.<\/p>\n Lily comes into the living room about 15 minutes before bedtime and stares at me with big eyes. When I head in to go to bed, she follows me through my night-time routine, watching, waiting. As soon as I get into bed, she takes one last bite of kibbles and sip of water, then joins me.<\/p>\n Sophie, on the other hand, waits and watches for me to leave my spot on the sofa, then she curls up there for a couple of hours sleep.<\/p>\n I find it interesting that a cat will change her routine from time to time. Lily, for example, will come into my office after eating in the morning and curl up in my lap. I call it our cuddle time. She\u2019ll do that for weeks, then stop all of a sudden. I used to think it was the weather\u2014if it was chilly, she\u2019d cuddle, if not, she wouldn\u2019t. This week, however, we\u2019ve had some extreme heat (for this time of year). And she\u2019s been requesting early morning lap time. We\u2019re also having workers around the house during the day this week and that scares the bejeebers out of her. So she might be seeking comfort by curling up in my lap.<\/p>\n Experts say it\u2019s good to establish a routine when you have cats. It can actually help you to At least I\u2019ve trained her or conditioned her to sit and wait until I\u2019m almost finished. If it is something okay for her to have (no heavily seasoned food, etc.), I\u2019ll leave a tiny morsel for her at the edge of my plate and she gently reaches over and takes it only when I give her the okay. I love that little fur-girl.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an interesting article on the value of routines for cats.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.homewardtrails.org\/resources\/cats\/routine-for-cats\/#.WsoCGJdlCUk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We talked about training cats yesterday and I asked if you\u2019d taught your cat anything. I believe that most of us have rituals with our cats and routines that involve them. Is that training or conditioning? What is the difference? … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/LilyMayJune2009-008-225x300.jpg\")
considered conditioning, training, or simply habit. My Himalayan, Katy, used to tuck me into bed. She\u2019d come and \u201cget me\u201d when it was my usual bedtime, accompany me to the bathroom, then the bedroom and hop up onto the bed with me. She\u2019d lay on my pillow for a few minutes with one paw on my shoulder. After several minutes, she\u2019d take off to parts unknown. It was like a doting mother putting her baby to bed.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/IM000252-300x225.jpg\")
Of course, every cat I\u2019ve had quickly learns my wake-up time and routine. And if I don\u2019t wake up on schedule, they will start a plan to wake me. Does your cat do that?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/CatsBirdofParadise-045-300x225.jpg\")
train them. I guess you might say that I\u2019ve trained Lily in a way. She\u2019s a beggar. Well, that\u2019s my fault and I\u2019ll take the blame. Lily LOVES food and eating. But it wasn\u2019t always that way. She had a period where she stopped eating. She was a very sick little girl. And we tried every ploy and enticing food we could think of (as directed by a team of veterinarians) to get her to eat. I think it was then that we created our little monster glutton. Now she wants every morsel of food in sight, including whatever I\u2019m eating.<\/p>\n