Did you know that January is Train Your Dog Month? Do you care? Didn’t think so. Shouldn’t we kitties declare January Train Your Human Month instead? Because as many of you know, a well-trained human is a happy one! When humans haven’t had proper kitty training, they tend to scatter their energy, have no focus and just behave very chaotically. They also tend to act out in negative, unpredictable ways. Humans need structure and a direction in life, and if we kitties don’t help them with this, who will? Certainly not the dog. The dog needs training just as badly… but that’s not our job.
So with all that in mind, here are four crucial human training tips.
1. Keep them on schedule. Cat behaviorists are always saying that we kitties need routine, but you know what? Humans need it just as bad, if not worse! Without a schedule, they will drift aimlessly, watch too much television, forget to change the litter box and, worst of all, feed you late! Basic human training, of course, is making sure they are always on time when it comes to meals. I’m sure most of you are already experts at reminding your human when it is dinnertime. Some of you may even be like Binga, and start reminding them an hour or two beforehand. Honestly, I think she is a little paranoid. You shouldn’t need to start your reminders more than 30 minutes before it’s time to eat. If you can get them on a schedule for litter box cleaning and playtime, that’s ideal!
2. Make sure they get enough recreation. Humans work, work, work and then they come home and do chores, and they think that recreation is zoning out in front of the TV. Oh, that is fun too, and I’m sure a lot of you kitties join them, but you’ve got to get them moving now and again. It’s a well-known fact that an active body releases endorphins. So encourage them to play with you often! I actually bring my toys to the humans so they can play with me. Not just the mousies either. I even will find the wand toys and drag them around the house until one of the humans takes the hint. Don’t let them slack off on this.
3. Be persistent — and consistent. Nagging looks bad coming from humans, but when kitties do it, we get things accomplished! If your human is not getting things done the way you like — whether it’s cleaning the litter box right after you’ve used it or opening the curtains to let in that morning sun puddle — keep at them until they get the idea. Consistent repetition is the best way to get your human on track, and it’s how they learn best.
4. Offer rewards. Humans can get a little cranky if you spend all your time ordering them around and nagging them, and that’s all you do. Can you blame them? Humans aren’t robots, programmed to do your bidding – they are living, breathing creatures with feelings, just like us kitties (only not as smart). A simple purr can work wonders. When they’ve done well, thank them. After dinner, Sparkle would sometimes jump on my human’s desk chair and give her head butts. My human knew that she was showing her approval and not asking for anything because, well, she had just eaten. Humans love little gestures like that, so be generous with them. Not too generous, though — you don’t want them to start expecting rewards for every little thing they do. So give them just enough, and hold back on occasion. Don’t spoil them.
I hope you’ve found these tips useful. All in all, I’d say that training humans is much more rewarding than training dogs. Lucky us.
Excellent suggestions, Summer.
Toffee
Well Thanks Summer my 6 kitty’s are deciding right now how best to train me! 🙂
Great advice, Summer! Our Mommy could use a bit of training!
Our human is well trained. Thanks to Emma and her dedication to making sure that no stones are unturned when it comes to serving the kitties.
Maxwell: Looking pitiful and mournful work, too. I sit above the wand toy drawer and give her moon eyes. Works (almost) every time.
Thanks for some excellent tips. We’ve got to work on the playtime training. Our mom can be pretty sucky at that, expecting us to play with each other! XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Excellent advice Summer! Thanks for the reminder!!
how did you ever get so smart so fast pretty summer?
It’s always good to train your human and do retraining every once in a while.
You need to keep on top of humans 😉
Purrs Georgia and Julie,
Treasure and JJ
That’s great advice, Summer! Rori always lets Mommy know when it’s her naptime and her bedtime, Tigress is in charge of the food bowl monitoring, and Carbon & Starla let both of our purrents know when they’ve used the box.
We are purrty good naggers. MOL!
We love your training tips!
Your training tips are spot on Summer. Tonight, my humans got out of their routine and forgot to feed me my canned food dinner. I got a little snarky with Dad, but he didn’t figure it out until after I started my evening snooze.
Mee-you Summer fank you so much fur thiss post as mee iss inn the midst of trainin LadyMum at thee momint! Now shee did come pree-trained butt mee hass to do sum ‘fine tunin’ as shee hass to leern what mee needss 😉
Mee hass her trained to feed mee on deemand…me criess like a starvin baybee an shee scurriess quik into thee KITchen to give mee food. Shee iss grate with thee litterbox so no wurriess there. Mee hass got her playin with me dailee an shee sayss she feelss bettur!
Mee snuggless her in thee mornin an at nite. Mee allso givess kissess when shee earnss them too….
So mee iss doin purrty good mee finkss…
Fankss again fur sharin yur wisdom.
Luv Siddhartha =^..^=
Pee S: It hass been a hole MONTH since mee came to LadyMum’ss!!!!!!! 🙂
We think #4 is a real good one!
Great advice Summer! Leo was getting slack on the reminding of dinner for a while. But that’s because he had to have a pill before he ate and we think he was trying to avoid that! But trust us, once they finally got that nasty ol’ pill down him, he was standing at his dinner spot, glaring and waiting none to patiently!
Smooches, Glitter and Cashmere
I told my sister her new kitten Logan should read this
Humans ARE robots and should be programmed to do our bidding. I gave mine revolutions and I expect them to be followed. Usually to nag TW, I’ll tap her on the leg or butt but the other night I had to go to extremes. Let’s just say when they heard the CRASH, TINKLE they came running.
My kitties are very good at training me.
Great tips! We like the consistent one. The humans think that when we ask for dinner at the same time every night, it’s our being cute, but it’s really keeping them on schedule!
Good advice Summer. If my human has been good, I reward her with a hard headbutt or two in her face just as she is going to sleep.
This is some great advice, Summer. After five years, I have my human pretty well trained but do still have difficulty with the recreation part. Humans are always so busy, so they say.
Our mommy tries to slack off the schedule every single weekend but we’re there to wake her up at 5:30am for breakfast every time! No slacking for her!
You are so smart Summer. Every so often I rub up against the publicist FOR NO REASON AT ALL. She likes that but it confuses her to. Bwamaaaaaahahahahaha
We agree with all of your tips, especially the one about keeping to a schedule!
Mindy
Moe
Cookie
Mike
Cats are so good at training humans…we bow and scrape…
can we train our human and our dog? 😉 these are great tips, Summer! we have to work pretty hard to keep our mom on schedule, especially for our meals! maybe we need to up the rewards for a bit and then back off again 🙂
Pip, Smidgen, Minnie, Hollie
Oh my…. I detect a bit of Sparkle coming through here, Summer. Let the training begin! – Crepes.
Great advice ! And Claire is a very good student ! Purrs
The one my Mom REALLY needs to work on is Number Two!!!! She says she is cutting down on blogging on my blog to try and make that happen! We will see! Love, Cody
We thank you, Summer, for these constructive suggestions! Our resident Binga, Rani, usually starts in at least two hours before treat-time reminding our servant that NOW! would be preferable. NOW!!!
Those are great tips, Summer. I’ve trained my mum well. The best thing I’ve ever done is training her to nap with me in the afternoon. She feels so much better and says that it recharges her batteries for the rest of the day. Waking her up at 5 am does the trick because she is exhausted by the afternoon and has no choice but to nap!
Purrs xx
Athena
Dang, believe it or not pretty Summer, I’m doing pretty good in the training department!
Good advice sweetie. I think some of sparkle’s smartness rubbed off on you. Thanks for the tips.
My cats are like trains with an exact schedule, and when the schedule is not respected there is a meow concert in the house ! They all have inbuilt clocks ! I am well trained I assure you, lol !
You have already learned so much in your short time on Earth Summer. I will pass these tips along to the kitties- I have been known to serve dinner late when I am on the computer.
Yup we have our human all trained to do all those things. There are so many of us, she doesn’t have a chance.That is all such good advice.
They are very tough to train but I think they actually kind of LIKE the discipline. Humans are strange creatures but if you give them limits, they CAN operate within the lines (so to speak). It’s taken me fifteen years to get my pair of humans trained but FINALLY I think they are. Thanks for all the input Sparkle – you are wise beyond your years!
Hugs, Sammy
Our mom is very thankful we keep her on schedule.
SERIOUSLY I HAVE TO OFFER REWARDS, NO WONDER SHE IS NOT TRAINED? I THOUGHT BEING IN MY PRESENCE WAS REWARD ENOUGH
HUGS MADI YOUR BFFF
Great advice, Summer! Humans need all the help they can get 🙂
the boyz are very good at #3 and #4. we need to work on #1 and #2.
Summer, this is an excellent guide for human training. You are wise beyond your months.
Train your human sure is a fulltime work 😀
XOXO
Oh Summer, you are wise beyond your tender age! Excellent advice.
Great tips for training humans! And very effective, too. The nagging look to move humans and a purr for reward, they totally work with no fail 🙂
Thanks, Summer. We try to practice these tips on the mom but you know humans…they are so hard to train!
Excellent advice, Summer. It’s exhausting working with hoomins… which is why we’re glad ours goes off to work most days and gives us a break.
Good advice. Training hoomans is a full time job.
Summer, that is great advice. Our only concern is especially with the persistent and consistent thing. Our Mumsy falls asleep in her rocking chair. Even if we wake her up, she’s not always responsive in a positive manner. She usually just puts her arm around us, cuddles us up, and goes back to sleep. So, we are not sure what to do. Otherwise, we will use your guidelines.
Hugs!
Fortunately our human is very good at looking after the litter trays after we’ve given her a reminder. She eats her breakfast standing in front of the television in the kitchen so one of us will go and sit on the worktop in front of it until she takes the hint.
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx