Using the "bribe" method is not as easy as just giving rewards to pets. It cannot be contested that bribery has a lot of things to offer to trainers. But certain principles must be employed. A systematic program must be adopted to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Here are some thoughts to consider in training cats using the "bribe" method.
1. Cats are rewards seeking, punishment fearing creatures.
Cats will only do things that they find enjoyable and satisfying to do. If trainers want them to do something that they find pleasing, they will be more than willing to do so if the "bribe is right," so to speak.
2. Cats associate their actions with consequences.
Cats learn through experiences. They behave based on what they recall. Let us take these two cases to further explain this concept:
- Trainer A uses force whenever he sees his cat defecating in the wrong places. He shouts at the cat, telling it to defecate in the assigned area. He then presses its butt on the litter box. He has done this routine a lot of times, but his cat never learned.
- Trainer B rubbed his cat's belly when it misbehaved. The cat did stop misbehaving in that instance. However, Trainer B observed that his cat misbehaves more often than before.
Because cats associate their actions to the consequences, the trainers in both situations did not achieve their desired result . This failure can be associated with the use of wrong tactics to motivate the cats.
Employing the "bribe" method will be more effective in this situation. Just remember that cats seek rewards.
3. Systematic training will do the trick.
Trainers must design their training programs. The program depends on their cats' attitude. Things to be included in the program are the specific tasks that the trainers want their cats to do and the corresponding rewards. This method will deliver the results that you want only if you stick to the program that you did. Consistency is a key factor at this stage.
As for the trainers, the only bribe that this article has to offer is that after this program, you will have more obedient cats.
In reality, a cat's behavior and resultant societal relations with other cats are dependent on factors such as population density of neighborhood cats, premature knowledge and the amount of food available in the vicinity.
Variation In The Population Density And Grouping Dynamics:
The family cat is a solitary seeker. It requires a large area to catch adequate prey, while scrounging for itself and it will protect that area from other cats too. From a study, it is revealed that a vicinity of sq mile (1 sq km) will sustain nearly five cats in the agricultural areas of Europe, North America and Australasia.
Altering circumstances such as new felines, absence of few cats or new people greatly affects the social dynamics of cats. Social acquaintances generally develop between females and kittens, and rarely by adult males in a characteristic assembly of tamed cats, who stay with humans. Cats settle differences normally by visual contact or occasionally by a swipe of its paw once, there is friendliness amongst cats residing in the same place.
When two cats meet up suddenly, the cat that has a higher status is generally the superior at that time. However, it might not be the same during the next meeting. Odor and well-being also affects the status of a cat. When a cat comes home after undergoing treatment at a hospital for some medical issue, sometimes a healthy household cat attacks it. Once a status is formed in a multi cat home, however differences are rare.
Behavioral Changes Caused By Food:
When food is available in plenty, social relations increase because the reasons for fighting decrease. Sparsely distributed hunting cats exhibit defensive gestures rather than social while well-fed cats in neighborhood areas usually exhibit outgoing social interactions. Household cats are the friendliest, since food is aplenty at home.
The Importance Of Family And Matriarchy:
One should not expect a household cat to be pleased with the arrival of a new feline just because it gets plentiful food and it has a very easy life. It is nearly impossible. Cats can get along with one another only, if they share a blood relationship.
The other important thing is early castration. Although untamed male cats make very less social relations than females, neutered male cats make the same number of social contacts as neutered female cats. Neutering improves male feline relationships considerably.
The cat family is mostly matriarchal. Untamed cat population generally contains four or more blood-related feline generations. The most frequent social communication amongst females is licking rather than rubbing.
The mother, grandmother, sisters and other female members remove the male kittens from the colony as soon as they mature and exhibit rough play behavior. These males accompany other males, who generally hover around and prevent any unrelated male from coming near.
Both Jasmine Stone & Martin Marks are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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