Wordless Wednesday

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Walking a Cat on a Harness and Leash

Shira is an active cat. When she gets going she can circumvent my livingroom without ever touching the ground! I wanted her to be able to get out and explore without the dangers of just letting her out the door. So Shira has been learning to use a harness and leash.

Of Cats and Dogs

Ahhh… my apartment is quiet. Only the sound of the fan can be heard. Shira is curled up in my lap sleeping while I doze off in my big chair. Meanwhile, my dogs, Asher, Shay and Tova are asleep on the floor.

Charging the Clicker

Charging the clicker is when you condition your pet that the “click” means a treat is coming. The “click” then marks the exact moment that your cat or dog (or any pet for that matter) does the right thing and earns a treat.

When you are working with dogs this is very easy. Most dogs will stand on their heads for a treat if they could. This is not quite the same with a cat. The first two weeks Shira was with me I just let her settle in. I was also trying to figure out what she even liked to eat. At the shelter she did not eat well. They told me that the first week she was there they had a hard time getting her to eat anything.

Shira

I started my own dog training business, L’Chaim Canine, several years ago. The one thing I noticed was that the cats belonging to some of my clients always seemed to place second behind the family dog. At times it did not seem fair, especially when the arrival of the new family dog placed the cat’s life in turmoil. The worst was those cats destined to live a life out in the basement instead of being able to roam a home that was once theirs.

I began to read about cats and what they needed to be happy and be able to flourish in those instances so that I could help them out wherever I could. I soon found myself sitting in lectures on cat behavior instead of dog.

My First Cat…

Years ago I adopted a year old male cat, Mushu. Although colored like a Siamese, he was a huge block of a cat, all bone and muscle, no fat, that weighed 18 pounds. He was very social and loved to play. At that time I was just beginning to train my first Rottweiler, Greta. She went everywhere with me while Mushu stayed home. One Friday afternoon while loading the car, Mushu managed to slip out of my apartment and was gone.