From: STella@thelema.uucp (STella)
Subject: Shaping was Plausible Xmass Present
Followup-To: rec.pets.cats
Organization: Idiosyncratic Anarchic Order
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 11:40:39 GMT

In article <1992Dec25.220648.14923@wetware.com> drieux@wetware.com (drieux, just drieux) writes:
>How do you teach an old cat new tricks?

It's called shaping -- look in any behavioral modification book for
more.

Suppose (which happens to be the case) that I wish to make a small
video to be called "Pussywhipping".  And suppose that for the opening
credits, I want an image of a cat, in pawcuffs and harness, being
flogged and purring, before getting on to the real subject.

There are several elements of this to which the cat, unprepared, may
well object: the noise of the whip, the tickle of its lashes, the
sensation of the cuffs around its paws, being followed around by a
person with a camcorder, the fact that every one of our cats seemed to
think a flogger is to chase and hunt (we convinced them otherwise, but
it wasn't easy at first).  So you break down the desired behavior (and
it could as well be using the toilet as a litterbox as anything else)
into the smallest bits possible.  You may start by sitting with the
cat on your lap while someone across the room flogs the couch, or by
moving the catbox right next to the peoplebox.  Something that the cat
will, though perhaps slightly uneasy, tolerate.  Couple this with
something the cat likes -- belly-scritching, Pounce, cold ham, catnip
-- given out freely as long as the cat acquiesces.

As the cat gets comfortable with this level, you add another element,
perhaps holding the cat in your lap while striking your arm with the
whip, or using one of those toilet inserts that fit over the throne
and hold a iny bit of litter.  Later, you may arrange the cat so that
its body is under the lash which impacts your arm, but only caresses
the cat, or gradually cut out a larger and larger hole in the
toilet-litterbox.  Gradually the cat's behavior conforms more fully to
what you envisioned, but only so long as you stay inside its comfort
zone.  Pushing too fast, even a little, will set you WAY back.  And
the cat will poop on the floor or hide when it sees the toybag.

But with sensitive alertness to your cat's limits, you can teach a cat
to ride on your bike (Monkeyface would cheerfully hop into the
rural-style mailbox I'd wired on the luggage rack and expect me to
take her with me.  If I didn't WANT a cat along she was angry), walk
on a leash (and the looks on passersby's faces at the sight of me and
wjr walking the four cats were WONderful), use the toilet (if I hadn't
had a housemate who would not deal with moving the toilet prosthesis,
all the cats would have learned, I'm certain), or to respond only to
its own name.

I've had a lot of cats, and gotten them to do outrageous things
(Dammit and I used to panhandle by playing a tape of bagpipe music
while I held him legs upward with his tail in my mouth, and my cheeks
puffed out -- after each change of classes, we'd split a sub and
carton of milk, or he's munch a can of tuna while I smoked a
cigarette.  I don't ever want to be that broke again, but if I am,
Gandalf is already accustomed to the bagpipe position).  The key to
teaching a cat of any age to do anything that's physically possible is
to break the task down into small subtasks, and get each firmly
established as something the cat is OK with before moving onward.

STella@xanadu.com	1016 E. El Camino Real, #302, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
STella%thelema.uucp@dec.com	Don't blame me, I voted Libertarian!
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats