You Need to Train the Cat, Too! - with Julie Posluns
Can you train cats? Many will laugh and say, “of course not,” but that’s a common misconception. The truth is you can train cats, and often in the same way you train dogs. All it takes is practice and patience.
I recently spoke with Julie Posluns, Applied Animal Behaviorist and owner of Cat School, on my podcast. Julie shared the different ways you can train cats, how to train two at the same time, and how to fit cat training around your other pets. An excerpt of our talk is below, edited for clarity.
If you'd like to listen to the full episode, press play below.
How did you go from dog walking and boarding to starting Cat School?
I’ve always been into clicker training my dogs, and one night, my cat Jones joined in on a clicker training session. This made me think: “Oh, I wonder if I could teach him all the things I taught my dogs?
I decided to start teaching him tricks. At the same time, I had a dog training/trick account on Instagram, and one day I posted one of Jones doing clicker training. I got so many questions about how I trained him. So, I put together a couple of tutorials, and my account started really growing. At some point, I switched to a cat training account.
I thought, maybe I can keep going with this cat stuff. I tried a few things, created some tutorials, and that eventually turned into Cat School, where I help members train their cats and provide great enrichment activities.
Julie’s tricks for cat training
There really isn’t some hidden secret to cat training that only a select few people know about. Most of the things Julie teaches in Cat School are simple tricks.
Use stationing to get your cat to go to a dedicated spot, e.g. a cat tree or playpen.
Try target stick training (it’ll save your hands from being scratched).
Play the zen bowl game.
Use food motivation – if your cats are food-motivated, try feeding them only wet food and leave the kibble for training.
How to deliver the treats
Once you’ve got your cat food-motivated, the question is – how do you deliver the treat and still keep your fingers?
One exercise that Julie recommends is:
Put the treat in a cup and see if the cat finds the treat
Use the clicker when the cat gets the treat
Raise the cup away to encourage them to sniff out the treat
Try adding a second cup to see if they can find the treat
What if you have two cats?
Adding another cat into the mix can definitely make things trickier, but not impossible.
Julie’s end goal when helping her members with two cats is to have both of them sitting on two chairs like in a classroom. But that’s not always the starting point. They need to learn to sit and stay on a chair first.
Start with food puzzles, e.g. snuffle mats.
Get a snuffle mat on either side of you and sit in the middle while they explore the treats in each mat.
See if you can get them to go for treats in opposite directions because many cats are closely bonded.
Try baby gates or playpens as dividers and see if you can give a treat to one with the other staying still and watching.
What if your pets don’t get along?
If you have a dog as well as a cat, training can be tough and time-consuming when your pets don’t get along.
Julie’s priority here is to focus on management and home setup. Look at what you can do to set up your home safely.
If the cat doesn’t have a safe space to observe the dog, it’ll be hard to make any progress.
If the dog tends to chase the cat, try to set up a safe space for the cat.
If the cat is the main instigator, work on stationing them at a spot away from the dog. For example, while the dog is eating, feed the cat treats on a cat tree.
Another thing to try is a cat harness. If you have a wild cat or kitten, a harness gives you a little bit more control over those interactions and will help the dog feel more secure.
Adding a new cat to a house with a dog
If you’re thinking of adding a cat to your dog’s home, the first thing to think about is how your dog is around cats. You might be able to get an idea of how they react to cats on their walks. However, this doesn’t necessarily translate to cats in the home.
One thing Julie likes to do with dogs is to introduce them to cats on walks, so they get used to seeing them as a non-scary animal. While introducing, she’ll feed the dog treats, so it becomes a positive association.
If you can get a cat that’s used to dogs or who has had test interactions with dogs at a shelter, this will also be a big help.
Set up your home for a new cat
Once you’re ready to bring a new cat home, pay extra special attention to how your home is set up.
It’s a good idea to keep them separated and gradually introduce them by scent and then by sight. Once they start to interact more openly in the home, make sure there are safe spaces for both the cat and dog to retreat to if things get too much.
Then you can start introducing puzzle toys, stationing, and other enrichment activities for both pets. But remember to take it slow and be patient because it can take time, especially if one has had a bad interaction previously.
For more tips and tricks on training your cat, be sure to check out Julie’s Cat School resources on her website.