So now we come to the training part. I make this sound in my throat...sort of like an old-fashioned doorbell buzzer. It worked on the dog, it should work on the cat. Much to my shock, it did. Kitty hadn't been taught by any of his previous owner that kitchen counters and especially furniture is off limits in the clawing department. A friend of mine suggested having his claws removed, but I think that's a barbaric procedure (the same as cutting ears to fit a standard). I was determined he would learn right from wrong (humanely). After a couple of screeches with my throaty buzzer sound, he learned quickly--also much to my surprise. I bought several of those corrugated scratch thingys, sprayed them with liquid catnip (which he truly loves), and he learned...if it smells like catnip...it's mine.
I also have a clicker. Whenever I wanted the dog to come to me, I just hit the clicker a few times and even though he was partially deaf, he could hear that clicker, come running into the kitchen and I would dispense a treat. Kitty thought it looked like a good idea--hear the clicker, run into the kitchen and get a treat. Can you believe it? A 3-yr old cat learning new behaviors? I swear it's true!
So, how do you teach a cat to go through a "doggy door?" Since we put Kitty's food on top of the old grooming table (out of Tiger's reach) and his litter box, both in the basement, it was important for him to learn how to get downstairs. With my dog, I shoved him through a couple of times and the light bulb turned on.
Elapsed time? Less than five minutes.
Kitty was a different story. I tried shoving him through the opening, but he planted all four paws firmly on the outer edges. After that, he darted under the bed. After watching the dog, Kitty finally figured it out.
Elapsed time? One week.
You just can't rush a cat.
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