Dog person wants to know how to train a cat to be more...doglike?

caelestis

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Hello, don't have a go at me i mean this with sincerity and i'm a nuturist not a naturist.
I've got a kitten, lovely lovely little thing, but i'm used to having dogs. I can't have a dog in my flat, which is why i got a cat as i like to have an animal around. I really love the loyalty and affection of a dog, how they greet you at the door and always want to be around you. Is there anyway to train a cat to be more...um, affectionate or demonstrative or clingy? From being a kitten? I am a dog person i suppose, and would like to be able to train a cat to be more dog like. Can you train a cat to fetch and do tricks or alert you to when someones at the door?
 

mom2raven

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I don't have any advice but I have heard (and someone correct me if I am wrong) that some of the more oriental breeds (like siamese) are more "doglike". I have also heard that the italian greyhound (a dog) is catlike, which is why I love them. I would like a catlike dog lol.

I have had kitties that fetch. I never really "taught" them, they just did it. They knew that I threw their jingly ball and they would bring them to me to throw again.
 

calicoprincess

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Some cats are naturally very dog-like. I am not sure that it is something that you can train them to though. Certain breeds have a reputation for being more like a dog then others. I've noticed with my cats, that they really learn your routine. Trinity is ALWAYS waiting by the door to greet me when I get home from work, or to yell at me if I get home late. Bentley greets me as soon as I sit down on the couch. He comes and claims his spot on my lap. All of my cats come when you call their names. I think that all of my cats demonstrate some sort of dog-like behavior. How long have you had your kitten?
 

forensic

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I think that all depends on the cat. Hennessy is very lovey and demonstrative, but that's him (and possibly the ragdoll in him).
 

siggav

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Basically I think that a lot of cats demonstrate a lot of the behaviour you mention and it's not dog like at all, it's "an animal that likes its human" - like. I've also had that from my pet birds when I had them. Dogs do it, of course, but it's far from a dog specific thing.

My cat is all cat and she's at the door every day when I get home from work (well apart from today actually but that was because a mouse got into the flat so she was busy hunting, even then she trotted into the hallway to say hi once I'd opened the door)

She's almost always in the same room as me because she wants to know what's going on but it's not the same sort of "I must be with you" as you get from a dog.

You can train cats and I have trained mine to jump to places I indicated and stand on two legs and sit etc. Clicker training works quite well on a lot of cats. Negative reinforcement doesn't really work on cats.

Basically spend time with your kitten, play with him and make an effort to keep him happy. It should just happen naturally. Some cats are more naturally independent than others and if you happen to have a particularely independent cat there's not much you can do. However! a lot of cats like I said earlier end up being aloof because they don't get that much human interaction. People get them and treat them as "low maintenance" pets and since cats are adaptable they'll adjust to being left to their own devices and become aloof. I.e the human isn't making an effort to create a bond so the cat doesn't make an effor either. While with a dog the dog would be making that effort since they need on a deep level to be a part of a pack.

Dogs are hardwired to want to be in a group, to keep the leader happy. This means that they'll really seak you out and are miserable if they're not in a group. Basically deep down they're convinced they'll die if they're living completely alone so they *need* to belong to a group to be happy.

Cats on the other hand have no urge to please a leader. This is why negative reinforcement doesn't really work on them when training. If you punish them they don't see it as you being unhappy with them and them having done something bad and that they'll need to behave or be kicked out of the pack, not really, they see it as you being nasty and someone to be avoided since they don't *need* to be a part of a pack anyway. I.e deep down cats are convinced that if they're living completely on their own they'll do just fine. So they don't make as many compromises as dogs do.

However because they're not as hardwired to be a part of your inner circle when they do give you their love and affection it can be absolutely amazing. A cat has the option of not being your friend in a way that a dog hasn't, so the relationship is very much one of choice.

Back to the topic at hand, i.e what can you do. Basically respect your cat and play with him a lot. He's a kitten so that shouldn't be a problem now. When he grows up you might have to initiate the play sometimes yourself. I.e don't always wait for the cat to start things. It is a great bonding experience though.
 

abigail

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Originally Posted by Caelestis

Hello, don't have a go at me i mean this with sincerity and i'm a nuturist not a naturist.
I've got a kitten, lovely lovely little thing, but i'm used to having dogs. I can't have a dog in my flat, which is why i got a cat as i like to have an animal around. I really love the loyalty and affection of a dog,
what about a teensy little non yappy dog?
 

sharky

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Depends on your cat .... Yes Oriental s and Bengals seem to have more traits of a dog than most... My ZOey is very dog like ... she sits , comes, lays down , is always at the door and she follows me around all over .... but unlike a dog she does not want to be cuddled or held and only plays when she wants
 

siggav

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All the cats of my friends and all the cats I've lived with (1 bengal and around 5 moggies in total) have been at the door when we got home. Most of them have also come when called and 3 of them tended to play fetch.

So I really think those qualities are cat-like things since so many cats do it (and I've heard of a lot more cats who do that as well online) So not a dog like thing, really.
 

larke

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Have you looked up a Basenji? It's a barkless dog - incapable of barking for some reason, though it may be able to make small sounds.
 

karebearcasey

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i don't think you can train a cat to be dog like, but their personality might just be more dog like than others. my cat damian is more dog like than my dog was (he follows you on walks, come when he's called, and greats me at the door when i come home). the dog became more cat like after becoming friends with the cat (a shih tzu). as with any animal, personality is the luck of the draw. don't worry, you will soon love to appreciate a cat's personality the longer you have them.
 

ghosthunterbeck

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I understand your point about being a nurturist rather than a naturist, but there's a fundamental flaw in the idea at this point.

I'm both a dog and a cat person (apparently). I have a dog and four cats. Since you're a dog person, I'm going to approach this from that point of view.

Our dog is not a human. In training him, I can't discipline him the way that I would my child, for example. He learns differently than humans do, and he reacts differently than a human to the exact same situations. I can't "nurture" him into becoming more human-like because he's *not* a human. He's a dog.

Nor can you "nurture" a cat into being more dog-like. You can nurture the kitten's own personality traits (those that s/he already exhibits) but you can't *change* the fundamental nature of the beast -- your kitten is a cat, and will always be a cat. You can't change him/her into a dog.

I'm not going to go into breeds (though I'd recommend Ragdoll, personally) because you already have your kitten.

Not all cats will *ever* be lovers. My cat Whisper, for example, adores me but wants nothing to do with anybody else. Reagan is very "dog like" in terms of her affection -- she's very free with it. Baloo, on the other hand, gives what he gives in order to get something back (not dog-like at all!). We love all four of our cats (including our little feral, not mentioned here), and we have to respect their differences, just as we respect the dog's differences in not being a cat.

Personally, I'd love it if Dozer was more "cat-like." But I know that I can't nurture cat-like behavior in him. If I want him to grow up to be a confident adult (he's only a year old) I am going to have to nurture the dog that he *is* rather than make him into what I want him to be.

The same goes for your kitten. (Hopefully) You want a healthy, emotionally and mentally stable and confident adult cat. If you're going to achieve *that* goal, you need to nurture the traits that the cat possesses rather than trying to turn him/her into something that s/he isn't.
 

callista

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Cats do develop closer relationships with their people if treated well and interacted with constantly, though. A kitten that learns that the human in the house is little more than a food dispenser will probably not be very friendly; on the other hand, a kitten who grows up being played with, petted, talked to, interacted with will be much more friendly with humans.

The above post is right; you can't train a kitten to be more doglike--but you can coax it to be a more social cat.
 

coaster

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This is the first post I've read where someone wanted their cat to be more "dog-like." Usually, it's someone jokingly complaining that their cat is half-dog.
That being said, I think if you follow the excellent advice given in this thread about how you treat your cat, you'll find that you and your cat will bond and grow closer with time and your cat may develop the behaviors that you seek in a companion animal. Not to the same degree as a dog, perhaps, but cats will show love and affection in their own ways, too. And there's one thing you can be sure of: when your cat shows you affection, you know you've earned it. It's not "wired" into their behavior like a dog's is.
 

ghosthunterbeck

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Originally Posted by Callista

Cats do develop closer relationships with their people if treated well and interacted with constantly, though. A kitten that learns that the human in the house is little more than a food dispenser will probably not be very friendly; on the other hand, a kitten who grows up being played with, petted, talked to, interacted with will be much more friendly with humans.
Provided that one respects their cat *as a cat,* yes, you're right. Reagan is very affectionate because we give back when she gives. Whisper is that way with me because he gets a lot of attention from me (and is beginning to be more comfortable around DH the more attention that he gives him [Whisper]).

But many cats won't learn, for example, to "play fetch." Some will (Whisper seems to like it) but most won't. And some cats are naturally just less affectionate (I've known one or two of these, too). It really does depend on the individuals (both the cat and the human -- even unaffectionate cats have been known to sit in my lap, for example).
 

erinca7821

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When I got Seamus two years ago at 4 mos old, he was a scaredy cat and was very nutty, running around the house, trying to get attention from a distance, putting on the "I'm so cute" act, but never getting too close, hunting his toys from a distance for a good year... and I appreciated his ways, but secretly desired him to be more affectionate and to play fetch and all that. He's my first pet, except the bird at my parents' house... and my image of what a cat would be was flawed... thought he'd love me instantly, do exactly what I say, etc.

Now, Seamus plays fetch (though I have to get the ball usually, he won't kick it back to me) and is very, very affectionate... and I miss his nuttiness... he's so calm and docile now I miss him jumping around like a maniac and showing off... he comes to the door when I get in, says goodbye when I leave by sitting on my feet, follows me around the house, and is more "dog like" than ever, but with his independence still intact as he'll sit in the living room when I'm on the computer and leave me alone when I'm busy.

Give it time, cats aren't instant friends like dogs (a friend's sister I tutor has dogs and they greet me and pester me when I visit once a week) If you nurture the "dog-like" behaviors you are looking for, like playing fetch or coming when called to sit on your lap, your cat will likely comply to a degree, just not in the same way a dog does.
 

larke

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I also think it's wrong to make animals so dependent on us just to feed our own egos. What if one day you aren't there and maybe not ever again (unlikely, but...) - do you want your friend to be so traumatized that he can't readjust in the rest of the world>
 

callista

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There's a difference between dependence and affection, though!
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by Caelestis

I really love the loyalty and affection ..., how they greet you at the door and always want to be around you...affectionate or demonstrative or clingy? Can you train a cat to fetch and do tricks or alert you to when someones at the door?
My cat does all the above naturally. She is a Sphynx. She also likes to talk, alot. I am a dog person too and was suprised to find a cat with these dog traits, but don't get me wrong she still is 100% all cat.
 

yosemite

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Over the years I've had very affectionate and not very affectionate cats. It's really the luck of the draw and totally dependent on the individual cat's temperament and personality.

I do, however, find Siamese to have more "dog-like" characteristics. We take them for a walk around the block on a harness. Bijou knows the sound of my car and will come running to the car to greet me when I drive in the driveway. He'll jump in the car when I open the door and rub himself all over me while purring like a little motor. Problem is getting him out of the car to go into the house.
He plays fetch and will often carry the wand with the feather & tinsel bird in his teeth to wherever we happen to be as his "hint" he wants to play.
 
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