Cat whisperer?

So I'm taking a break from homework and turn on animal planet, and whats on? "It's Me or the Dog". I know there is also a show called the dog whisperer (spelling?).

So I have to ask, has anyone heard of a show like this for cats?

I know I haven't, maybe its just because they are cats not really trainable....but I have to say, I wish I could find one that showed people how to fix some of the problems that seem to bring the cats to the shelters. Maybe one that showed why cats scratch, or just what they are doing when they bite...We know what that means, but I think most of us have looked into it alot more the most do...

I've never seen one, but then I've just had cable back for a few months now. I like watching both the Dog Whisperer and the It's Me or the Dog shows. It would be neat to see one geared towards cats.

Originally Posted by othie

I know I haven't, maybe its just because they are cats not really trainable....but I have to say, I wish I could find one that showed people how to fix some of the problems that seem to bring the cats to the shelters. Maybe one that showed why cats scratch, or just what they are doing when they bite...We know what that means, but I think most of us have looked into it alot more the most do...

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Cats are to trainable. How do you think they have cats in commercials, tv, and movies? These cats are trained. There are also people that train their cats to preform a lot of tricks.
Everyone single one of us here has our cats trained to at least do one thing. You may not even realize it.
My Tomas is very bright (when he wants to be), and can do things on command - but it's a matter of him wanting to listen at that time. I caught him trying to open the kitchen blinds with the cord two nights ago!

The other things you are referring are more to due with behavior. I've seen bits and pieces on old Animal Planet shows, and a few words here and there on newer ones. But for the most part dogs are more popular, so a show about dogs means more viewers and more ratings. Ratings = money.
People also spend more money on dogs then cats (with the exception of us here).
I for one would rather see a dedicated show on care and behavior for several species. Birds, for example, have a lot of behaviors (both good and bad) that some people could use tips for. Even a show with some episodes about good fish care would be great!

Before there was a Dog Whisperer, there was a woman from the U.K. that was the original Dog Listener (Jan Fennell). Good friends with the Horse Whisperer, she modeled her technique from him for dogs. I had the pleasure of meeting her once and I took her out to a 3 hour lunch.

And what did I ask her? Does anyone do what you do with cats? She just laughed and told me that cats didn't have the same motivation as dogs so no one has tried. I laughed back and told her that cats are driven by their own sense of motivation, therefore it was possible to do. She was intrigued by the question.

To understand how to train any animal, you have to understand what drives their behaviors. Wolf packs have been long studied, and dog behaviors are very similar to wolves, therefore its actually not that hard to manage their behaviors. Cats haven't had as clear as an evolution path as dogs from wolves, therefore its harder to find a branch of the cat family that is similar to domestic cats. The closest wild cat species to cats appears to be lions. And those haven't been studied long enough to apply behavior training to cats.

So long story short, there is no official Cat Listener/Whisperer. There are some on this site that are as close as it gets.

^Cats tend to be food motivated as far as training to do tricks. With everything else you have to convince them it was their idea in the first place.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Cats are to trainable. How do you think they have cats in commercials, tv, and movies? These cats are trained. There are also people that train their cats to preform a lot of tricks.
Everyone single one of us here has our cats trained to at least do one thing.

You may not even realize it.
My Tomas is very bright (when he wants to be), and can do things on command - but it's a matter of him wanting to listen at that time. I caught him trying to open the kitchen blinds with the cord two nights ago!

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Your right, I'm sorry. I used the wrong term there. The truth is I'm about to try and break my cat of a habit (which I'll post about in another thread), so I had better hope they are aleast alittle train-able.

I'm not sure what the right term is to be honest...its not that they can't be trained, they just dont seem...well as Momofmany said, as motivated. Heavens I've even trained my cats to do simple things, I just didn't think about it in the same way I guess. I need to think more before I type, I'm sorry

No need to be sorry! I bet most of us don't realized that just by living with us that we have modified our pets behavior and even trained them some without trying. Even my reptiles have learned to do certain things for food (some have learned to use food dishes) - and that's a very simple brain!

They have a show on AP called House cat House call. Saturday at 9am.

We don't train cats. Cats train us.

I actually know someone who has a way with cats. I wish I knew what it was she did, but just this past Sunday at the shelter I was trying to call a cat down from the top of some cabinets and he was totally ignoring me. She came in called him & he came right down to her. I have seen her have this same affect on other cats. I think just like with Ceaser & his calm energy, the same kind of thing goes with cats. I'm not sure the assertiveness is required as much, but certainly the calm confidence helps.

When I hear people talk about cat whisperers they most often mean people who claim to have the ability to "talk" to cats, like a kind of medium.
People who are driven to despair by their cat's behavioral problems might end up with someone like that, but I think they better seek out a cat therapist who has studied cat behaviour scientifically and can make a practical therapy plan.
Cat therapists often recommend training your cat. It is a nice way to spend some extra one-on-one time, the extra stimulation is good for the cat who might otherwise seek other outlets (e.g. destructive behaviour when the cat is bored) and the things you teach the cat can be beneficial to yourself too.

I have this book and as soon as I get the time I will start training Mimosa again (she loved it when I first tried it) :
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Training-M.../dp/0793805309

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

They have a show on AP called House cat House call. Saturday at 9am.

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Yup. I watched a couple of the early episodes. I thought it was kinda lame. But then I think a show of that kind is doomed to be kinda lame. With the dog oriented shows you can see immediate cause and effect because you train dogs. With cats you don't train them so much as you figure out how to work with them and that isn't as interesting to watch. You make a change and wait to see how they respond. If they don't respond the way you want them to, you try something else. Yawn!

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

They have a show on AP called House cat House call. Saturday at 9am.

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thank you this is just what I was looking for. I'm going to have to check it out