Can a cat be trained like a dog?

[googlie]

We added a little cat to our family, I think she is about 4 months old now.  I  also have a dog and it was fairly easy to train her to erase certain behaviors when she was a baby. 

The  cat, however, is totally different...she gets into everything, climbs on everything and needs to be supervised most of the time. 

My question is... for example, she jumps on the kitchen table constantly.  i take her down, I say "down". I taught her by giving her a little treat after she gets down.  Finally, a few days down the line of consistancy, whenever she jumps up, I say down and 80% of the time she will get down, even with no treat.  How do I get her to stop going on the table all together?  My dog, for instance, will realise she cannot go on the table and she will not attempt it at all.

Do you think the kitty ever realise she has to stay on the floor or will I have to keep telling her to get down till I am very old and grey?  So far she just understands the word down, not that shes not suppose to be up there in the first place. Can cats be trained like dogs?

Thanks!

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

Cats certainly CAN be trained, but not in the same way as dogs. Cat's brains and dog's brains are (unsurprisingly) wired up differently, and so different (or at least, adapted) tactics are needed to achieve the results you want. The following articles should help you in getting your girl to understand boundaries:- [article="22407"][/article][article="32827"][/article][article="32493"][/article]

Don't forget, too, that a mischievous cat is often a bored cat. You may well find that giving her appropriate outlets for that excess energy will help. Interactive playtime is the most effective way to redirect excess energy, but 'catifying' your home can make a big difference too. [article="32656"][/article][article="29675"][/article][article="22426"][/article][article="22537"][/article]

 

[kittens mom]

The quickest way to keep a cat off a counter is to understand why they do it.  If the motivation is food then put the food away. Most likely it is the cats natural instinct to climb and explore vertically. Providing your cat with ample surfaces she can climb up on as trees, shelves on the wall , window sills that offer views, birdfeeders make it possible to keep them off other surfaces. You can also look into clicker training with your cat and your dog.