How To Train Cat For Service Animal

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Not every true cat volition be able to exist a therapy cat. However, you can train cats to piece of work with humans. Information technology'due south best to commencement socializing your cat when it's still a kitten, and then it gets accustomed to being handled by people. Yous'll too need to work on things like sit and stay, as therapy animals need to be able to follow some obedience rules. Most places that encourage therapy pets and handlers to come in will require y'all to be certified as a therapy team. With certification, you and your cat will get the preparation you lot need to work with people in hospitals and nursing homes.

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Begin young. It's easiest to socialize a cat when information technology is a kitten. A kitten is even so learning what is "normal." If it learns at a young age that being handled and being sociable is "normal," it'south more likely to be a sociable cat who's willing to be petted by strangers.^[1]
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Work on socialization in your home. Work on petting the true cat all over. Commencement with strokes the cat enjoys, such every bit pats on the head, and work upwards to stroking it all over. Endeavour holding its manus for a few seconds, likewise equally its tail. Later on belongings it for a few seconds, reward it with petting it likes. Keep working on to petting and touching areas it doesn't similar as much.^[2]
- If the cat gets mad, it'southward time to finish and try again after.
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Bring strangers to socialize. Have strangers (to the true cat) come into your dwelling. Let the cat approach them first. When it does, let your friend try to pet information technology if the cat volition let them. You tin can endeavour to encourage interaction by giving your friend a treat to offer the cat or a toy the cat can play with.^[3]
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Take your kitten out to socialize. Requite your kitten the chance to befriend other kittens. Some areas have kitten classes specifically designed to aid you socialize your cat. However, if your area doesn't, consider taking your kitten to friends' houses, where you let them calmly hold the kitten. Tell them to pet it softly and talk to it in a calm voice.
- As an added bonus, this step volition assist your cat get used to riding in the car, and it won't just associate the car with going to the vet's office.
- It also helps to have the kitten see other animals on these trips.

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Brainstorm with clicker grooming. A clicker is a device that makes a clicking noise. It works well for training because information technology is an immediate, consistent response to an action. When you begin clicker training, yous only want to go your cat to acquaintance information technology with expert things, so you offering a treat and click at the same time. Keep doing this over and over, until the cat begins to associate the care for with the clicker.
- If you don't want to invest in a clicker, you tin try a ballpoint pen that makes a clicking noise.
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Help it come up to its name. The easiest style to teach a true cat to come to its name is to use a behavior already in place. For instance, if your cat always comes to the kitchen when yous use the tin can opener, say its proper name every bit yous use the can opener. Reward the cat with a treat.
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Work on "sit." Place a bit of moist food on a spoon. You tin can use tuna, infant nutrient (meat only), true cat nutrient, or salmon, for instance. Concord it just above the cat's caput, so it has to tilt up to get to the nutrient. That should forcefulness its back cease to the ground. When its dorsum end is on the ground, click and offer information technology the treat.
- Every bit your cat gets better at it, yous tin add in the command to "Sit." Start moving from the spoon to loose treats, using the clicker.
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Move on to "stay." "Stay" simply works if your cat has already mastered "sit." Tell your cat to sit in a lark-costless area. Say "stay." Make a small movement, like shuffling your feet or moving an arm. If the cat doesn't move, click and offer a treat. Keep making small-scale movements and offering small treats if your cat doesn't motility. If your cat does move, get back to smaller movements.^[4]
- Keep working upwardly to harder and harder stays. You might walk beyond the room for a short stay, for case.
- Y'all'll need more patience with a true cat than you lot would with a dog.
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Teach it to walk on a leash. Get-go, y'all'll demand a harness and a leash. Place the harness on the cat in the house, and permit it start getting used to it in brusk spurts. In one case the true cat is okay with that, you tin can take information technology into the k on the leash. Don't walk it yet.^[five]
- Permit the true cat explore the yard on the leash. Don't leave information technology alone.
- Once the cat is okay with existence exterior, try taking it on short walks in the neighborhood.

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Decide if your cat has the correct temperament. Not every true cat is going to accept to being a therapy pet, just every bit not every domestic dog is correct for the task. If your cat is shy or particularly skittish, for example, information technology will not likely make a good therapy cat. Your cat needs to be sociable and enjoy attention from complete strangers.^[6]
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Larn your cat'due south communication style. Being part of a therapy team means you'll need to be able to handle your animal in whatever state of affairs that comes up. The certification grooming will help you with that, but you need to be able to read your true cat's body language and redirect it calmly when it is feeling skittish.^[7]
- Ask yourself some questions. Tin can you lot tell if your cat is mad? Can yous tell when your cat is unhappy with being touched? What does your cat look like when information technology is happy?
- Define what calms your cat. This may be anything from petting, to making calming sounds, to giving it some alone fourth dimension. Do calming it down whenever it is angry or frightened.
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Consummate the handler course. When getting your true cat set, you lot'll need to complete a course sponsored by i of the certification programs. In that course, you'll learn how to appropriately handle your true cat, as well as how to best prepare your cat for therapy.^[eight]
- You can take the handler's course online, at places like the ASPCA's website. You too may exist able to find short workshops in your city that fulfill the grade requirements. Bank check with the organization you're getting certified through. Classes can run to $125.

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Make sure your cat is of age. If you want your cat to exist certified, information technology usually must be a specific age. Often, your cat must be at least a twelvemonth old before it can exist certified as a therapy cat.^[9]
- In addition, you must take had the cat for at least half dozen months.
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Get a clean bill of health. Before commencement any therapy, your cat should be evaluated past a vet. In addition to making sure the cat is healthy, the vet should besides update the true cat on any shots information technology needs.^[10]
- Frequently, the organization will require your vet to fill out a specific form. Your vet volition likely be familiar with it.^[xi]
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Don't feed a raw nutrition to your true cat. Another requirement past some certification organizations is that you don't feed a raw nutrition. A raw diet increases the chances that your cat will comport bacteria, putting those who are sick or who have poor immune systems at risk.^[12]

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Can cats really be trained?

Brian Bourquin, amend known equally "Dr. B" to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinarian Dispensary, a pet health care and veterinary clinic with 3 locations, Southward End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary intendance, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The dispensary also provides specialty services in behavior, diet, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Animal Infirmary Association) accredited hospital and Boston'south offset Fearfulness Free Certified Dispensary. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Medico of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.

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Yes, cats can definitely be trained! The key is to utilize positive reinforcement. Give your cat a reward, like some tuna fish, when information technology does something right, which will reinforce the behavior. Also, retrieve that positive reinforcement is much more effective than penalty when it comes to training.
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What can I use to train my cat if it doesn't like treats?

Brian Bourquin, better known as "Dr. B" to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet health intendance and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinarian Dispensary specializes in master veterinarian care, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in beliefs, nutrition, and culling pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic laser treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Fauna Hospital Association) accredited hospital and Boston's first Fear Free Certified Clinic. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.

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Are long or short preparation sessions better?

Brian Bourquin, better known as "Dr. B" to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet wellness intendance and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary intendance, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency intendance, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in beliefs, nutrition, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation treatments. Boston Veterinary Dispensary is an AAHA (American Beast Infirmary Association) accredited hospital and Boston'due south starting time Fright Gratis Certified Dispensary. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doc of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.

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Remember to always be patient when preparation your true cat and to avoid punishing it. Cats don't reply to punishment.^[13]
Positive reinforcement is the all-time way to train a true cat. Rewarding your true cat with treats, playtime, or petting when it does something right will help reinforce the adept behavior.^[fourteen]
Keep your grooming sessions short. Cats tend to have a curt attention span.^[xv]

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If yous'd similar to train a therapy true cat, beginning interacting with it as early every bit possible, since cats that are socialized early tend to exist friendlier. Whenever possible, spend time petting the cat all over, including its head, body, feet, and tail. This volition help the cat be more comfortable with being handled. Also, introduce the cat to new people, and encourage them to collaborate with the cat as well, since this will assist it acclimatize to strangers. Read on for tips on how to railroad train your true cat to come to its proper name, sit, and stay!

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