The first lesson in learning to modify behavior was getting to “know thy pet”. Which I tried to better explain in What it Means to Know Thy Pet.
To illustrate both Lesson 1 and this next lesson, I’m going to use the example of an unwanted behavior I had to deal with last year: Tabby banging on the blinds.
Step 1: Applying Lesson 1 – Why the Blind Bashing Ceremony?
No one likes to be awoken in the wee hours by a cat determined to figure out how to make it past the blinds blocking her view out the window.
As Janet pointed out in her comment on the blog I wrote about the topic, “Cats are very good at making sure that no one sleeps when they don’t want you to. Either the blinds, or the furtive scratching and jumping and doing what they know they should not do, with a look to see if you are looking – and then they will not stop unless you get up.”
Okay, so that’s one understanding. Cats are determined.
This is what else I understood about Tabby’s behavior:
• She wanted us up.
• She was pretty consistent about starting this ruckus every morning at five a.m.
• She picked that hour because we (at least Wayne and Murphy) had previously been getting up at that time.
That last one in particular was key.
Step 2: Starting Lesson 2 – Try, Try Again
TRIAL #1
For a while raising the blinds worked. It helped that she favored one window in particular and ignored the others. She still batted the cord, but the blinds themselves were out of her hammer banging reach.
But then she got smart. She went to another window…one right beside our bed.
TRIAL #2
There was a lot of yelling, “No, Tabby!” or “Don’t!” “Stop!” “Cut it out!” or some derivative thereof.
In the seconds following our outbursts there’d be blessed silence. But notice how I used the word “seconds.” Silence wasn’t lasting.
TRIAL #3
Getting up and resigning ourselves to the fact that bedtime was over whether we wanted it to be or not left us cranky and exhausted. We couldn’t give in to her every time she was so demanding.
TRIAL #4
Inviting her to come lay on the bed with us while we petted her was our next go. Sometimes it was more of a forced thing. Wayne would get up and snatch her off the ledge and bring her to bed.
The trouble was, he’d gotten out of bed. She’d seen him up. She knew he was awake.
We thought she wanted attention. But she didn’t. She was not content being petted or talked to. She wanted us UP.
Sometimes You Have to Refer Back to Lesson 1
Why? Why did she want us up? What did she gain from us being out of bed if she wasn’t after attention?
Ah, yes, food. She was ready for the great stampede to the food bowls.
Back to Lesson 2: Giving It Another Try
TRIAL #5
I experimented with putting a little extra food in her bowl for overnight.
Guess what? That worked. She started not scarfing down all her food at once and had some to tide her over during the wee hours when a late night snack attack hit.
Ah, the sweet smell of success (and undisturbed slumber).
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