Chapter 1: Understanding Melo's Escape

Melo, my cat, once made a daring escape through the back door of our kitchen. This incident prompted me to develop a training strategy to prevent such escapades in the future. By analyzing the sounds associated with the back door opening, I pinpointed key moments that could signal freedom for Melo.

The sequence of events that led to his escape included:

1. The sound of the glass door latch being flipped.
2. The sliding sound of the glass door.
3. The flipping of the screen door latch.

Focusing on the "click" from the glass door latch, which previously signified liberation for Melo, I aimed to transform this sound into a cue for a desirable "stay" behavior that he would choose to perform. To achieve this, I needed to establish a value for a designated “stay” area in our home.

This approach aligns with my commitment to animal welfare, where I employ positive reinforcement techniques. Due to my hand dexterity issues from MS, I often rely on shaping behaviors rather than traditional luring or clicker training.

Section 1.1: Day 1 - Introducing Paw Targeting

For our first session, which lasted just 90 seconds, I focused on teaching Melo a paw-targeting behavior. This involves encouraging a cat to use its paws to touch a specific surface. To start, I laid out a large blanket against the wall to provide a defined space.

As soon as Melo placed a paw on the blanket, I marked that moment by saying "search" and tossing a piece of kibble away from the blanket. This action captured Melo's natural hunting instinct, prompting him to chase after the kibble. His expression seemed to convey surprise and curiosity: "I walked on the blanket, and I got rewarded!"

Soon, Melo began to place both paws on the blanket, which was the goal I wanted him to achieve. With each successful attempt, I rewarded him with more kibble, reinforcing the behavior he had chosen to engage in.

Section 1.2: Day 2 - Progressing with Paw Targeting

On the second day, I advanced the training by placing the quarter-sized blanket into a basket, designating it as Melo’s "stay" zone. To facilitate his success, I initially allowed part of the blanket to hang out of the basket. Gradually, Melo chose to enter the basket independently, demonstrating his understanding of the designated area.

Chapter 2: Building Cues and Reinforcement

On Day 3, I introduced the cue associated with the sound of the glass door latch. After tossing a piece of kibble to encourage him to leave the basket, I flicked the latch just as he was about to settle back in. This created a connection between the sound and his action of going to his stay zone.

On Day 4, I implemented a release cue, which allows Melo to leave his position. Previously, he understood "search" as a release cue, but I introduced "break" to signify when he could exit his stay.

Finally, on Day 5, I focused on reinforcing the duration of his stay. I randomly dropped kibbles while he remained on the blanket, which was now inside the basket. By using the release cue intermittently, I taught him when it was acceptable to leave.

Watch "Teach Cat to SIT and STAY with Clicker Training" to see effective methods for teaching your cat to stay.

Check out "Learn 5 CAT TRICKS in 10 minutes" for a fun way to engage your cat with easy training techniques.

Conclusion

Throughout this training process, I never explicitly used the word "stay" with Melo. Instead, I focused on creating a positive experience that made him eager to participate in the training. Thank you for reading about my journey with Melo!