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introduction from Indianapolis
- Thread starter Alex
- Start date
Alex
Savannah Super Cat
Thanks! He definitely keeps me busy ... I love that he's so smart, but, that also means I get to be creative when it comes to keeping him occupied. For example, when I got up this morning he had knocked over the kitchen trash can at some point and was crunching on the egg shells.
Pam Flachs
Savannah Super Cat
Great video...nicely done! Cyro is a smarty, as well as beautiful. Good for you for recognizing his talents and putting them to good use 
Kristin
Animal Communicator
Yup, you have to be smarter than him - I have bricks both at the bottom of my trash cans but also taped on the inside of the lids so that my smarties can't get in trash trouble...
NikkiA
Site Supporter
[quote="Alex, post: 87829, member: 3179"
NikkiA: Do you and Diablo have to be certified with an organization (like Pet Partners) or can you volunteer independently? What training process did you use for preparing Diablo? I think Cyro would make a good therapy cat because he enjoys going new places and meeting new people, and seems fine with distractions. For example, we spend a long time in front of the bird cages at PetSmart, and when people come over to say hi because it's so unusual to see a cat on a harness enjoying himself, he'll politely greet them before returning to bird watching. He's still unsure when kids come running over, but, if I crouch on the floor beside him and tell the kids to come over more slowly, he does fine, and is quite tolerant of whatever they end up doing. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get him used to being around dogs, since he is scared when he hears or sees one coming too close when we're out and about. None of my nearby friends have one, and I already checked with IndyHumane, and they said no to bringing him there to meet one.
I'm considering trying to toilet train him using the aluminum pan method (dollar store had them last time I was there), because I like to take him as many places as possible with me, including weekend trips to go visit family, and it'd be nice to not have to pack a litter box. Have any of you tried that?
[/quote]
Diablo and me are certified and insured through the Monmouth county SPCA.
Prior to certification, I attended orientation and went through a background check and was finger printed. At that time, they brought in a therapy dog to go through the paces and complete the tests. They explained that a lot of animals have to take the test more than once.
After passing the background check, I was allowed to schedule D's test. I knew he would have to walk on a leash and harness, be friendly when startled, not growl or hiss in the presence of a neutral (neither friendly nor aggressive) dog, not use claws or teeth or show either, allow a large group of friendly children to surround him and touch him, deal with a wheel chair, be able to understand and obey the command "leave it", tolerate having his ears and paws touched, and allow a stranger to stick their fingers in his mouth.
Many of those are no problem. The dog bit was the most difficult- we have one friend who routinely brings over his Frenchie, and d has payed with her since both were babies (Valentina the French bulldog is 3 months older than diablo) but tolerating one dog is insufficient- I ended up enlisting a neighbor and his bulldog Max. To deal with wheelchair noise, I introduced him to shopping carts. Kids were easy, he likes them naturally and they tend to gravitate to him. A few walks around our neighborhood and several trips to pet smart were sufficient.
Leave it took some work. We got a handle on that by my putting a ziplock of chicken in my pocket every time we practiced, and him getting the leave it command with cat treats. When he left the treats, he got chicken. When he didn't, he did not get the chicken.
Re: handling his paws and ears, I've done that since he was a kitten. He thinks it is a reward.
Re: fingers in his mouth, I started when he was relaxed and sleepy, and just worked up to it.
Re: no growling, hissing, showing teeth or flexing claws, we never had a problem with teeth or claws. Any time the claws came out, our command has been soft paws since he was a kitten, and he immediately retracts them. I keep them short anyway. He has never been much of a hisser, and he only shows his teeth when he encounters a strange cat. That said I have tried to enforce no hissing and no growling boundaries since he was a kitten.
Hope that helps. Take it very slow, and keep in mind not everyone you encounter will believe in the idea of therapy cats. I've had a couple of situations where facilities have asked for a therapy pet visit, we have been assigned, I reach out to the coordinator, and I get an, "I don't like cats/I don't trust cats" response. Do wait until your guy is ready. Remember he has to enjoy it too, not merely get through it.
And btw, something will make him spaz at some point when you are at a pet therapy visit. Be prepared for a panicked cat with claws in you. For diablo it was when he heard the elevator for the first time, when he heard the industrial floor cleaning machine, and when he heard an alarm go off. Your cat needs to really trust you in those moments- the situation will be terrifying to him, and you will need to comfort your baby first, and immediately take him out of the scary situation. You also need to manage your expectations- your cat may spend 5 min in a facility and see one person the first time, and that is ok.
Re: litter training, diablo could certainly learn, and Jarvis too, but little Mickey (our f4) isn't bright. Diablo also hates to ride in the car, so I don't tend to take him far, no more than 30-40 minutes in a direction.
NikkiA: Do you and Diablo have to be certified with an organization (like Pet Partners) or can you volunteer independently? What training process did you use for preparing Diablo? I think Cyro would make a good therapy cat because he enjoys going new places and meeting new people, and seems fine with distractions. For example, we spend a long time in front of the bird cages at PetSmart, and when people come over to say hi because it's so unusual to see a cat on a harness enjoying himself, he'll politely greet them before returning to bird watching. He's still unsure when kids come running over, but, if I crouch on the floor beside him and tell the kids to come over more slowly, he does fine, and is quite tolerant of whatever they end up doing. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get him used to being around dogs, since he is scared when he hears or sees one coming too close when we're out and about. None of my nearby friends have one, and I already checked with IndyHumane, and they said no to bringing him there to meet one.
I'm considering trying to toilet train him using the aluminum pan method (dollar store had them last time I was there), because I like to take him as many places as possible with me, including weekend trips to go visit family, and it'd be nice to not have to pack a litter box. Have any of you tried that?
[/quote]
Diablo and me are certified and insured through the Monmouth county SPCA.
Prior to certification, I attended orientation and went through a background check and was finger printed. At that time, they brought in a therapy dog to go through the paces and complete the tests. They explained that a lot of animals have to take the test more than once.
After passing the background check, I was allowed to schedule D's test. I knew he would have to walk on a leash and harness, be friendly when startled, not growl or hiss in the presence of a neutral (neither friendly nor aggressive) dog, not use claws or teeth or show either, allow a large group of friendly children to surround him and touch him, deal with a wheel chair, be able to understand and obey the command "leave it", tolerate having his ears and paws touched, and allow a stranger to stick their fingers in his mouth.
Many of those are no problem. The dog bit was the most difficult- we have one friend who routinely brings over his Frenchie, and d has payed with her since both were babies (Valentina the French bulldog is 3 months older than diablo) but tolerating one dog is insufficient- I ended up enlisting a neighbor and his bulldog Max. To deal with wheelchair noise, I introduced him to shopping carts. Kids were easy, he likes them naturally and they tend to gravitate to him. A few walks around our neighborhood and several trips to pet smart were sufficient.
Leave it took some work. We got a handle on that by my putting a ziplock of chicken in my pocket every time we practiced, and him getting the leave it command with cat treats. When he left the treats, he got chicken. When he didn't, he did not get the chicken.
Re: handling his paws and ears, I've done that since he was a kitten. He thinks it is a reward.
Re: fingers in his mouth, I started when he was relaxed and sleepy, and just worked up to it.
Re: no growling, hissing, showing teeth or flexing claws, we never had a problem with teeth or claws. Any time the claws came out, our command has been soft paws since he was a kitten, and he immediately retracts them. I keep them short anyway. He has never been much of a hisser, and he only shows his teeth when he encounters a strange cat. That said I have tried to enforce no hissing and no growling boundaries since he was a kitten.
Hope that helps. Take it very slow, and keep in mind not everyone you encounter will believe in the idea of therapy cats. I've had a couple of situations where facilities have asked for a therapy pet visit, we have been assigned, I reach out to the coordinator, and I get an, "I don't like cats/I don't trust cats" response. Do wait until your guy is ready. Remember he has to enjoy it too, not merely get through it.
And btw, something will make him spaz at some point when you are at a pet therapy visit. Be prepared for a panicked cat with claws in you. For diablo it was when he heard the elevator for the first time, when he heard the industrial floor cleaning machine, and when he heard an alarm go off. Your cat needs to really trust you in those moments- the situation will be terrifying to him, and you will need to comfort your baby first, and immediately take him out of the scary situation. You also need to manage your expectations- your cat may spend 5 min in a facility and see one person the first time, and that is ok.
Re: litter training, diablo could certainly learn, and Jarvis too, but little Mickey (our f4) isn't bright. Diablo also hates to ride in the car, so I don't tend to take him far, no more than 30-40 minutes in a direction.
Alex
Savannah Super Cat
Brilliant Patti!!! I'll have to see if I can find any bricks. For a while, keeping it on top of my freezer was enough ... but not anymore.
Thanks Paige - he definitely is my baby!
NikkiA - I thought only dogs had to learn the "leave it" command??? Good idea with the shopping carts - since he likes going to Pet Smart, I think it's time to officially introduce him to them. He's fine with people playing with his paws and ears (I've done it since his first days home), but, with the mouth right now he'll just think they're trying to play with him.
Also have some good news. Two nights ago he was doing his biting and licking, and I put him on the floor. He didn't understand and thought I meant I no longer wanted him on the bed, so he sat on the floor beside it and cried. I called him, he jumped back up to cuddle ... then started licking and biting ... it was a long night. I think he's learning, though, because last night he didn't do it at all. He's still definitely interested in wool when I'm wearing one of my sweaters, but, I'll tell him no and push him away, and he seems to be learning. Pam - you weren't kidding he's a smart boy!
We're going to go visit my parents for Thanksgiving, and I'm planning on briefing the entire family on his rules, because having people he doesn't know very well reinforce them will be good for him. He loves traveling and seeing new places, so think he will enjoy the trip. Last night I was packing, and he kept on getting in my suitcase and running around the house growling. Poor guy thinks I'm going to leave him behind, because I did once. I just hope their 18 year old cat gets along with him, and they don't become too annoyed with him just being a playful toddler (esp. since he's never "helped" decorate for Christmas before
).
Thanks Paige - he definitely is my baby!
NikkiA - I thought only dogs had to learn the "leave it" command??? Good idea with the shopping carts - since he likes going to Pet Smart, I think it's time to officially introduce him to them. He's fine with people playing with his paws and ears (I've done it since his first days home), but, with the mouth right now he'll just think they're trying to play with him.
Also have some good news. Two nights ago he was doing his biting and licking, and I put him on the floor. He didn't understand and thought I meant I no longer wanted him on the bed, so he sat on the floor beside it and cried. I called him, he jumped back up to cuddle ... then started licking and biting ... it was a long night. I think he's learning, though, because last night he didn't do it at all. He's still definitely interested in wool when I'm wearing one of my sweaters, but, I'll tell him no and push him away, and he seems to be learning. Pam - you weren't kidding he's a smart boy!
We're going to go visit my parents for Thanksgiving, and I'm planning on briefing the entire family on his rules, because having people he doesn't know very well reinforce them will be good for him. He loves traveling and seeing new places, so think he will enjoy the trip. Last night I was packing, and he kept on getting in my suitcase and running around the house growling. Poor guy thinks I'm going to leave him behind, because I did once. I just hope their 18 year old cat gets along with him, and they don't become too annoyed with him just being a playful toddler (esp. since he's never "helped" decorate for Christmas before
).