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Author Topic: Teaching a cat its name  (Read 3471 times)

Offline Christine (Blip)

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #16 on: April 05, 2010, 11:11:15 AM »
Quote from: Janeyk on April 04, 2010, 22:04:13 PM
Positive reinforcement doesn't work for really oldies they just can't be bothered to get up  :evillaugh:

In such cases, positive reinforcement with all movement from place to place undertaken by the homo sapiens involved, perhaps?  :rofl:
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Offline Janeyk

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2010, 22:04:13 PM »
Positive reinforcement doesn't work for really oldies they just can't be bothered to get up  :evillaugh:
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Offline Angeladeedah

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2010, 19:29:17 PM »
Quote from: Christine (Blip) on April 03, 2010, 18:55:14 PM
Positive reinforcement.  Just say the desired name a few times with a reward for the cat when it looks at you bemused.  Give the reward when the cat comes to you.  It won't take long, I promise.  ;)

That's how I done it too.  Now, they call when I shout on them.  They don't always get a treat - but they get lots of attention whenever they coming running when I call.   Ollie will sometimes sit in a far away room and meow for me to shout on him, then when I do, he runs like a torpedo for me.  It's so funny!  :)
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Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2010, 10:10:47 AM »
I just think its when a cat knows your calling them and then they start to relate to it. Harry will come when called by mummy but if called by daddy he just ignores him  :evillaugh:
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Offline Janeyk

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2010, 07:17:19 AM »
 :evillaugh:

Neither of ours ever come when called, Byron just ignores and little Pep is deaf, our late Schui was deaf too so never responded to his name  :Luv:
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2010, 23:00:00 PM »
 :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Offline barney

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2010, 22:41:54 PM »
I have Mollie, Toffee, Scruffy, Barney, Spangles and now Sophie. All the names seem to have been shortened to either Moll, Toff, Barn, Scruff, Spangs and Soph. However if I shout out the name Chicken, they all seem to come running :rofl: :rofl:
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Offline Cozmo

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2010, 22:36:40 PM »
Cheers for the info. Will try the positive association with him (like with a dog as I'm use to dog behaviour). I feel like an idiot not knowing anything about cats even though I work with them. Its totally different when you're actually LIVING with one.
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Offline isabella

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2010, 21:13:53 PM »
Cats are fantastic aren't they! We had about four names for our old cat (RIP) and as long as we said them in a high pitched voice he'd come running.

He was a rescue cat though, so maybe his previous owners had a helium dependency?
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Offline Claire_smc

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2010, 20:12:56 PM »
Pepsi selectively knows her name. If I'm in the kitchen and I shout her name she'll come running but it doesn't work the other way. If she's in the kitchen making mischief and I shout her name she decides she's suddenly deaf and doesn't know what I'm saying. Normally she will look at me or twitch her ears up if I say her name though, I think with her it just took a bit of time and through normal conversations she'll just associate it with her. I also have my 'Pepsi voice' that I talk to her in (does anyone else do that or is it just me?  :shify: ). Just keep repeating it whenever you feed her, give her a treat, stroke her etc and she'll soon get the idea.
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Offline Den

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2010, 19:46:33 PM »
I did it just like what you would do with a dog  :sneaky:

name, treat, name, treat, name, treat. Before you dish up food call the name then feed. Just pretty much associate a name with food, fuss, play. Memphis has a phenomenal recall with me ... If I call him he will come racing over to me all excitedly from wherever in the house. I do get told off though if he thinks it was pointless  :evillaugh:
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Offline Christine (Blip)

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2010, 18:55:14 PM »
Positive reinforcement.  Just say the desired name a few times with a reward for the cat when it looks at you bemused.  Give the reward when the cat comes to you.  It won't take long, I promise.  ;)
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Offline Kittybabe (Ruth)

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2010, 18:17:55 PM »
When you're able to work it out, let me know. I've spent 4 years trying to get Lexy to acknowledge me when I speak to her. I work on the principle that Lexy has her own name for herself and quietly laughs at my feeble attempts to get her attention with the one I placed on her Adoption certificate. Oh, and if I have a Dreamies treat attached to my fingers it does generate some interest.  :shify: :evillaugh:
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2010, 18:11:16 PM »
You just have to keep saying their name to them at every oportunity and think two sylables are easier than one.

However at the end of the day the cat will decide if it listens  :rofl:

Franta Napoleon convinced me he was deaf and also the vet!

However he now answers..........when he wants..........to only Napoleon and he is not in the slightest bit deaf.

Misa knows his name but went striding down next doors path with his ears totally closed!

Sasa knows her name although I caNT TOUCH THE SEMI-FERAL BEAUTIFUL MADAM OOPs  :rofl: :rofl:

Ducha, well ummmmmm I think he knows his name but very hard to tell LOL
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Offline Gail Bengal Slave

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Re: Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2010, 18:02:02 PM »
Apparently... they respond to names ending in ee ii  - Zebedee, Missii.

I used to thing Zeb was deaf as I called him and he didnt look at me, move his ears or anything, 5 years on, I realise he was and still is just a stubbon beggar  :Luv: - But I do love him
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Offline Cozmo

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Teaching a cat its name
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2010, 17:17:09 PM »
Well it looking more and more like the little black cat that wandered into our life just over a week ago doesn't have an owner.

The Cat Rescue in Colchester said that if nobodies claimed her in the next week we can legally get her microchipped and call her our own. We're now thinking of names and we've decided that if she does end up as ours, we'll call her "Layla" as it means dark beauty.

One thing I wanna ask is, how on earth do you teach a cat its name? She seems to respond to "Kitty" as thats what we've been calling her for the time being but Jay (my other half) wants to give her proper name. Any tips would be great.
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