Pavlovian Theory

[Kvla]

This is kind of a weird question, but I found these treats that my cat LOVES, but they aren't the best for her so I can't give her too many. I started giving her one to eat everytime we went to bed. Eventually, she started to come with me to bed and now she sleeps on my bed all the time!
I realized I used the pavlovian theory on her. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever done this to get your cat to do something you wanted/did not want.
Would this work to get her to be more of a lap cat?

 

[ArtNJ]

Cats love treats! Sure, you can use them to help train all kinds of behaviors, including getting a shy cat to approach you more. It is worth a try, but don't know if they can necessarily help transform an active cat into a lap cat though; you might end up with the cat climbing on you more, staring and meowing or something.

I have a good sized furnished basement and like my cats to sleep down there. When I have had reluctant cats, I have always shaken the treat bag and tossed a treat down. The funny thing is that whenever I couldn't find the treat bag, I would toss a dry food piece down. Or just pretend to toss something. When Pavlov's makes the association strong enough, you just need a part of the cue.

Pavlov's works in all kinds of weird ways. We have a cat that used to be indoor/outdoor. He would deliberately jump on the kitchen table because he learned that my wife got ticked off and put him outside.

Sometimes, of course, what cats "learn" is totally irrational and you can't see any way they came up with it via Pavlov's or otherwise. If you ever read Heinlein's "The Door Into Summer" the protagonist had a cat that insisted that each door to the home be opened when the weather was bad, hoping to find the proverbial Door Into Summer. I can easily see a cat doing this -- I have a cat that has decided that going in the sun room (much like a catio) and coming right back resets the food dish.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

All the time when I was teaching him high five and getting him to go to my hubby. When my kid's were young I only had to say Right in my stern voice and the noise level dropped and all four stopped and looked at me.

 

[di and bob]

My little Yammy, who has leukemia, has learned that when the fridge door opens he can have a few pieces of his favorite treat, chicken! He is so adorable, circling around and demanding his treat, that we always give in. But it gets to be a little ridiculous in the mornings when I get my cream out for my coffee pretty often!
Another one is that he gleefully tears up the evening paper when we are done with it and throw it on the floor for him. He has learned that newspapers are for having fun. The problem is, you had better read it soon or he has a tendency to tear it up wherever you lay it!

 

[vince]

I trained one of my mom's cats to hiss whenever she was picked up. She remained quite friendly. After one loud hiss she'd start happily purring, the hiss being the conditioned response. I was in college psychology at the time, and it seemed an interesting thing to do. Mom didn't like it, made me stop reinforcing the behavior and it stopped eventually.