Training a cat to be quiet vs. Training a cat to not make noise

[nwc]

So, I have been looking at articles and videos on how to clicker train a cat to be quiet. But none of the scenarios in the videos or articles seem to really apply to my cat. He doesn't constantly whine or beg for food. It's just when he sees me preparing his food, he starts screaming at me.

So my strategy so far has been to clicker train him to sit quietly for ten to fifteen seconds at a time, using bits of his meal as the reward. However, this doesn't really seem to have any effect on the screaming he does while I am making the food. Any advice on how to break him out of that habit?

 

[ArtNJ]

It sounds impossible to be honest. If anything was going to work, I would think it would be the method you are using now.

Maybe lure him into another room while your preparing the food? Prepare it when he is in another room or sleeping?

 

[Caspers Human]

Just spitballing, here...

Could you teach a cat to be quiet while you get his dinner ready the same way you teach a baby to be quiet when you put him down to bed?

If you put a baby down to bed and he cries, running in to comfort him just teaches him to cry more because he knows you will come a-running whenever he makes noise. One way to teach a baby to be quiet is to wait for a few minutes before coming in. Once the baby learns to wait for five minutes then you stretch the time out... ten minutes... fifteen minutes... until the baby eventually learns to sleep quietly.

With a cat, let him make noise for a few minutes before you finally give him the food. The quicker you react to his noise making, the more the cat will learn that fussing makes his food come sooner.

Waiting for one minute... two minutes... five minutes... before giving the cat his food will teach him that fussing and making noise won't get him what he wants but, instead, will make it take longer.

It will probably take time... days or weeks... until the cat catches on but remain steadfast. Do not give in until you are satisfied that the cat has waited quietly for an appropriate amount of time before giving him his food.

Even one slip-up, giving in and letting him have his food, will set the clock back to zero and you'll have to start all over again.

It's probably going to be a PITA but, if you stick to your guns, I think your cat will eventually learn.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is there any possibility that you are not feeding him frequently enough? If you feed him twice a day now, maybe - if you can - try splitting his daily allotment of food into 3 meals? Does he eat any dry food at all? Perhaps, if you are not totally opposed, you could leave some dry food out for him in between his regular feedings?

Since Feeby is almost exclusively on canned food, she will squawk loudly at me when it is near her meal times. I do leave dry food out for her, but she has pretty much stopped wanting to eat it at all. Because of that, among other reasons, I feed her 4 times a day. However, I will be honest, there are still times that she will squawk anyway.

 

[nwc]

Just spitballing, here...

Could you teach a cat to be quiet while you get his dinner ready the same way you teach a baby to be quiet when you put him down to bed?

If you put a baby down to bed and he cries, running in to comfort him just teaches him to cry more because he knows you will come a-running whenever he makes noise. One way to teach a baby to be quiet is to wait for a few minutes before coming in. Once the baby learns to wait for five minutes then you stretch the time out... ten minutes... fifteen minutes... until the baby eventually learns to sleep quietly.

With a cat, let him make noise for a few minutes before you finally give him the food. The quicker you react to his noise making, the more the cat will learn that fussing makes his food come sooner.

Waiting for one minute... two minutes... five minutes... before giving the cat his food will teach him that fussing and making noise won't get him what he wants but, instead, will make it take longer.

It will probably take time... days or weeks... until the cat catches on but remain steadfast. Do not give in until you are satisfied that the cat has waited quietly for an appropriate amount of time before giving him his food.

Even one slip-up, giving in and letting him have his food, will set the clock back to zero and you'll have to start all over again.

It's probably going to be a PITA but, if you stick to your guns, I think your cat will eventually learn.

I can't imagine making it to 1 minute. So far, I'll just give it to him if he stays quiet for 10 or 15 seconds. I will try letting him meow himself out and then wait 1 minute or so.

Is there any possibility that you are not feeding him frequently enough? If you feed him twice a day now, maybe - if you can - try splitting his daily allotment of food into 3 meals? Does he eat any dry food at all? Perhaps, if you are not totally opposed, you could leave some dry food out for him in between his regular feedings?

If that were the case, he'd beg for food in the middle of the day. He doesn't, unless I give him a little treat or something. Then he begs for more for a few minutes minutes, then does something else.

Since Feeby is almost exclusively on canned food, she will squawk loudly at me when it is near her meal times. I do leave dry food out for her, but she has pretty much stopped wanting to eat it at all. Because of that, among other reasons, I feed her 4 times a day. However, I will be honest, there are still times that she will squawk anyway.

So in other words, it didn't work.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If that were the case, he'd beg for food in the middle of the day. He doesn't, unless I give him a little treat or something. Then he begs for more for a few minutes minutes, then does something else.

What I am saying is that Feeby doesn't beg randomly either. It is usually when she thinks she is about to be fed, or hears me in the kitchen. That sounds similar to what I thought you were describing about your cat.

So in other words, it didn't work.

Yes and no. What I meant by her squawking anyway, is that feeding her 4 times a day didn't stop some of the squawking as I thought it might, since I wondered if the squawks were due to her being fed less often. But, I did notice she is more inclined to squawk, for example with the first meal of the day as it has been more hours that have passed since her previous meal. I charted her behavior and tested various changes, just to see if I could find patterns. The most prevalent pattern was related to meal frequency. That is why I suggested it to you. (And, there is also an element of 'habit' to it as well, I am sure. Just like we humans have our habits!)

Tbh, I was more worried about why she was squawking than I was annoyed by it. So, once I figured out how to help out with her feedings and be sure that there were no other reasons for it, I was OK with her doing it since it stops once she is given food. All cats have their quirks - I think Feeby's squawks are just one of hers!!

 

[Caspers Human]

I can't imagine making it to 1 minute. So far, I'll just give it to him if he stays quiet for 10 or 15 seconds. I will try letting him meow himself out and then wait 1 minute or so.

He doesn't [beg], unless I give him a little treat or something. Then he begs for more for a few minutes minutes, then does something else.

The fact that he quiets down when begging for treats for a few minutes with no results shows that he CAN learn.

It would be different if you gave him a treat and he begged and begged without stopping. That would show that he is incorrigible.

This indicates to me that, yes, if you do make him wait for an increasingly longer period of time and you stick to your guns like glue and don't give in no matter how much he yowls, you CAN teach him to wait calmly for his dinner.

You've just gotta' be like "The Ice Man!"

 

[She's a witch]

As FeebysOwner said, I’d also focus on why is he loud. If he’s a kitten, it’s entirely possible that he’s not getting enough food or often enough (kittens should eat whenever they want and unlimited amount, they develop at great speed) and that causes overexcitement when he can finally smell it.
Basically, he must have a reason to be loud, unless he’s naturally vocal cat. If he’s a naturally vocal cat, there’s not much you can do to change his personality, some cats are like this. If there’s another reason for him to be loud, I’d focus on finding the root cause rather than correcting the outcome.

 

[nwc]

As FeebysOwner said, I’d also focus on why is he loud. If he’s a kitten, it’s entirely possible that he’s not getting enough food or often enough (kittens should eat whenever they want and unlimited amount, they develop at great speed) and that causes overexcitement when he can finally smell it.
Basically, he must have a reason to be loud, unless he’s naturally vocal cat. If he’s a naturally vocal cat, there’s not much you can do to change his personality, some cats are like this. If there’s another reason for him to be loud, I’d focus on finding the root cause rather than correcting the outcome.

Yeah, no. He's over 6 months, and the majority of vet sources say he should be eating twice a day. I also haven't been able to find any credible evidence that kittens need a 24 hour buffet to grow. It just sounds like an excuse for people to indulge their impulse to throw food at a cat every time it makes a sound, thus reinforcing undesirable behavior the exact opposite of what I am trying to do.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yeah, no. He's over 6 months, and the majority of vet sources say he should be eating twice a day. I also haven't been able to find any credible evidence that kittens need a 24 hour buffet to grow. It just sounds like an excuse for people to indulge their impulse to throw food at a cat every time it makes a sound, thus reinforcing undesirable behavior the exact opposite of what I am trying to do.

That's too bad. I haven't found any credible evidence that says kittens, until they hit around 1 year old, shouldn't be fed as much as they can eat. Most, if not all, will stop when they have had enough. Unless, they learn through experience that they will never get enough.

I think you just found the problem, even if you don't think it is. You are helping to create a food insecure cat that will likely never get over the idea that he isn't being fed enough. That is what happens to kittens who feel hungry all the time. Trust me, I know from personal experience.

 

[She's a witch]

Yeah, no. He's over 6 months, and the majority of vet sources say he should be eating twice a day. I also haven't been able to find any credible evidence that kittens need a 24 hour buffet to grow. It just sounds like an excuse for people to indulge their impulse to throw food at a cat every time it makes a sound, thus reinforcing undesirable behavior the exact opposite of what I am trying to do.

If he’s 6months I don’t think he needs 24h buffet, but it doesn’t mean 2 meals a day are enough for him if he reacts so enthusiastically to food. He’s still growing. My cats- both adults- would be miserable if they had 2 meals though. And no, I don’t feed them every time when they make a sound, but through experimenting on what works best for them and for us, we ended up having 4 smaller scheduled meals (although in short intervals, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening). When it’s time one simply wait by his bowl, and the other one is suddenly getting super friendly, but quiet.

Aren’t you worried that he’s simply too hungry between meals if he’s eating only twice a day?

 

[nwc]

think you just found the problem, even if you don't think it is. You are helping to create a food insecure cat that will likely never get over the idea that he isn't being fed enough. That is what happens to kittens who feel hungry all the time. Trust me, I know from personal experience.

Oh. My. God. If he felt hungry all the time, he would ask for food or do a hungry meow. Or do something that would show he was hungry. He doesn't even meow to wake me up when it's time for feeding; I have to set an alarm.

Tell me, what exactly have I said that gives you the impression that he is "hungry all the time."

Aren’t you worried that he’s simply too hungry between meals if he’s eating only twice a day?

No.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Six months is still quite young. For some young cats, twice a day might be okay, but others might have fast metabolisms and need a lot more fuel as they grow. My cat was a wild/active child when she was a kitten (still is), and I fed her to her heart's content (e.g. as a kitten should eat but on scheduled meals) till about 16 months old. She rarely vocalized unless she was extra hungry or excited for a certain smell associated with her more favorite foods.

Anyway, I agree with FeebysOwner and She's a witch, but will add another idea... sometimes it's the fact that a person is framing the food-giving as "two meals a day" rather than providing "such-'n-such kcals per day". Have you looked at the labels on the cans to see how many kcals are in the food? Maybe it's just that he needs a food that has more calories.

 

[LTS3]

sometimes it's the fact that a person is framing the food-giving as "two meals a day" rather than providing "such-'n-such kcals per day". Have you looked at the labels on the cans to see how many kcals are in the food? Maybe it's just that he needs a food that has more calories.

Don't be fooled by the size of the can. It may seem like a lot of food, too much even, but calorie wise it's not enough to satisfy the tummy. A 5.5 oz can of chicken pate from Brand X may have 200 calories while the same size can of chicken pate from Brand Yummy may only have 125 calories. That's a big difference.

Yeah, no. He's over 6 months, and the majority of vet sources say he should be eating twice a day.

It really depends on each individual cat. Some may be ok with two meals a day by 6 months old, others may need a few meals. One of my cats needed 4 meals a day until he was a year old while the other one (same age) only wanted 2 meals a day starting around 8 months old. It's ok to ignore the vet on how much food to feed to growing kittens

 

[nwc]

sometimes it's the fact that a person is framing the food-giving as "two meals a day" rather than providing "such-'n-such kcals per day". Have you looked at the labels on the cans to see how many kcals are in the food? Maybe it's just that he needs a food that has more calories.

Daily KCal count averages between 250 - 300kCal/day. Now, if you're saying then I should feed more at each meal, then sure. I can play around some more with the amount.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Daily KCal count averages between 250 - 300kCal/day. Now, if you're saying then I should feed more at each meal, then sure. I can play around some more with the amount.

That's a good amount. That's what I fed my cat when she was a kitten/younger cat.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

When he's yelling while you are prepping his food, is he down on the floor (unable to see what you're doing)?

Some people train (or "allow") their cats to sit up on a stool or chair near the kitchen counter, or even on a cat tree (yes, in the kitchen! ) so that the cat can watch what you are doing. Gives 'em a sense of "power" or contentment to do so... but you'd have to train 'em not to jump in amidst your food prep area.

I don't know.

You could also try keeping a favorite toy in your back pocket and tossing it in the other room, to get him away from the food prep area. It would have to be a toy he really loves, though.

 

[nwc]

-deleted-

 

[nwc]

When he's yelling while you are prepping his food, is he down on the floor (unable to see what you're doing)?

Some people train (or "allow") their cats to sit up on a stool or chair near the kitchen counter, or even on a cat tree (yes, in the kitchen! ) so that the cat can watch what you are doing. Gives 'em a sense of "power" or contentment to do so... but you'd have to train 'em not to jump in amidst your food prep area.

I don't know.

You could also try keeping a favorite toy in your back pocket and tossing it in the other room, to get him away from the food prep area. It would have to be a toy he really loves, though.

Would it be the same thing if I prepared the food on the ground? Although, buying a stool specifically for this purpose does sound amusing...