training cats

Food Rewards Suitable for Training and Medicating

Cats are trainable and can be quite easy to medicate. It is all about finding something that motivates them to make it worth their while. The key to this being successful is keeping the reward novel; do not burn them out on it. Humans struggle with this part. Be stingy with your rewards and before you know it your cat will be doing all kinds of tricks like sit, hi-five, and even riding a skateboard! Not to mention eating their pills willingly! That's right, just take a look at the photos below to see how my cats swarm me at meds time.

Meats:

Canned cat food-generally something different than you offer each day

Hill’s a/d, Royal Canin Recovery, Purina CN (these Rx diets are ultra hi-calorie and should only be used for medicating & positive reinforcement)

Single ingredient, plain meat human baby food (ham, chicken, beef, turkey) NO onions! Or try Ciao Churu purees (essentially baby food made just for cats) available in a variety of different flavors.

Broths-chicken and beef broth (low/no sodium), tuna, oyster or clam juice

Deli meat, boiled chicken, sardines, salmon, SPAM! (yes, Spam)

Dairy: *most cats are lactose intolerant-use sparingly*

Milk, cream, heavy whipping cream, whipped cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla ice cream, cheese (any version), squeeze cheese, sour cream, and the like

Outside the box ideas:

Mini marshmallows (they make a great pill pocket)

Banana or Peanut Butter

Willow will do most anything for Hill's a/d, that's how she learned to skateboard!

The meds train at our house! They come to ME!

Lined up and waiting. My service is apparently slow.

Ever think your cats would be eager for pills?

Traditional cat treats:

Freeze dried meat treats (Purebites-chicken & turkey or Halo’s Liv-a-littles)

Greenie’s dental treats or Greenie’s Smartbites

Temptations, Pounce, Whisker Lickin’s, Party Mix (considered junk food and a last resort for sick old seniors that need medications).

Any dry food other than their regular dry food can also be a treat.

*always check with your veterinarian first

Get them accustomed to the routine young, BEFORE they need daily meds.

Cats are trainable, but you gotta pay 'em!

Need More Help?

Watch my Medicating Tips and Tricks video!

Medicating Tips

Different cats.

Different personalities and ages.

All enthusiastic for meds time!

Willow Skating and Giving “10”

I make a lot of mistakes as a trainer in this video. The timing of my rewards are not great and I even miss a few entirely! Willow had only learned how to give “ten” just the day before. We were both still learning. I share this because it is important to have realistic expectations, try your best, and push forward. Just because it is not seamless does not mean you shouldn’t try to train your cat! You will learn together and from each other. Just keep trying.

Willow clicker training at 5 months

This clip is an example of how well positive reinforcement can work to train your cats and kittens. Willow started young and she is very eager and focused, but older cats can learn new things too! In this video Willow: goes to mat, goes to stool, sits, sits up, spins, goes through a tunnel, rides a skateboard and hi-fives! (And is precious, but that is a given!)

Soren clicker training at 5 months

Soren’s clicker training performance at just 5 months of age! He does everything just as well as Willow but slower and with slightly less enthusiasm. He is just an easy going guy! It is interesting to see their differences. Do not be discouraged, they are all individuals!

Train Your Cat to Take a Pill in Four Easy Steps (the short version)

This is the quick version! Learn the steps to pill your cat using only training and positive reinforcement, no restraint required! Please see the myriad of other training videos available on my website @Fundamentally Feline (.com) and You Tube channel for more detailed medicating tips.

Mat Training as a Treatment Station (and a step-by-step pilling guide)

Some pet parents (and their cats) find it easiest to train their cat to come to a specific location and medicate them in that spot. The cat learns that this location is a place where good things happen and are often agreeable to handling in these areas. If the targeted location is movable, like the mat demonstrated here, anywhere can be a positive location to medicate! You can even bring your cat’s mat to the veterinarian and place it on the exam table. I’ve done this! It works! High fiving the vet and getting an exam all with fun and treats. The end of this video also offers a step-by-step pilling tutorial.