Please note that treats are never meant to be meal replacements, despite what some cats may tell you. The intent is for them to be rewards or enticements.
If you peek in our cabinets at our headquarters of Keep Up Creations, you will find delightful crunchy treats right alongside the healthier treats options. You'll see different flavors, sizes, and brands. If the one-ingredient freeze-dried treats were a bit less expensive, that would be the one dominate treat we would give our cats all the time. However, for now, our 1 raw-food-eater kitty is the only dedicated pioneer of the more nutritious treats. We do make sure that there are always some for her especially.
Meanwhile a variety of other treats linger in closed containers and in closed cabinets all about our headquarters, ready for a variety of interactions. Let's talk about some of those moments.
A Spoonful of Churu Helps the Medicine Go Down. One specific brand Churu by Inaba, this is a favorite of nearly the entire Foundling Clowder. We discovered a secret about using Churu.
It seems to stimulate our sick kitties to find their appetite and grow a little stronger. So the next time your kitty has an icky belly or cold or just not feeling up to snuff, try a bit of Churu to pull them out of their funk.
We also use Churu as a way to reward our cats for taking medicine. Regardless of the struggle factor in getting the medicine down, we offer a Churu as a “sorry for having to take something icky tasting but good for you.”
Recently we've also started experimenting with using Churu as a distraction while getting nails trimmed. While it's two-person job, the nail trimmer and the treat dispenser, it certainly has proved to be promising. It's safe to say results varied, but we will continue to experiment with this new system to see how much easier it can get for the majority of the clowder.
This is the power of having treats on-hand. The ability to negotiate what would otherwise be a tough situation with some very unhappy or stubborn cats.
Closing Time. Every night, when we are ready to close up the “warehouse” and head in for bedtime, we go through a very specific routine. Shut off the computer, push back the seat, turn down the fan, tell the cats “Okay, kittens, time to head in the house”, and then proceed to sing their Treat Time Song. Without the Treat Time Song, nobody moves.
Nobody.
They literally all sit there waiting to hear the Treat Time Song. Once that starts, everyone starts rushing into the house. They know that once everyone comes in from the warehouse, the favorite dry food is passed out and “croutons” are scattered on top. Croutons being treats. Not many, just a few, because the real treat time is when we finally retire to the bedroom.
Treats are used to reward good behavior. Sumatra Lightning has learned to bring wiggly worms in exchange for a treat. Sometimes she gets a little overzealous and continues to bring one after another asking for multiple treats in a short amount of time. And she has been caught playing Mommy and Daddy against one another. One says “no more” then Sumatra will take her wiggly and go to the other parent. Smart girl will get her treats one way or another!
Magnum Zeus and Shadrach M’hail have even been caught following Sumatra’s example and bringing treasures (i.e. toys) to Mommy for some extra treats.
Sumatra’s sister, Kona Breeze, has been a tough case to acclimate to being touched and accepting loves. About a year and a half after joining our clowder, she finally warmed up to Mommy, but Daddy was another matter. Daddy has been using treats as a way to entice Kona to allow him to pet her. Kona goes bonkers for fish flakes! So Daddy will give her a bit and reach out to pet her. If Kona accepts the loves, Daddy will give her more fish flakes.
Treats have become a way to entice her to come closer and a way to reward Kona’s bravery.
Naps are more fun with a few of the Foundling Clowder, so sometimes Mommy will use treats to lure some of them to join her.
Treat Time.
Whether that is calling them in from the warehouse for closing time or heading into the bedroom, it is a routine that matters. These times allow us to account for everyone before we wind down for the night. This allows us to make sure everyone is feeling alright. If someone passes up on a favorite treat, we know we need to be attentive to a potential health issue. Treat time allows us to connect with everyone in our Foundling Clowder.
Repetition and reward are the most effective ways to begin to train any pet.
Cats can be trained. Please note from these examples that even trained cats will still be cats. Don't expect to get a response out of them or a cultural behavior like a dog. They're cats. It's what we all love about them.
Please note from the examples that trained cats expect that their human is also trained. Once a cat trust you enough to respond to your calling, they do indeed expect you to respond to their expressions as well. When you are able to understand and catch what the cat is trying to convey, such as Sumatra trading her wiggle worm toys for a treat, then you've increased bond that you have with your cat as well as their sense of safety and security. This is what makes "training" so special. Training is meant to encourage an animal's natural talents and skills to be called upon and rewarded at any particular time. The most needful thing within our household is have the cats respond to when they're being called. But it sure doesn't hurt to have a behavior modifier when it comes to medicine and trimming nails.
Every household will have its own individual needs. We encourage you try out a variety of different treats, as you learn which your cats will respond to or work to obtain best of all. After that, it's routine and repetition, observation and response. It's not hard. It just takes a bit of time and building that trust.
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