Naughty No More

Naughty No More

by: Marilyn Krieger

Color me skeptical when this book arrived at my door, for I never thought it possible you could “train” a stray cat to do anything out of the ordinary. Author and Cat Behaviorist, Marilyn Krieger proved me wrong.  Using a no-nonsense and user-friendly approach, Marilyn takes you step-by-step through the process of clicker training your cat. If your cat is motivated by food or affection you can turn some unwanted behaviors; jumping up on counters, crying in the middle of the night or using your living room drapes as a training ground for fur-ture mountain climbers simply by clicker training your cat. When I say simply, that is how the author addresses the process. Taking a complex process, breaking it down into small steps just as you would when you work with a stray cat.

Bayer is a little black kitty who was left in a dumpster at a very young age. I call him Bayer, because he is a pill. Because of his early abandonment, he hated to left alone and when I went to work, he would turn into frantic kitty- jumping up on counters and dressers, leaving broken items behind him. He overturned potted plants, dumped water bowls and had an enormous supply of energy that got him into all sorts of mischief. I decided that he would make a good guinea pig for this project as he is highly food-motivated.

I do not wish to give out Marilyn Krieger’s process, but I will relay that after one week of clicker training, I began to see noticeable, positive differences in Bayer’s behavior. After a month, he became a much calmer kitty and looked forward to these sessions as much as I did. He would wait to take a treat, tap my hand, high-five me with his paw and I even got him to shut a pesky cupboard door that kept swinging open. He was adopted not soon after and his new family took to him easily and is continuing with clicker training.

Naughty no more will help you change your cat’s behavior, create trauma-free vet visits, help with litter pan issues and just create a strong, human-cat bond. It isn’t just about tricks, although high-fiving with Bayer was a real kick. It’s about communication between you and your cat, bonding with him/her and both of you reaping the rewards. Bayer’s adoption ad was responded to instantly by dozens of people because it read “Clicker-trained Kitty Ready for his next Reward...” His reward- a loving, forever family who cherishes this kitten, someone else decided was trash.

If you think your cat can’t be trained- think again! Then go out and buy Naughty No More available at Amazon.com and have fun discovering the difference. Way-to-Go Marilyn! High Five Paws up from this kitten rescuer!