[QUOTE=mvp;8907346]
For this thread in general and this cat in particular, it’s worth learning the Hand Of God technique.
Here’s what you go: You pin down or hold the cat with your hand, all spread out. Firm, relaxed and infinitely patient. You also get into a zen state/the one you see the great horsemen use when they’ll get a scared, reactive horse to settle and get into a trailer. In that state (you have to feel it, breathe it and exude it from your eyes), you look the cat directly in the eye and say “I have All Day, cat, All Day. I’ll wait for you to catch up with my Chill.” Try taking a deep breath and sighing. That helps. In effect, the cat has to do the same thing… physically and mentally.
When kitteh has gotten to a moment of stillness (and it might not be a long one at first, so catch it and act fast), release your hand and your gaze and walk away. You should be the one to leave the scene.
Ideally, cat is surprised to find himself released and doesn’t scoot off immediately. (He might… pretending to be Chill while plotting his escape is a very Cat thing to do. Don’t worry about that. Just keep doing the Hand of God technique when the cat needs his Reset button pushed and he will learn to slow his mind down.) Even if kitteh does run off, he’ll most likely go directly to a hiding place and be still. Leaving or staying, that moment of being still says that you impressed him a little bit. You want that: You want a cat to remember that you influenced him-- you have some power and relevance in his life, you aren’t just “the help.” And the other important thing about that moment of stillness is that it is when his mind slows down and he “replays the tape” of what just happened.
This “slowing down and replaying the tape” is the most important part of the Hand of God event. You need a cat to have his experience and behavior change, but not be so scared that he can’t think about the series of events that got him trapped by God and then (most important), what he did to earn his release. Cats, like horses, don’t come knowing restraint. You have to teach them how to accept it. Trapping a cat, much like tying a horse who hasn’t been taught, will spin him up. You have to give him a different experience.
The purpose of the Hand of God technique is to teach the cat how to push that Reset Button that slows his mind down. And this will help him with all kinds of things, including accepting restraint at the vet so that, from his perspective, the whole ordeal isn’t so bad.
Ideally, you’d subject the cat to the Hand of God when he was already a bit tired. It’s not fair to ask a bored, full of energy cat to sit still and tolerate that pressure. And it will bum him out that God (who usually plays with him or pets him/plays with him On Demand) is now calling the shots. Also, you’d only embark on the Hand of God technique when you really had the time and willingness to get into the “I have All Day” zen state. Really, it doesn’t take that long. But cats are experts at filibuster, so don’t go in there unprepared.
Hope this helps.
ETA: Just looked at his portfolio. What a great cat! But you can see that this one needs to Get Religion. Compare the first, last and toilet paper shots especially. This cat has a huge and innocent ego. It never occurs to him that anyone would want anything different from him that what he chooses to do. Really, he’s lovely AND also a terrorist. You can’t get mad at a cat like this, even if you decide to reform him. It’s not a cat’s job to guess that he should make pleasing us his business.[/QUOTE]
With dogs, that is called the alpha roll.
Many have been bitten trying that, I expect they may be scratched with cats.
As you so well describe, the intent is not really to restrain, but to teach self restrain.
The trouble, you really can’t practice it, you have to be just right the first time, something many cat owners just are not.
Maybe practicing first with a stuffed toy could help, if someone wants to go there?
In some puppy training books, something similar is taught to very little puppies that really can’t object, mostly to gauge their reaction, to assess their temperament, but even that is considered more of a hit and miss way to do so.
You explained that very well, thank you.
He’s not vicious about it-- he’s never drawn blood-- but I would like to be able to pet him like a normal cat!!
