# You Can't Discipline a Cat! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 21, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291 "2021-08-21T23:14:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/41 "2021-08-28T03:31:29Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I solved the food problem by leaving out a bowl full of dry food, and giving them a can of Fancy Feast at random times. They never know when to expect it. Ah, the old variable reinforcement ploy. That’s how gamblers get [addicted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement#Gambling_%E2%80%93_variable_ratio_scheduling), you know. Poor cats – addicted to food. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/42 "2021-08-28T18:34:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I solved the food problem by leaving out a bowl full of dry food, and giving them a can of Fancy Feast at random times. They never know when to expect it. Also my technique. And I never top up the food bowl in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/43 "2021-08-28T22:15:10Z")
Mine get dry food close to continuously available, and a bit of canned food in the morning and again in the evening. But the morning and evening canned food times both vary over a period of several hours, partly because my schedule varies and partly so I won’t wind up with anybody demanding food at Exactly X AM; and the only time I’ll ever get up to feed a cat sooner than I was going to anyway is if the cat is very ill. – many years ago, my parents went on a trip of several weeks and left me in charge of a household with creatures including a dog who was used to being taken out every morning at, IIRC, 6 AM. (By my father, who’d been getting up early pretty much his whole life and didn’t feel like stopping in retirement; my mother would be sound asleep for several more hours. My father, of course, was the one who kept falling asleep on the couch.) Within about 4 days I had her adjusted around to 9. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/44 "2021-08-29T14:36:03Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > – many years ago, my parents went on a trip of several weeks and left me in charge of a household with creatures including a dog who was used to being taken out every morning at, IIRC, 6 AM. (By my father, who’d been getting up early pretty much his whole life and didn’t feel like stopping in retirement; my mother would be sound asleep for several more hours. My father, of course, was the one who kept falling asleep on the couch.) Within about 4 days I had her adjusted around to 9. In 1973 we went to Venezuela for a couple of months, so we found family friends who were willing to take care of our cat in their house for the entire time. Dad gets up early and Fuzzy was used to being fed by about 6 AM. The first few mornings when they were not up to feed him he jumped on their night stand and began to push things off. The third night they locked him out of the bedroom. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/45 "2021-08-29T19:00:15Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I solved the food problem by leaving out a bowl full of dry food, and giving them a can of Fancy Feast at random times. They never know when to expect it. I solved this problem by convincing hubs to be the designated kitty feeder while I offer them random treats. They don’t expect me to feed them, so didn’t even bother asking me for food when he was so sick. (Of course they get fed, just not how he does it.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/46 "2021-08-29T19:44:28Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > One veterinarian in particular told us (trying to support this claim) that some people have their cats on leashes like dogs. Not spend much time in veterinary school, Doctor? I see cats on leashes every week. You’ve never seen that? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/47 "2021-08-29T20:29:21Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > When I retire some time in the next few years, I’m going to need to train the cats to expect breakfast at 10:30 instead of 5:30. I’m sure that will work out just fine… 😼 Our dog has trouble adjusting to the time changes, so I’m sure your cat will do just as well. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/48 "2021-08-30T00:29:32Z")
It is probably hard to teach or rehabilitate a cat. But one might try. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/49 "2021-09-01T14:23:04Z")
_“I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It’s not. Mine had me trained in two days.” – Bill Dana_ ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291/50 "2021-09-01T15:10:48Z")
Our cat gets supervised outside time. She doesn’t have a firm grasp of how far she is allowed to wander, but if I go over to her when she is out of bounds she’ll head back to the allowed area (often complaining on the way there). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-discipline-a-cat/949291.md?page=2)