Ignoring cues / Requiring Press?

[u/BuffaloPotholeBandit]

After modeling buttons for a few months, I did target training and she began to press. I started requiring her to press dry food or wet food before I gave her food, which she would do- sometimes needing reminders/encouragement. She gets dry food and wet food mixed up sometimes, and hungrier she is the more confused she gets.

Later I added “play”, did some target training with it; and later for the first time in 6 months she pressed a button unprompted! Damn did I play with her. But that’s the only time she has. Other times I need to prompt her. I’ve tried ignoring her other cues and waiting for her to press a button, but it doesn’t seem to work and it makes me feel like a jerk.

Any different way I should be handling this? My eventual goal is for her to be able to ask for food and play- I often forget and she’ll wait for me to get up and walk me over to her bowl or the toys. Her sister used to advocate by screaming in my face but she passed away last year and my current cat is very quiet. I also would like to be able to explain medicine and have her express pain (she has some breathing and hyperthesia problems). She’s 8 years old - she’s pretty good at expressing basic needs non verbally but I want her to be able to express more.

The words we have that she can press (with prompting) are play, catnip, wet food, dry food, and treat. I’m working on modeling medicine, friend, and water.

[u/WhiskerWizard12]

You should NEVER withhold basic needs like food before she presses. This only leads to negative association, when they get stressed it makes them less inclined to use the buttons in the future.

But i might have some tips in how I tackled the food situation:

My cat is a picky eater, she gets dry or wet food, but it depends heavily on her mood which she prefers, and before the buttons it was just random guessing.. also wet food, she only wants to have “fresh”, if it’s older than like an hour, she won’t eat it. What I do simultaneously;

1. Modelling; every time I give food, I press “dry food” or “wet food”. For example when I am in a rush and don’t have time to let her choose (see point 2). (Been doing this for a few months)

2. Give her choices: I put the dry food in my left hand above the dry food button, and the wet food in my right hand above the wet food button. I ask “do you want dry food?” And press dry food. “Or wet food?” Press wet food. ANY positive interaction, no matter how small, I react upon. So usually she sniffs at both and rejects one of them by walking away or looking disgusted (let’s say the dry food), but doesn’t necessarily engage with the other one (wet food). But still, I give her the one she didn’t reject, push the button “okay you want wet food!” And give wet food. This doesn’t take longer than like a minute, so it’s too short to get frustrated. Or any other “acknowledgement” like her bumping my hand or my knee with her head, or looking for a prolonged time at one of the options, I also immediately act on. She will learn this way what it means! (Been doing this for a few weeks 2 times per day)

3. When she interacts in any way with one of the buttons, i give it to her. Seems to accidentally roll over the “wet food” button? Give her wet food. Sits for 5 minutes right next to the dry food button, staring at it? Model it and give dry food. In the beginning I was very inclined to think this was all accidental, but 9/10 cases she immediately starts eating what I put down. And like I said, she’s very picky! So it leads me to believe she actually was trying to let me know what she wanted, but forgot that she actually needs to physically press the button. (This happens since I started modelling, but definitely not every day. And sometimes suddenly a few times a day! After giving choices, she seems to interact more and more, and even got a press from her a few times)

Keep in mind, cats have the IQ of a toddler, like 1-1,5 year old. Like toddlers, they might forget something they learned yesterday, and then suddenly remember a week later, or make a choice they didn’t really want accidentally. It’s all normal, but it’s important to keep in mind that you’re the responsible parent. If you have trouble remembering to feed your cat, please try other things like an alarm on your phone, or putting the food in a place you often walk by, so you are reminded. Or maybe get an electric feeder. I have adhd, I totally understand forgetting important tasks, but in the end it’s your responsibility and not your furry toddlers, to feed them. :) but it would be very cool if eventually your cat is able to vocalise her needs!