It has long been my opinion that cats are better pets than dogs. They don't have to be let outside to relieve themselves, you can leave them alone for a few days with ample food and water, and they don't bark at or try to hump every person that walks through the door. I love dogs as well, but when it comes to a pet a cat is more self sufficient and calm.
And now, more proof as to why cats are the ultimate pet. Cats can be trained! I found numerous videos illustrating cats doing the normal dog tricks such as high five, shake, play dead, etc. Then I came across this - a cat using a toilet, and flushing!
We are currently learning about, well learning. One area that caught my attention was how shaping principles are used in animal training. Shaping is done by conditioning a target behavior by progressively reinforcing behaviors that come closer and closer to the target. Where animal training is usually associated with dogs, I found ample examples of cat training, parrot training, even fish training! Yes, fish. Don't underestimate their awareness or intelligence. (I have included a fish trick example for your viewing enjoyment. In this example I'm sure training was done through chaining in conjunction with shaping. Chaining is when a number of interrelated behaviors are linked to form a longer series.)
These examples prove that more than just dogs are 'smart enough' to be trained. In the cat verses dog debate, the greatest dog lover objection is usually that cats are not as smart, and that litter boxes are gross. Well, not anymore.
My next cat will definitely be trained! Thanks PSY 1001!
Just for fun.....
This article is very interesting! I love all of the examples you had to show that it is possible to train animals and make them learn different information and tricks. Our minds are very interesting and it is hard to understand how everything works! It's fun to see other animals than the "normal" ones be trained to do different tasks.