Most cat senses put ours to shame.

A cat’s sense of smell is between twelve and thirty times better than our own, (depending on which source we wish to quote.) But whatever the range, that’s a lot of multipliers. A cat’s sense of smell is far better than their sense of taste, which how they sometimes get in trouble.

Like us, a cat’s smell center in the brain is very close to the limbic system which triggers our emotions. So the quickest way to get a cat’s attention, and keep it, is to pair our requests with some kind of scent trigger.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

How does this concept work? Here’s some tricks & tips:

Assemble a supply of “good” and “bad” smells. We emphasize “dinner” without even trying, don’t we? Even if we don’t do the wine steward trick of letting them smell the opened can, (a Mr WereBear favorite,) the air is filled with the scent of tasty food as we talk about dinner. And there, we’ve made a connection between a human word and a cat emotion.

Most cats dislike strong citrus scents, for instance, but we don’t have to stop there. Even neutral scents can get a bad connotation if we use them while chasing the cats away from something, or removing them to another room.

Be consistent in their use. Some people try to keep the litter smelling good by covering up smells with air fresheners. If it fools them, it fools their human guests, but what they don’t realize is that our cats are not fooled; especially if the litter is not as clean as it could be. Now our cats have two discouraging scent cues to contend with. This can actually drive them away from their litter box.

So we shouldn’t pick a household freshening scent we use for bathroom or laundry room situations to use in cat training, because we are going to use it at the wrong time. In fact, we shouldn’t be too dependent on air fresheners, anyway. Tricks like baking soda in the carpet and litter, cinnamon sticks in the microwave, or lead-free candles are all far better ways to create a welcoming experience for our human friends.

To signal the cats that this is a good place to go, Littermint is an herbal litterbox freshener that works for both cats, and their people.

Keep supporting the connections. We have to be consistent and supportive to help our cats get the idea. If we choose a cat repellent spray to help them remember the couch is not for scratching, we can only use that spray for something the cat has to stay away from under all circumstances. So this ploy won’t work if we also want to cuddle with our cat on the couch.

Treats we are using for a reward should be kept for that reason only. Convey toy time or love time with a different kind of treat. Reserve reward treats for after grooming, when we need a bit of help keeping them focused and cooperative.

Emphasize the emotional. That’s the whole point of the sense cues; to connect with our cat no matter what the state of our communication or how close our bond may be. Whether they are new in town, challenged by trauma, or simply absent-minded, scent cues cut through any static in their reasoning processes.

Whether the cue is connected with us praising them, and acting happy and affectionate; or the cue is connected with us showing distress, acting vocally dismayed and worried, we are embedding their behavior, our reaction, and the scent into one big, easy-to-figure-out, situation.

This is one way to make training into a gut-level process that our cat doesn’t even have to think about.

And then, neither do we.

Find out how to use scent to choose a new cat for a multiple cat household.

Got here from a Link or Search?
There’s more to raising and training a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CAT TRAINING TIPS.

Thanks for stopping by! Find me on Facebook. Sign up here and get the FREE eBook, Ten Cat Tricks (Every Human Should Know.)