Train a cat? Yes you can? It's easy for you and fun for your cat when you clicker train. Clicker Training for Cats introduces cat-lovers, breeders, and trainers to the all-positive approach to teaching your cat to: come when called, play without biting or scratching, stay off the table, and even walk on a leash. It is a very impressive method of training. (© 2001, Paperback, 85 pages)

After reading the reviews of this book and the similar Cat Training in 10 Minutes, I decided to purchase both so that I could compare them and benefit from two different sources. However, after reading both manuals and having been clicker training my cat for several months now, I can definitively say that Cat Training in 10 Minutes blows Karen Pryor's book out of the water. (See my comparative review of Cat Training in 10 Minutes for more info.)

1. Comprehensiveness of Clicker Theory: 4/5 stars. The theory used in this book is operant conditioning. Using a clicker followed by a reward, you can reinforce desired behavior in your cat. Verbal commands (come, sit) are incorporated in this book; strangely, hand signals are *not* incorporated, which is too bad because they're quite effective.

2. Accessibility: 1/5 stars. Clicker Training for Cats reads like a book of wordy stories about the author's own cats. I was constantly wishing that Ms. Pryor would just get to the point and tell me the training steps! Instructions are verbose and not highlighted nor numbered; they are merely incorporated into the narrative text, so it's difficult to find them. There are no illustrations that show you what to do.

3. Organization: 3/5 stars. This book is arranged into four chapters and an appendix. Chapter 1 covers the theory behind and basics of clicker training. Chapter 2 covers several "useful" commands, such as coming when you call, walking on a leash, etc. Surprisingly, there is no instruction for teaching your cat to sit, sit up/beg, shake, or lie down. Chapter 3 covers several "non-useful" commands, like playing the piano and high-speed moves. Chapter 4 discusses undesirable behavior (see #4 below for more info). Apparently, Ms. Pryor left out Chapter 5: Resources. She references it in the second sentence of Chapter 3, but this "ghost chapter" is nowhere to be found in the book. Whoops.

4. Correcting Undesirable Behavior: 2/5 stars. In her chapter on this subject, the author mostly gives anecdotes/psychological insight without specific correctional instructions, which I found aggravating. For instance, she describes how one couple realized that their cat was scratching the couch because it wanted to go outside -- yet she lists no tactics for getting the cat to stop scratching! On the upside, Ms. Pryor does describe a wide variety of problem behaviors: finicky eating, getting along with dogs/other cats, yowling, shedding, ankle-biting, and aggression. But again, she mainly gives anecdotes instead of correctional instructions.

5. Helpful/Extra Features: 0/5 stars. Ms. Pryor's book has a woefully short Appendix section that lists 15 Tips for Clicking With Cats. That's it. No alphabetical or subject index. Those 15 tips are also conveniently published on her website, so there's really no added value in them being in the book.

You wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice if you purchased this book, but my honest advice to anyone looking for information on this subject is to purchase Cat Training in 10 Minutes, as it is far superior. Good luck, and here's to your cat learning some great new tricks!

I read this 75-page book in about an hour and a half. It's a good read, but at the end, I didn't feel prepared to train my kittens. In fact, I tried to do a training session with one kitten, and she didn't even do any reinforcable actions!

Long story short, you need to buy Pryor's book Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training to get an idea of the theory behind clicker training. The book is actually not about dog training - it's about behavioral training theory, and it's really insightful. Chapter four covers eight ways to deal with unwanted behaviors. Cat jumping on the kitchen table? Method 1: get rid of the cat. Method 2: punish the cat by squirting it with water... Method 6: put the behavior one cue. That is, train the cat to jump up on the kitchen table, and never give the command!... Method 8: change the motivation. Give the cat her own place in the kitchen to hang out that's even *better* than the kitchen table, like a cat stand.

And even with both of these books, I still recommend going to YouTube and watching videos of people clicker training their cats. Good luck!

This book is almost useless! I wish the author took her own advice and actually "got started" with the training instruction. This book is filled with antedotes and the author blowing her own horn. The only reason this book did not receive one star is because it can be used to give the reader a few ideas of what clicker training can do. That's it. That's all this book is good for. I do not advise purchasing this book.

Buy Cat Training in 10 Minutes instead. You won't regret it!

taught cat in a matter of days to come to clicker very easy to follow and use

This is a good book if you want the basics on your cats' mind and how it may work sometimes. The possible reasons your cat does what it does. You may find out some things that you never knew before.Happy Reading!