How We Taught Our Cat His Colors

In Gary Larson's "Far Side" comic a dog kneels by his bedside, praying "Please let my family see color." I don't know if animals can only distinguish black and white, but for our cat Scooter, it's an urban legend. We taught him, or I should say, he taught himself, to "see color." Scooter also has a favorite color: burgundy. This trick works in our favor, as he only lays (and thereby only sheds) on blankets in colors of his choosing. Here's how Scooter (with minimal help from his family) taught himself to see color.

Pavlovian classical conditioning

Ivan Pavlov used demonstrated classical conditioning in his famous "salivation experiments." Dogs salivate when they smell food. Pavlov conditioned the animal to salivate at the sound of a bell followed by feeding. In Scooter's case, if there is something soft (blanket, article of clothing) laid over a surface, he automatically lays on that. We channeled Scooter's natural instinct, luring him to lay on old blankets rather than on the furniture.

Skinnerian operant conditioning

B.F. Skinner expanded classical conditioning to operant conditioning. In operant conditioning, the animal can't just auto-respond with involuntary behavior. He had to "earn" his treat by voluntarily acting on his environment. We used the fact that Scooter seemed to prefer burgundy blankets. Using Skinnerian positive reinforcement (petting, gentle words, encouragement, letting him sit on our laps, rewards) we made Scooter distinguish and choose his burgundy blanket. We used negative reinforcement (removal of positive). If he chose a different blanket, we took it away, gave him nothing soft to sleep on, did not pet him and pushed him off our laps.

Finding your pets rewards

On a family vacation to Shedd Aquarium, we observed animal trainers working with penguins and otters. These species share a common mantra: will work for food. In training your pet, it's important to know what motivates and repels him. For Scooter, tuna and cuddling motivate and criticism repels. If your pet is Kipling's "cat who walks by himself" cuddling may be a punishment. Know his preferences and use them.

Be mindful of cheating

Penguins, like cats, are intelligent and crafty. At feeding time, the penguins lined up for fish, but some would "cut." When they were refused and sent to the end of the queue, they obeyed because they knew they'd get no fish otherwise. Scooter occasionally cheats; he even pushes the envelope with burgundy red blankets, laying on red, brown and pink ones. We had to be vigilant not to let him get away with it.

Social reinforcement

The Shedd otters had to choose the right image to get a clam. One was lazy and purposely chose the wrong one. This wayward pupil shaped up when he saw his classmates getting clams while he went without. When we cared for two foster cats, Scooter would watch them. If he saw them getting rewards, he would copy their behavior. We used social reinforcement, giving the other kitties treats or removing them, and Scooter learned by example.