SAMANTHA MARTIN : ACRO-CATS | ROCK CATS
MYCLEVERCAT.NET USER NAME : catwoman39
COMPANY NAME: Amazing Animals by Samantha
WEBSITE: http://amazinganimals.biz
BIO :
Samantha is a feline specialist and is continuing her education by taking courses towards an Animal Behaviorist degree. Before starting her own business, she worked at a variety of animal facilities, including a veterinary clinic, animal shelter, and pet shop.
Samantha and her animals have made numerous appearances on local and national television and radio programs, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Animal Planet, Wild Chicago, 190 North, WGN, CBS, MTV, CNN, and more. They have also toured throughout the United States and Europe and many of her animals have appeared in movies, music videos, commercials, and print ads. Samantha, herself, has been featured in several books and articles, including “Ten Minutes to Cat Training” and “Staci’s Guide to Animal Movies.”
PICTURES
MYCLEVERCAT.NET INTERVIEW
Q: How many times per day do you recommend training your cat? How long is each training session?
A:Depends on the cat...I have a cat that LOVES to train and will work for an hour! 10 minute training sessions will do, though. If you can get at least a couple a day (right before mealtime), that is best.
Q:For people with more than one cat, do you recommend they train them separately or together? Some research shows that they can learn from watching each other, does your experience confirm this?
A: Seperately at first...but I usually like the other cat to watch from his crate or other room. They can learn from each other. Once you have them trained to do certain behaviors, you can train multiple cats...Just to run them through their paces. All new behaviors should be taught with no other kitty around.
Q:Most people train just before meals to appeal to their food drive, do you also recommend this?
A: Absolutely...A full cat is just like a human and would prefer a nap. Breaking up mealtime into several small meals throughout the day is best.
Q:What treats do you use to rewards your cats? Do you reward after all tricks, or have you trained your cats that “they may be rewarded?”
A: I boil chicken, use canned food, or baby food off a spoon. Tuna for the live shows, which is their favorite!
Q:Which characteristics in a cat, besides food drive, do you consider potentially easier to be trained?
A: Cats like to play...You can use toys to entice cats through agility equipment (through tunnels, over hurdles, etc)
Q:Besides come, sit and stay, what trick should every cat know?
A: Run to a carrier is very valuable. If you have an emergency situation and need to get your cat out quickly...one that runs to his own crate can be a life-saver.
Q:What is your favorite cat trick and why?
A: The cat band...It took so long to train and makes me laugh every time they jump up to their little instruments.
Q:Do you notice your cats are more active or happy when they are trained verses non-trained? Have you ever noticed if a trained cat can learn more easily than a cat with little or no training?
A: Once cats get 'the clicker' they instantly become more alert and in tune with you. Mine follow me around and ask for training. They will start
offering behaviors to get me to train. I have one cat that purrs as soon as I bring out the clicker. The more you teach, the smarter they become and the quicker they learn. The brain is like any muscle and needs stimulation to grow.
Q:What do you consider over training? How many tricks do you think a single cat can remember in a lifetime?
A: Endless tricks. If the cat gets bored and walks away, time to stop.
Q:General research show that kittens and cats under the age of 4 can learn more easily. How does your experience compare to this?
A: bsolutely...younger cats are easier to train. In fact the best time to start training is when the cat is just starting to wean and will eat wet food. Kittens 4 weeks to 6 months) are like sponges and learn quickly. I can teach several behaviors in just one day! They also adapt to new places quickly and are less fearful.This is a critical time to get your kitten accustomed to going into a crate, going on car rides, visiting new places and meeting new people.
Q:Besides tricks used in your performances, do you train you cats to perform practical behaviors at home? If so which?
A: Sit and Stay on a seat rather than on the counter. Also run to a carrier at the sound of a whistle.
VIDEOS
OTHER LINKS OR ARTICLES FROM SAMANTHA MARTIN:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0318-acrocats-trained-catsmar18,0,3371430.story
