Somali Cat

　　Many people think their cats are naughty because of breed issues. Indeed, some breeds show distinctive traits, such as being lively or nervous, but some cats can live well with us after proper human training.

　　1. Principles of Cat Training

　　Cats are intelligent, naturally active, playful, and curious. They have strong interests in insects, balls of yarn, strings, paper balls, and leaves blowing in the wind, often manipulating and playing with these objects. Usually, cats instinctively perform various interesting actions like rolling over, showing their belly, or standing up when teased by their owners.

　　However, training cats to perform complex actions is much more difficult than training dogs. This is because cats are very independent and have a strong, stubborn character that dislikes being controlled. If a cat likes something, an owner forbidding it won’t work, and if it dislikes something, forcing it usually fails. Additionally, cats are naturally alert and can become scared by bright lights or crowds, making it difficult to perform in public.

　　Nevertheless, with patience and scientific methods, cats can be trained well in a relatively short time. All cat behaviors are based on neurological reflexes. Reflex actions occur when a sensory receptor is stimulated, sending a signal through the nervous system that triggers a response. Reflexes require stimuli, which are changes in the internal or external environment perceived by the body’s cells and provoke reactions such as tapping, pressing, light, sound, or temperature. Cats possess various sensitive receptors like visual, auditory, olfactory, and skin receptors for temperature, pain, and touch. These receptors convert stimuli into nerve impulses. When these impulses reach the brain via afferent nerves, the brain immediately reacts and sends instructions through efferent nerves to effectors (muscles, glands, etc.) to perform actions.

　　Animal reflexes can be divided into unconditioned and conditioned reflexes. Unconditioned reflexes are innate and critical for survival, such as a kitten’s natural suckling and breathing upon birth. Stimuli that trigger unconditioned reflexes are called unconditioned stimuli, such as food, touch, or tapping. Conditioned reflexes develop after birth as animals adapt to their environment. These acquired reflexes ensure a high degree of balance between the animal’s body and environment, formed through habits and training during care, representing unique individual reflexes.