Garçon! Kibble!

March 31, 2017 6:57 AM

Two scientists demonstrate their subject's conditioned response to the sound of a bell.
posted by stinkfoot (33 comments total)

Somewhere Dr. Pavlov is smiling down approvingly.
posted by briank at 6:59 AM on March 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Sure it's cute now. Not so much at 4:37 am.
posted by bonehead at 6:59 AM on March 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

I love the black and white cat's expression (I have watched this video about 8 times in the last day). Its like he's suddenly discovered the secret of getting humans to give him food on request, basically the secret of the universe. I fear he will be somewhat disappointed once the experiment is over.
posted by biffa at 7:02 AM on March 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

Seems like a way to create a hell of your own design, but whatever.
posted by codacorolla at 7:09 AM on March 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sure it's cute now. Not so much at 4:37 am.

Those bells are currently living in a drawer somewhere, no doubt.
posted by valkane at 7:09 AM on March 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Both right-pawed cats, I note.

Here is a non-twitter link (YT).
posted by slkinsey at 7:12 AM on March 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Normally, you bell the cat, not the other way around.
posted by zamboni at 7:21 AM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Further experimentation, with additional use of stringed instrument.
posted by rewil at 7:21 AM on March 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

I love how B&W cat is a little confused when the other cat starts using their bell.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:41 AM on March 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

And another with bells! B&W cat ups the game at 1:00.

And once again, how do these people keep their floors so damn clean?
posted by Room 641-A at 7:49 AM on March 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

They even look like our cats. Except in our house only the black and white one would be doing this. The brown tabby doesn't really care all that much. He's like, "Food? Sure, I'll get around to that. Gotta eat sometime, I guess." But the black and white one takes soliciting food much (much) more seriously.

And since we haven't provided a bell for him, he bangs the kitchen cabinets instead.
posted by Naberius at 7:51 AM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I trained my parents' cats to do that by touching a target, rather than a bell. Took about 10 minutes.

Operant conditioning is incredibly powerful and as a bonus you can train your pets to do some very dumb, silly things.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:02 AM on March 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

These two cats are my most absolute favorite thing right now.
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 8:03 AM on March 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

I thought these results had been hushed up?
posted by MartinWisse at 8:04 AM on March 31, 2017

I love how B&W cat is a little confused when the other cat starts using their bell.

Yes, that was a clear foul and should have incurred at least a three-kibble penalty. And they called this a refereed study.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:05 AM on March 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Late stage capitalism
posted by Nelson at 8:15 AM on March 31, 2017 [24 favorites]

It's not easy to tell in the first video, but B&W cat is about 2/3 the size of the other one.
posted by slkinsey at 8:15 AM on March 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

A dachshund puppy learns the trick. Particularly hilarious to me because a doxie would do this until they were the size of a zeppelin.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:15 AM on March 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

Those bells are currently living in a drawer somewhere, no doubt.

Which someone is currently trying to figure out how to open. That grey tabby looks pretty shifty to me.

One of our boys knows how to get into cupboards and has just last night figured out how to hit a bifold closet door juuuust right to pop it open. Which of course, is best done in the predawn hours when the two-legs are annoyingly sleeping.
posted by bonehead at 9:02 AM on March 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Our chubbycat would be hitting that bell so hard it would tear a hole in the space-time continuum and then we'd have dinosaur problems or something
posted by Shepherd at 9:09 AM on March 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

I feel like when the dark cat hits the black and white cat's bell, they should give the black and white cat the treat and see what kind of chaos that causes.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:17 AM on March 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

That's how you lose a hand.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:25 AM on March 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

Those bells are currently living in a drawer somewhere, no doubt.

I taught my old cat to 'shake a paw' to get treats. Although as far as he was concerned, the trick just involved hitting flesh with his paw, which I found out at 3 AM when he got hungry and decided to 'shake a paw' with my face while I was sleeping. Never teach a cat a trick that doesn't involve a prop - my new guy just jumps through hoops, which can be stashed away overnight.
posted by Gortuk at 9:39 AM on March 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

A dachshund puppy learns the trick. Particularly hilarious to me because a doxie would do this until they were the size of a zeppelin.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:15 AM on March 31 [3 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]

I love how the trainer in that video is in a bathrobe and the most embarrassingly comfy slippers I have ever seen someone wear. The dachshund and her owner are made for each other.
posted by helmutdog at 9:51 AM on March 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

To get my two shy bunnies to interact with me more I hand feed them several times a day. It didn't take long for them to come running whenever they see me. They also trained me to come down to the den, where they live, by throwing a noisy toy as soon as my foot, but nor my husband's, hits the floor in the morning. Bunnies are scary smart.
posted by waving at 9:54 AM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I taught my old cat to 'shake a paw' to get treats.

Did you train the cat or did he train you?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:04 AM on March 31, 2017

no one rings like Garçon
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:33 AM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Our tabby, Ginny (see previously), has trained my wife to give her a treat whenever she sits, and then when seated, when she stands.
posted by notsnot at 11:44 AM on March 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Touch the fish.
More Cat Fishery
Bacon is a fish, right?
posted by bonehead at 11:57 AM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

We have never been able to successfully train a female cat to do it, but 3 boy cats in a row have all learned to sit on command for a treat. Our old man kitty (sadly deceased now) would even sit, and stay until told he could fetch it when a treat was tossed across the room. Current fuzzball will not stay, but he delights in chasing them down, involving a lot of sliding which is fun to watch on a hardwood floor.
posted by caution live frogs at 1:52 PM on March 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oldercatbailard sits on her mat. And waits. For as long as an hour. Quietly. For me to give her fresh wet food. Or move her wet food 20 centimeters.

I kind of wish she had a bell.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:54 PM on March 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

They don't have the fine motor control to ring the bell once.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:28 PM on March 31, 2017

I've been looking for a metaphor about gamification for use in presentations, and this is pretty much it.
posted by Wordshore at 12:04 PM on April 1, 2017