Pin Pricking me with Claw for Attention & Screen Scratching

Question
My Cat's Personality and 2 QUESTIONS:

I have a wonderful male neutered tabby-white cat, named Oliver "Olley Cat" He loves to wag & bang his tail like a dog....and doesn't claw or bite folks. You would have to really ruffle him up, and make him wild/angry on purpose, to get a playful (or pretend) bite or clawing! He is VERY ENGAGING, HE LOOKS STRAIGHT INTO MY EYES ALL the TIME...he lightly MURRRs to TALK (RARELY Meows), and loves to play hide-and-seek. He follows me around like a toddler wanting to get into things AND wanting UP IN MY ARMS for HUGS, etc...he likes me to talk to him and wants to ride & rock around in my arms & on my shoulders. He actually WANTS to go for CAR RIDES...he OPENS DOORS...and he knows lots of WORDS...hug, kiss, play, milk/dinner, daddy-mommy, car-ride, up-down, good, in-out, go for a walk, go to bed, okay, trouble....and so on...QUESTIONS: Like a dog, Oliver asks to go outside, as I don't have a litter box or a cat door. Oliver is an indoor/outdoor rural-suburban cat so I don't want to declaw him...SO I have TWO QUESTIONS:

1. I have brick running beneath a few windows...how can I train Oliver to not scratch my window screens when he wants back in? I showed him where to pat the windows (non-screen portion)...this worked for a while...should I just keep showing him what to do? I know seeing him at the window, ASAP, does help....Is there a way to teach him to ring a bell, or is there something else to do?

2. Recently, Oliver has gotten the bad habit of POKING me with his claws when paw TAPPING me to get my attention (I just jump out of my socks!). How can I keep him from "PIN PRICKING" me! A PAW TAP in okay, but without the OUCH! I believe I have reinforced this behavior by reacting to it...He either just wants up in my arms, outside, milk, playtime or other...I usually figure it out. I have had him for 1 1/2 years (he is maybe 3 yrs old, or so?)...and he just started doing this about a month ago!!???


Answer
Gilda,

You certainly can train Oliver to ring a bell, it will take time, patience, treats and loads of positive reinforcement. You will have to make the bell easily accessible for him to reach, but loud enough to hear...In fact a friend's cat rings the doorbell when he wants to come inside, so placing a sturdy stool for Oliver to reach the doorbell might work as well... You will have to start rewarding him for getting up on the stool and the way that I like to teach cats to press something is to use a toy that they will normally pounce on. Loads of treats, praise, patience and imagination are what will ensure success. You may find that Oliver learns a certain way the best or that you can take an existing behavior and transfer it to an acceptable place, like pawing the window portion of the window rather than the screen portion. You know Oliver best and you hold the key to what he will enjoy as a reward to train him..I have found positive reinforcement and using toys as encouragement to do what I would like a cat to work the best.

As for the claws you can try trimming them or having your vet trim them. If Oliver's nails are too long he may not even be able to help touching you with them so it is worth trimming the sharp point off of the nails taking care not to go too close to the paw. All you want to do is trim the claw where it is clear and not where it turns opaque. If you cut the quick it will bleed and cause Oliver some discomfort. I would suggest that if you feel uncomfortable about trimming Oliver's claws yourself that you make an appointment with your veterinary technician or a groomer to teach you how to properly trim the nails, I use regular human nail clippers, but I turn them sideways so that I am not hurting the cat by clipping straight up and down as there are sensitive nerve endings that you risk squeezing. Trimmed claws should make a signifigant difference in the ouch factor when Oliver is asking for attention without compromising his ability to climb trees and defend himself if necessary. If the claws keep hurting when the nails are freshly trimmed you can try squirting Oliver with a bit of water from a spray bottle like you would buy to mist tropical plants. I hope that these tips are helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again. I honestly don't think that you will have much problem training Oliver as he seems to be intelligent and easily trainable with the right motivation.