Does clicker training reduce stress in shelter cats?

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Appraisal, application and reflection

Cats were successfully clicker trained in both studies (Gourkow & Phillips, 2016; and Grant & Warrior, 2019), and at least one other paper has demonstrated that cats can be clicker trained in the shelter environment irrespective of other factors such as age (Kogan et al., 2017). Currently, the evidence suggests that cats can be clicker trained in the shelter environment but the evidence as to whether clicker training decreases stress in the shelter environment compared to other forms of cognitive enrichment is less clear, mainly due to the confounding factors at play in both papers.

The main limitations of both studies were the small sample sizes, lack of meaningful control groups and confounding factors. For instance, in the study by Grant & Warrior (2019), cats received socialisation by staff and volunteers in addition to training, and it is unclear whether the perceived increase in exploratory behaviour post-training was due to the cats anticipating training (and subsequently, food) when a person entered the cage to film the cats on a smartphone. Gourkow & Phillips (2016) took the approach of having a control group of cats that received no enrichment at all; this calls into question whether the perceived improvements were due to the clicker training or whether any form of enrichment (including the simple act of letting the cats out of the cage for training) would have created similar improvements, given that the control group cats without enrichment are going to be in a compromised emotional state regardless.

Clicker training animals is a time-consuming venture that many shelters would find difficult to do for every cat. Grant & Warrior (2019) attempted to make their training method as accessible as possible for that specific shelter environment, namely 10 minutes of training three times per week and aiming for the cats to spend more time in the outside area so visitors could see the cats. The authors speculated that encouraging these behaviours would improve adoptability, a view shared by Bollen (2015). Grant & Warrior (2019) did not have a separate control group and so it is difficult to assess whether clicker training had this desired effect, although research suggests that active and playful cats tend to be viewed more positively by potential adopters (Gourkow, 2001; Fantuzzi et al., 2010; Sinn, 2016; and Caeiro et al., 2017). An interesting subject for further research would be to assess whether clicker training cats results in a reduced length of stay in the shelter, although future studies of clicker training in cats could compare it to other means of cognitive enrichment to reduce the confounding factors. The external validity of these findings is limited by the fact that most cat rescue organisations have various resource constraints, and clicker training is a very labour-intensive means of enrichment for shelter cats.

Because of how labour-intensive a clicker training intervention is, it appears to be more appropriate as a means of enrichment for specific situations rather than a universal measure. Grant & Warrior (2019) tailored the clicker training programme for the specific cattery design (that is, encouraging cats to spend more time in the outside area), while Gourkow & Phillips (2016) only recruited cats they deemed ‘frustrated’ for the clicker training intervention. Shelter staff should take a tailored approach to feline enrichment as clicker training may not be suitable for every cat. For example, it has been suggested that a fearful cat may find increased human interaction stressful while a frustrated cat would be likely to benefit from it (Ellis, 2009). Clicker training can be employed alongside a variety of enrichment measures to reduce stress in shelter cats, many of which are less labour-intensive (for instance, puzzle feeders) and allow for cats to express their innate behavioural needs (such as providing scratching posts and play that mimics hunting).

To summarise, it is possible to clicker train cats in the shelter environment and there is weak evidence that it may reduce some proxy measures of stress, although confounding factors limit full attribution to clicker training. Clicker training can be used as a form of cognitive enrichment alongside other means, depending on the cats personality and presenting problems. However, unless further studies prove that clicker training is a superior form of enrichment to existing forms of enrichment (for example puzzle feeders, or having volunteers play with cats), and given the time requirements that may limit applicability of the studies, it seems more appropriate to suggest clicker training for certain situations and individual cats as part of a multidisciplinary approach, rather than as a universal recommendation for all cats in shelters.

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