MichelleP 10 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I was contacted by a couple Scouts to be their Pets merit badge counselor; this was the first time I'd counseled anyone in this particular merit badge. Requirement 4 says: Do ONE of the following: a. Show your pet in some pet show. b. Start a friend raising a pet like yours. Help your friend get a good start. c. Train a pet in three or more tricks or special abilities. One of the boys has a couple cast. He showed them to some friends, and told them all about cats. He thought that would qualify for 4a; I didn't think it counted. It would be pretty difficult for an 11-year-old to get a friend to go get a cat, so 4b is pretty much out for him. As far as 4c goes... anyone ever tried to 'train' a cat? Heh, that's a good one. So I guess my question is, how literal do I need to be on this? Would "showing friends" your pet count as "some pet show?" Would dangling a string and having the cat chase it count as a trick? Here's another question. Although the Scouts got their blue cards signed by the SM in June, they didn't contact me until 2 days before I met with them. Requirement 1 states: Present evidence that you have cared for a pet for 4 months. Get approval before you start. Does that approval come from the SM, or from the counselor? What I've been able to glean from reading various websites is that it should be counselor approval, therefore the 4 months should start from when I first meet with them. I told them this and parents pitched a fit; I relented, because they thought the SM signature was 'prior approval,' however I told them next time they need to contact a counselor before they start working on the badge. I know a lot of requirements can be worked on beforehand, but this one specifically says 'prior approval.' Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites
Papadaddy 121 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Sure, you can train a cat. A friend had a cat who would get thrown out the door every time he scratched on the sofa. So whenever he wanted to go out, he would scratch on the sofa. I had a cat who would "fetch"...I would throw his favorite toy and he would bring it back and lay it at my feet and wait for me to throw it again. He would also come running every time he heard the electric can opener... Link to post Share on other sites
Basementdweller 608 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Showing it to his friend is no the intent of requirement in my opinion. Here is a link to cat shows http://www.catshows.us/ I think the tricks is probably most doable for an 11 year old. I would speak with a parent about the who actually takes care of the Cat. I would then follow up with questions to the scout about what is required, just as a double check. If mom feeds and waters the cat daily and scout cleans the litter pan, or if it is an outside cat then no sign off. Link to post Share on other sites
Tampa Turtle 1011 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 As long as food is involved a cat can be trained. Link to post Share on other sites
Twocubdad 665 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The Scoutmaster's signature on the blue card does not constitute approval to begin. I would not accept the time prior to the Scout contacting me. Otherwise that's a throwaway requirement for every kid who aalready has a pet. A troopmate of mine "trained" his cat to play the piano for the MB. He put the cat's food on the keyboard and the cat would walk down the keys to eat. Cats can be trained to do stuff they already wanted to do but they're not going to do stupid stuff for your entertainment. Link to post Share on other sites
packsaddle 753 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 They can be trained NOT to use claws when playing with people. Papadaddy, I relate to that canopener thing. I discovered this with our cats years ago. It was so much fun that I'd go through the trash to find any cans to open on the bottoms just to see the cats go crazy with anticipation. I mean I could just 'click' a hand-operated can opener on the front porch and they'd come running. Once they were there, a box of old oil cans could provide a hellish display of cat-food-anticipation-agony. It's the simple things that give the most pleasure.... Link to post Share on other sites
Lisabob 13 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 things my cat is trained to do: 1. play-wrestle without using claws (you really need to train from a kitten for this - hard with adult cats, and hazardous to one's hands) 2. find and fetch bottle caps (she's clever - you can hide them but she'll find them. Agony = the sound of a pop bottle or something being opened & closed just to tease her.) 3. come running at the sound of the bell on her favorite toy 4. meet me at the door when she hears my car pulling in the drive (she only does this with MY car) 5. Tell me when it is dinner time (if I'm not paying attention she will find me and get all agitated, even try to herd me toward the food bowl). 6. Wake me up at the same time every morning for her breakfast (kind of annoying, actually) 7. Come when I call her in a certain way (a noise initially associated with meal time) 8. come running when I even minutely touch the handle of the drawer where her laser pointer toy is located. She also has a particular routine she follows when chasing the laser pointer dot around the room. 9. Run away when I pick up the compressed air can or spray-water bottle etc, etc., etc. Just to show that cats CAN be trained. Link to post Share on other sites
Papadaddy 121 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 @Pack: That's just mean... NOt to change the subject, but we have a friend who has a parrot. When their daughter calls from Texas, the bird will start saying "Hello, Hello"...BEFORE the phone even rings. And ONLY when their daughter is calling. I've seen it in person...creepy. Link to post Share on other sites
MichelleP 10 Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Most of those things aren't really tricks taught to the cat, they're things the cat does either out of instinct... or hunger! LOL I was thinking more like with a dog, Sit, Stay, Lay Down, Roll Over, etc. But I see your point, we can interpret many of the things mentioned as trained tricks I suppose. He's going to video his cats doing different "tricks" and I will be generous in my interpretation. Now, I need some advice on the second part I mentioned, please! =) Link to post Share on other sites
qwazse 4342 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Yep. Your scout has some work to do. All three of the options for #3 are within his grasp, but the point of #1 is that he talks to you before moving forward. An 11 year old could be cut a little slack for misunderstanding whose approval he needed. So if he shows up with #3 a, b, or ,c completed in a couple months and the cat doesn't look like it wants to run away, sign the card. But the point of talking to you is that *you* set the bar for the boy, not the other way around. If he decided to host a neighborhood pet show in his back yard (maybe for a fundraiser for charity), and his cat wasn't the only attraction, I would have counted it. But, if you're unimpressed, it's a good indication that the requirement is not completed. You never know about a boy's social relationships, he may very well have a friend who is getting his/her first cat. The kids mom might be tickled that the scout is willing to help make sure little Johnny or Janey becomes a responsible pet owner! Years ago, at Mallory Square in Key West, I met this French guy who trained his cats quite well. They did a fairly complex agility course (including jumps through hoola hoops). Plus they could line up in order and sit. It was an impressive display. A couple of my dollars went into his hat. After constantly tossing him off in the middle of the night, and the wife being upset about me waking her, I taught our cat "*my* side of the bed". Every time he'd crawl on me, I'd snarl that command and he'd relocate to the opposite corner by my wife's feet! Oh and remind parents that you are doing the boy a favor. He'll thank you when he's 17.5 and knows to ASAP knock on a counselor's door for one of the "management" MB's in time to actually earn it and keep his chance for Eagle alive! Link to post Share on other sites
OldGreyEagle 5 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I can see the young scout, his name just has to be Andy Hardy as he rallies his fellow scouts with the cry, Hey kids, let's put on a pet show! Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it... Link to post Share on other sites
Tampa Turtle 1011 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 My cat was on the table and got sprayed with mustard in the eye. Would run from the sound after that. East trick! I had a cat that would open a cabinet door, take a Pepperidge farm goldfish bag out, carry it in its mouth several rooms over to the German Sheppard in the dog crate. Dog would tear it apart through the cage and eat most of it. The Cat would eat the remaining crackers spilled all over the floor. (usually the Pizza flavor for some reason) This all happened while we were at work. Could not figure out how the dog, who had all the guilty evidence around him, could pull it off. Had to set up a video camera to capture it. Link to post Share on other sites
Basementdweller 608 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 OGE hit it on the head....... The two boys could put on their own pet show. I like it Link to post Share on other sites
JoeBob 606 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 LisaBob, Tampa Turtle, qwaze; et al: I've got bad news for y'all. You don't own those cats. Those cats own you. shepo1: Is 'Pets' this cat's first merit badge? He needs to train his boy to call earlier... Link to post Share on other sites
Venividi 35 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 shepo1, You will find a minority of boys (and parents) that will knowingly "interpret" requirements in their favor, with interpet in quotes because they are looking for a way to shortcut the requirement. I don't have the MB book in front of me, but I would be surprised if the text in the book does not describe and explain a pet show. It's even possible that a parent told the to show the pet to a neighbor. Typically when you meet with an 11 YO and explain the requirement, they will understand and go back and do it correctly. Parents are more difficult, as you have found. My advice is don't back down. By giving in when a parent pitches a fit, they are being trained that there actions gets the results that they want. It makes your job (and the jobs of other volunteers) more difficult down the road. Others see what shortcuts are permitted, and more will continue to push the limits of that boundary. As you get experience with difficult parents, and you see the impact on the boys and program, it becomes easier to stand your ground. Link to post Share on other sites
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