Why would you want to do this..? If you don't want her to go in certain
rooms, keep the doors of those rooms closed.

Enjoy her, welcome to the world of furball slaves :-)

Ivor

Hi,

I have read your post and Ivor's reply.  If you don't want your cat
upstairs, stick to your guns and train the critter.  I have always trained
my cats not to go upstairs for reasons of hygiene and because I don't want
them to be trapped upstairs when I'm out.  I certainly don't wish to have a
litter tray in my bedroom.

Because your cat has previously been allowed to go upstairs, your task will
be more arduous, but stick with it.  Very occasionally one of my cats will
sneak upstairs but I have developed such a conscience in them (you should
hear me in 'Sargeant Major' mode!) that they quickly obey the command to get
downstairs.

When your cat goes upstairs, find it and tell it very firmly  'go
downstairs'.  Don't carry your cat downstairs, but if it won't go of its own
accord, carry it to the head of the stairs, put it down and say 'downstairs,
now!'  You need to have the cat going downstairs on its own; if it doesn't,
how can you praise it for going downstairs?  Make sure kitty goes all the
way down and then praise it to glory.

These days, all I have to do is stand at the bottom of the stairs and call
the cat down.  As soon as I see the cat at the top of the stair, I step back
and say 'get downstairs now'.  I then stand right away from the bottom of
the stairs so the cat doesn't feel threatened.  I then usually say 'come now
and I won't be cross with you'.  Moggychops usually looks relieved and pads
swiftly downstairs!  Yes, even I'm amazed sometimes.

If your cat obeys you, don't spend the next hour reminding her she was bad.
It may work with children, but a cat simply doesn't understand and can't
cope.  Your training must be acute, so your language must reflect your
*immediate* feelings: angry when kitty is bad ... wholesome praise when
kitty is good or responds to training.  Then say no more about it until the
next episode.

As your training progresses and kitty thinks twice about going upstairs,
watch her carefully ... she will almost certainly look upstairs (maybe put a
paw on the first step) then change her mind.  When you see this, praise her
well for not going upstairs; it is a sign that your training is getting
through to her.  As you suggest, you can't practice this training by
praising her for simply being downstairs, but you can reinforce training
from downstairs by praising her when you see her respond to a training
memory.  Similarly, if she starts to go upstairs brazenly, tell her 'No.
Downstairs'  as soon as you see her go wrong.  That way you can utilize her
naughty behaviour without having to suffer her being upstairs.

If you can, avoid giving treats during training.  Some feline offenders will
learn to be naughty .. then good, just to get a treat.  This isn't helpful!

Another tip that might help:  I give my two pussies my old used pillows for
their beds.  This is a way of giving them a 'taste of upstairs' and your
scent for comfort.  Sometimes, during training, I will say 'You've got a
nice bed, don't use mine' and dump kitty in its bed.   Gradually, all these
little things add up to the sum of good behaviour.

Hope all goes well.
Spider