Q. Who is this learner of yours?

 

My name is Geri, and my learner’s name is Catsby’s Origami Puffin, or “Puffin” for short! Puffin is a five year old Scottish Fold boy, and I began teaching him buttons at age 19 months. You can find puffin on Instagram at puffin_scottish_fold_goldie and on TikTok at puffindoestricks.

When I began teaching him the buttons, I really started because he was just such a busy boy and really naughty. I started teaching him some fun tricks and then got interested in the buttons.

I had never seen any cats doing it, just dogs. I felt like it was a fun challenge for us, and it might keep Puffin busy, as well as help me take care of him better.

Q. How long did it take for Puffin to press his first button?

 

He started pressing the buttons in about a week. His first word was PETS, and his second was MOUSE. I had an app for a game for cats that had a little mouse on it, and he loved it, so using his button, he could ask me for my phone so he could play that game.

Although he pressed buttons right away, it took a little bit longer for him to realize what it was all about, and it was the third word where he really took off. Shhh I broke the rules because I gave him the word TREAT. He was so excited, and he really understood. After that, he was very motivated to push all of his buttons and was quickly ready for more. His next button was ALL-DONE, which was definitely needed to combat the TREAT demands!

 

Q. What have the buttons revealed about Puffin that you wouldn’t have known without the buttons?

 

Puffin has about 90 buttons now, and he uses them all correctly and in the right context. I still model the buttons at least a few times a day, but not as much as I did in the beginning. I’d say modeling the buttons by using them myself is one of the most powerful and important ways to teach and reinforce the buttons as tools.

The most surprising thing about the button usage is how much Puffin notices about his life and even our routines, etc. Once, our family came over, but one person couldn’t make it. Puffin looked around the room and promptly used his name button to ask where they were!

If Puffin didn’t have buttons, I wouldn’t be able to help him with a lot of the things that worry him. I can use the buttons to explain about repairmen coming; STRANGER SOON NOISE NOISE LATER or tell him I’m just running errands; MOM GO MO WORRY MOM HOME SOON RIGHT BACK (by) BEDTIME. He really understands, and he can also ask me questions; WHERE WHERE DAD etc. The buttons provide such clarity and detail and deepen the bond and connection between us.

Buttons give me more information about Puffin’s needs and wants. They helped me to care for him in a more excellent way. They enrich our relationship and his environment. They give him a fuller life.

This button journey with Puffin has been one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. It is mind-boggling! I started posting on social media to try to find other people doing this with cats and learn from them. We grew a following, but more importantly, we have made a community of friends and other learners. It’s been so wonderful.

Q. What do you do to ensure the buttons remain an engaging and positive experience for Puffin over time?

 

I keep buttons fun and playful and never insist on them being used. I often invite Puffin to engage if I think he is trying to make me understand something. I’ll say, “Time for a button talk?” He will run to his button board.

I keep buttons fun by giving him new buttons and combining buttons in new ways. I never imagined he’d be doing “sentences,” but he does. Most of the time, he uses 2-4 words at a time. It absolutely amazes me still.

 

Q. What is your funniest  button moment?

 

One of the funniest things he did was when a huge black fly landed on the wall above his head. He pressed BUG then BIRDIE. A moment later, he said BIRDIE BUG. He really couldn’t decide which one it was! He also asks where the snow went in the spring. He wants it back.

Want buttons like Puffin?

He uses Speak Up! Buttons with HexTiles.

Shop Puffin's  Buttons

 

Q. What is your most surprising  button moment?

 

The most surprising thing about the button usage is how much Puffin notices about his life and even our routines, etc. Once, our family came over, but one person couldn’t make it. Puffin looked around the room and promptly used his name button to ask where they were!

 

Q. What challenges have you faced with button teaching?

 

The biggest challenge for teaching buttons is what words to add and when to add them. They have also definitely been challenges about how to teach a word. I have developed a system that really works, but I give all the credit to Puffin. My background is as a teacher of the Deaf, so I’ve always loved both teaching and languages. I use some methods I’ve used to teach my students.

Q. How do you decide when to introduce a new word to Puffin?

 

I teach the new word before I give him the button. If I think he already knows it, then I reinforce it with my voice and actions for a few days before I give him the button.

I give him a new button every week or two. Sometimes I’ll do more if needed. If something is happening in our lives that needs explaining (like we are about to get a new puppy), then I’ll introduce new buttons.

He TOTALLY loves new buttons! He gets so excited when I go into the garage to record it (it’s quiet there) and he waits by the door for me to come out and do our “new button ritual” we have developed. I press the button and then I tell him “Puffin’s turn,” and he immediately presses it. Then, together we place the new button and he uses it again.

 

Q. How have buttons changed your relationship with Puffin?

 

Buttons give me more information about Puffin’s needs and wants. They helped me to care for him in a more excellent way. They enrich our relationship and his environment. They give him a fuller life.

The buttons provide such clarity and detail and deepen the bond and connection between us.

Q. What advice would you give to others who are interested in teaching their learners to use buttons?

 

The advice that I would give anyone who is thinking about doing this is to just believe in your animal. They are not only smarter than you would ever believe, but they are more observant, and they care more than you know. They have emotions and feelings that are deep and intricate. They respect us, and we need to respect and honor them.

If someone is just starting out with buttons, my advice is to keep it light and playful, and realize that this is not an immediate success; this is a journey of learning and growing and setbacks and confusions and challenges, and then more growth. And MODEL MODEL MODEL! Always use the buttons, even before your learner is using them. Be consistent with this, and it will become really natural to you very quickly.

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