Cats and orphans

I realize cats are different than humans, just as humans are different than God. However, this analogy came to mind. I always considered cats as independent and not trainable. Lately, I ponder on how we trained two 5 year old cats to certain behaviors. Sveta frequently had the cats come in from inside. She clapped and called them and it worked about 80% of the time. In our new house, we had a concern about the cats roaming around the neighborhood. So we set an objective to keep them inside the yard-the area is big enough for them to get out of the house. We monitored them and kept them away from the fence. When we called and they came inside, we told them, "Good girls".  They basically stay with in the yard now.
   Sveta had a wish that the cats to sleep in the bedroom with us. One cat typically sleeps next to Sveta or in her arm. The other one would sleep in various places in the house. We set up a chair as a special place for her. I would bring her in and only pet her when she was in her special bed. Supposedly cats spend 70% of their time sleeping; now our cat spends 90% of sleep time in her spot.
     The point is how to encourage orphans. The negative stigma is a challenge. It is easy to look at the statistics and expect orphans to behave in ways that are hurtful to themselves and others. Or could we take a different approach and encourage them. Like my cats it is not a one time event; it takes dozens of repetition to make a break through. Expecting orphans to do well and reinforcing their lives with encouragement would be a good approach to take.