You Can Train Your Cat (Almost) Like a Dog

My cat will never pull me out of an avalanche, rescue me from a burning building, or walk for miles just to be reunited with his family. He’s a bit selfish like that. Nevertheless, he can do some neat tricks, and that’s pretty amazing.

Some readers might think that training a cat to perform tricks is borderline torturous, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, many cats enjoy mental stimulation as much as dogs do. Training your cat is a fun way to combine mental stimulation with physical exercise. These types of activities are especially beneficial to indoor cats, whose lives can be fairly monotonous. As a bonus, it helps to build a stronger bond between the cat and the caretaker.

A working cat is a happy, healthy cat. Training your cat gives him a chance to prove that he has a high intellect and the ability to expand both his and your horizons. Your cat’s mental development is limited only by your imagination. (Miriam Fields-Babineau, Cat Training in 10 Minutes)

What types of tricks can cats learn?

Well, what type of cat do you have? Before you begin, you need to choose a suitable activity that allows his little personality to shine. Nobody wants to do something they find boring, so if your cat thinks the training session is a snoozefest he won’t go out of his way to roll over for you. Having said that, most cats are intelligent enough to learn how to:

• come
• sit down
• stay
• roll-over
• weave through your legs
• give paw
• jump from object to object, or through objects

Does she love to race around the house like a little demon? Great! How about jumping through hoops or weaving? She could be an excellent training partner if you choose a vigorous activity that helps exert some of that excess energy. Is he an extremely docile feline whose main goal in life is to find that supreme napping spot? Maybe he’s a senior cat who’s experiencing different aches and pains? I’m afraid he won’t ever be the life of the party, but he can still be the centre of attention. The more sedate feline would probably do well with tricks that don’t require too much physical movement. If they are normally very vocal you could, perhaps, try speaking on command.

How to train a cat?

Now that you know what you can teach your cat, you need to learn how to go about doing it. Both cats and dogs generally respond well to clicker training.

What is clicker training?

Clicker training relies on a little device that makes a loud clicking noise when you press it. Your furry friend needs to learn that there is a causational relationship between an action, a click and a treat. Start with clicking the clicker and giving a food reward straight away. To begin with, all your cat needs to learn is that click=treat. You will tie these clicks to specific activities later. Use caution if you are training an animal that is sensitive to loud noises. If the cat is frightened by the sound of the clicker you can simply use praise, or preferably a food reward.

As for individual tricks, each one requires a different technique, so this is something you will need to research. Personally, I found that some of the methods developed for dogs work equally well for cats, so if you’ve ever trained a dog you’ve got an advantage. Don’t worry if you have no experience, there are plenty of resources out there. For beginners, I heartily recommend “Cat Training in 10 Minutes” by Miriam Fields-Babineau. It’s just so easy to grasp. She takes you through the process step by step, and all the examples in her book are illustrated with photographs. Another great author is Bruce Fogle. He doesn’t specifically write about cat training, as a veterinarian, he’s more concerned with the overall wellbeing of animals. However, you can find some very useful clicker training tips for beginners in his book “Complete Cat Care”.

Is there a secret formula?

I’m afraid there really is no magic recipe, but praise and treats are great motivators— this works with humans too.

• Find a high-value treat that they love but don’t normally have access to. Use it as leverage
• Never scold your cat for not following the command or doing something wrong, this includes shouting and threatening gestures. Cats don’t respond well to punishment and it makes them even less likely to do what you say.
• Be patient, don’t forget that learning a new skill takes time. You can have fun together, even if your cat is not made to be a TikTok star.

The most important thing is to enjoy working with your cat. Think of it as a fun hobby rather than a military exercise. He or she will definitely appreciate the additional attention.