Teach Your Cat to Do Tricks

Like many pets, cats can be trained to do tricks. Because they tend to be independent, teaching cats can take persistence, however. With positive reinforcement and patience, your cat can have a great time playing games and performing a variety of tricks.

Steps

Learning How to Train Your Cat

  1. Get a supply of treats. Cats need to be constantly rewarded with tasty treats in order to learn tricks. Keep plenty of your cat’s favorite bite-sized treats on hand when trying to train it. Give your cat frequent treats when training it in short sessions.[1][2] You can also vary treats frequently to keep your cat interested.[3] Some good choices are:[4]
    • Diced chicken
    • Bits of tuna
    • Commercial cat treats
    • Small pieces of dry food
  2. Get your cat’s attention. Your cat won’t want to learn tricks if it’s not in the mood. Starting by giving your cat a treat might get its attention. If your cat doesn’t act interested in learning a particular trick, don’t force it to play—just be patient and try again later.[5]
  3. Use a clicker. A pet clicker is a small device that makes a clicking sound. Each time your cat does something you want it to (like a trick), make the clicking sound and give it a treat. The sound and positive reinforcement (reward) of the treat condition your cat to repeat the behavior.[4][6][7]
    • Pet clickers can be found at pet supply stores. If you can’t find one, you can try a pen that makes a clicking noise.
  4. Keep training sessions short and frequent. Cats learn through repetition, so frequent training sessions will help them master a trick. Try repeating tricks several times each day.[2] Keeping training sessions brief will also hold your cat’s attention so it will want to keep trying.[4]
  5. Repeat tricks when training your cat. When your cat completes a trick, give it a treat. Then try to get your cat to repeat the trick 5-10 times in a row (giving it a treat each time), as long as it is interested. This repetition will encourage the behavior.
  6. Don’t use cue words until after the cat has learned a trick. For instance, if you want your cat to sit, don’t use the word “sit” until it is used to doing the trick. This will help the cat associate the word specifically with the trick.[1]
  7. Teach one trick at a time. Positive reinforcement like praise and treats as your cat learns a trick will help it to master the behavior. Trying to teach it more than one trick at a time can confuse it, however, because it may not understand what behavior is being rewarded. Wait until your cat has mastered one trick before moving on to the next.[5]
  8. Do not punish your cat for not learning a trick. Cats learn when given rewards and positive reinforcement, not when they are punished. Scolding or punishing your cat when it doesn’t complete a trick will only make it stressed or disinterested. If you cat doesn’t act interested in learning a trick, or doesn’t perform successfully, just try again later.[4]

Teach Your Cat Specific Tricks

  1. Teach your cat to sit. When your cat is on all four feet, hold a treat in front of its face to get its attention. Slowly move it from in front of the cat’s face to just between its ears. Many cats will follow the treat in the air and lower their rear end to get it. When your cat sits, positively reinforce its behavior by praising it and giving it the treat.[4][1][8]
    • If you cat’s rear end doesn’t quite touch the ground the first time, give it the treat anyway. Keep repeating this training and your cat can get better each time.
  2. Teach your cat to “hi-five.” First, encourage your cat to move its paw by giving it a treat each time it lifts the paw off of the ground. Then, put a treat in your hand (wrapped in your fist, for instance), and wait for your cat to use its paw to try and grab it out of your hand. Give the cat a treat as a reward when it does. Repeat this many times, gradually lifting your hand up higher each time until the behavior resembles giving a hi-five.[5]
  3. Train your cat to come when called.[9][8][3] Try this training your cat for this trick at is mealtimes, because it will already be hungry. Call your cat’s name and tap on its food bowl to get its attention. When your cat comes, praise them and give them a treat.
    • When your cat gets used to coming when called, you can also use the command “come” for this trick.
    • You can vary this trick by trying to train your cat to come from distances increasingly farther away, from outside to inside, etc.
  4. Train your cat to touch an object.[8] You can have your cat learn to touch an object like a toy or a sturdy surface that will not fall over. This trick is learned best after your cat has learned to sit. Once your cat is sitting next to the object, hold a treat near it to attract the cat. When the cat touches the object, give it a treat.
    • Once your cat becomes interested in this trick, you can also train it to touch the object with a specific type of its body. For instance, if you want to train it to touch an object with its paw, wait to give your cat a treat until it does.
  5. Train your cat to sit up on two legs.[8] Hold a treat above your cat, but not so close that it can touch it. When your cat sits up on its hind legs, and reaches for the treat with its front paws, use a command like “sit” and give it the treat.
  6. Teach your cat to shake hands.[8] Sit in front of your cat and gently touch its paw. When it lifts the paw off the ground, grasp it in yours as though you were shaking hands. Give your cat a treat immediately afterwards.
  7. Train your cat to meow on command. Cats are capable of producing a wide range of vocal sounds (meows, chirps, trills, yowls, etc.), and they reserve most of them for communicating with humans.[10][11][12] You can try training your cat to produce a meow or other sound on command. Just give your cat a treat when it makes the desired sound. After the cat begins to associate the treat with a reward, introduce a word like "meow" or "chirp" to create the command.

Tips

  • Tricks are a good way to help your cat get the exercise it needs. 20 to 60 minutes per day of activity is recommended.
  • If your cat (or kitten) scratches or bites then tricks can help you play with your cat.
  • If you want to teach a cat to jump over something, get a toy or treat and hold that object in front of your cat. Call its name and say " Jump over!". Your cat should jump for the treat/toy. After a few times, try it without the object. Call it's name to gets attention. Then say "Jump over!".

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/a_super-simple_method_for_training_cat_tricks
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.purina.com.au/cats/training/tips
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/teaching-your-cat-come-when-called
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/training-your-cat
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.purina.com.au/cats/training/train
  6. ↑ http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/clicker-training-your-pet
  7. ↑ http://bestfriends.org/resources/clicker-training
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 http://simplycatbreeds.org/Tricks-and-Training.html
  9. ↑ http://www.purina.com.au/cats/training/come
  10. ↑ https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/meowing-and-yowling
  11. ↑ http://m.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2011/05-06/the_cats_meow_understanding.html
  12. ↑ http://messybeast.com/cat_talk.htm

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