If you thought training was only for dogs, then think again, because cats are trainable too.
The Secret to Training Cats
The secret to training cats isn’t really a secret at all, but about thinking like a cat. We love our feline friends for their independent spirit and how they do what they want. And there we have the key right there: You have to motivate your cat so that she does what you ask because she wants to.
This means finding something that motivates your cat enough to sit up and take notice. This is where training a feline is harder than a canine; because dogs are so food motivated they think a piece of cardboard is tasty. Whereas our feline friends are more discerning when it comes to rewards.
You have to work a little harder to uncover her must have treat…but every cat has their price. Tempt her with a variety of tasty morsels until you hit on the one that makes those whiskers bristle. Use your imagination and trial such scrumptious snacks as salmon, steak, prawns, ham or cheese. (If your cat has any health issues, check with your vet first.)
Training cats is all about rewarding the action you want – we’ll uncover how in a moment. Also, remember a cat has a short attention span so short, regular training sessions (a few minutes two or three times a day) works much better than a single long session.
1. “Come”
If calling your cat in at night is a hit and miss affair, then you need to teach her to “Come”.
To do this keep her must-have treats in a pouch on your belt or in your hip pocket. When she happens to stroll towards you, say “Come” and then offer a treat. The idea is for her to link walking towards you with the word “Come” and a tasty snack.
Image: Robert Couse-Baker via Flickr
Other ideas include attracting her attention with the treat and taking a step away. As she steps towards you, say “Come” and then give the reward. Do this consistently and pretty soon she’ll associate “Come” with walking to you and getting a scrumptious snack, and she’ll do it by second nature.
2. “Sit”
Teaching a cat to sit is actually pretty easy.
Use her must-have treat to get her attention. Hold the treat at nose level and move it in an arc over and behind her head. Her nose naturally follows the treat and her bottom sinks to the ground. As soon as her butt hits the deck, say “Sit” and give the treat.
With repetition, pretty soon she’ll start to anticipate what you’re about, and when the treat appears near her nose, volunteer a sit. Be sure to team this with the opportunity to say “Sit” when you see her sitting naturally. Once again, associating word, action, and reward means she’ll soon have a rock solid sit.
Image: Tambako The Jaguar via Flickr
3. Shake a Paw
This is a bit more of a party trick, since it serves no useful purpose, but your cat will love the mental stimulation of learning, so it does no harm.
This time tap your cat’s paw with a finger and when she lifts it give your cue words, such as “Shake paw”, and reward her. Any time you happen to see her lift that paw, say “Shake paw” and reward her. See where we’re heading with this one…?
4. Walk on a Harness
Taking a cat outdoors on a harness is a great way to get fresh air without the risk of her running off. Of course cats have a unique way of saying “No” on a harness, which usually involves them flopping to the ground and refusing to move. Bear in mind the object is not to have your cat walking to heel like a dog, but happily strolling and sniffing on a leash so she can safely enjoy the outdoors.
First get the cat used to the harness. Show the harness to the cat and leave it beside the food bowl so she gets used to it. Once the cat happily ignores it as an object, try putting the harness (with the straps loose) on the cat. Do this just before feeding, so she gets a meal as a reward. Leave it on for only a few seconds, or slightly longer if the cat is chilled, and be sure to praise her cleverness to the heavens.
Repeat this before every feed so she links the harness to good things. Then one time leave the harness on while she eats. Once she wanders around forgetting she’s got the harness on, you’re ready to attach the leash for a few seconds to let her get used to the weight. Again, before the meal is the ideal time so she has an instant reward.
Once she’s accepted the weight of the leash, lure her forward a step or two using her must-have treat. You can even use a cue word so she knows what you want her to do. Then slowly increase the distance she walks until she’s ready for the great outdoors.
Image: Juhan Sonin via Flickr
5. Follow a Target
Our final training feat is to follow a target. The idea behind this is to teach your cat to follow a ‘target’ (such as a small ball on the end of a wand) which allows you to move her from place to place. This is more useful than it sounds because it enables you to move the cat from a work surface to a stool or from a table top to her bed.
Follow the basic principal which is that when your cat touches the target she gets a reward. You can help her to do this by rubbing the scent of her favourite treat onto the target. Then when she goes to sniff it, say “Follow” and give a reward.
Each time she shows interest in the target, give the cue word and a reward. Next, slowly move the target and reward her for following it.
And finally, training your cat isn’t just about tricks; it’s about keeping her safe. In addition, cats love the one-to-one attention that training with their cat guardian gives them, and it’s great mental stimulation that stops her getting bored.
Can your cat do any of these things — come, sit, shake a paw, walk on a harness, follow a target? What other things have you trained your cat to do?
A little kitten moved in with us a couple of months ago. He was about 4 months old at the time (now 9m). We give him some time to roam outside in the mornings and afternoons (2-3hrs each) and since he has learned his name, he comes when called back to the room. His favourite treat is to get cuddles, as he has times that he spends inside the room, and other times that he is either outside (and our dogs kept indoors – they haven’t accepted him), or in a special enclosure I made for him to spend some time in front with us.
I have also managed to “teach” him not to claw me when we play, so his nails stay retracted, just by my tone of voice. He loves his routine though, and has come to expect certain things/actions at certain times. He knows to expect our boys to come and play with him, or he joins them in their bedroom (door closed on account of the dogs) for a “play date”.
Having always been a dog person, I’m quite amazed by this little fellow.
I don’t do tricks … I do what I want. Okay, okay. SOMETIMES I do tricks. But the rest of the time, I do what I want. FINE. I’m just a big cuddle bug. I don’t do harnesses, but I can handle the rest 😉 ~Bear Cat
This was fantastic! I have 3 cats and 3 dogs, and 2 of my cats act more dog than my dogs do! LOL! They do tricks, come when called etc… I love it <3
Mommy was working on shake a paw with Lexy, but gave up. MOL Maybe she’ll start again.
This post makes me so happy. I love that you outlined for cat parents just what to do to train a cat. I have a friend in Oklahoma who taught her beautiful kitty some tricks. This post is getting shared to her now.
I think of some of these more as behaviours than tricks, but I think I’m spoilt having Burmese. That said, I’m going to be a bit more deliberate about my use of the terms to measure if they are in fact responding like a ‘trick’. Thanks for making me think about it!
I got inspired to try to train my cat Nala at age 14 as I saw a video of my now friend’s cat Kaiser in a trick off. Nala had a real mind of her own but she loved chicken and me so she thought it was fun to come, sit and weave around my legs. I used the chicken to lure her.
I would love to see a well trained cat in person! It doesn’t sound too difficult either. I’m glad that cats are getting outside for walks, I think they would really love it.
We are pretty good at come here! But we remember Dash Kitten had a Thundershirt and when Mum put it on he literally judt fell onto his side. It scared his a lot and he never did get used to it.
Our Binx, a rehabilitated and adopted feral, does come when called, most times! He can still be a little skittish, leftover from his wild days. But he’s a love bug. Love your tips!
I agree that cats are very trainable. I’m going to have to try your tips on getting a cat to walk with a harness. Now that I have Dexter, I have 2 sociable kitties that would probably enjoy that little bit of adventure. I haven’t taught my kitties to do anything specific, but there is a lot of behavioral stuff we are working on with our wild little Dexter.
I love to see more people training their cats, they have a much better short-term memory than a dog, so they can learn a lot!
I’d love to teach Truffle and Brulee how to walk on a harness. They are better about coming when called because I use treats, but I need to work on using the word more often.
This is so cool! And true. I had a cat named Sage who walked with a harness. Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks for sharing these fun training ideas. Also love that the dogs can’t really interfere with this one on one time we can have with Ricky.
I see my kitties doing all but “Sit” lol I am very thankful that they come when we call their names, it helps when they go outside and we want them to come in before we leave for a trip, or a storm coming or because of a holiday like halloween! Great post!!
Gee, thanks! Mom has found a new trick to teach me – Follow. I already sit, sit up, hi-five, and, after a lot of work, walk on my harness and leash. We’ve been working on shake. I started to say I’m good at come but that’s only when I want to. I have a special treat that I just can’t refuse so I guess I really do thank you. More reasons for treats!
It’s not hugely different than training a dog. My cat Maggie would have loved tuna as a treat, it’s pretty much the only thing that got her whiskers standing up! I wish I had thought of training her back then with training tips like these. Excellent, thanks!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
We don’t have cats but hubby’s son does. Once I gave him a clicker training kit of cats for Xmas. He did teach them a bunch of tricks.
As a dog trainer, I really loved this one! To me, the hardest thing I’ve always found with training cats is that most don’t like to take food from a human’s hand. I bottle fed my daughter’s two kitties from about 10 days, so they were wonderful about taking treats, and I was able to really work well with them. They were also pretty ridiculously food motivated, so that really helped!!
I had 4 cats … and they ALL came when called. Even from outdoors. They can indeed be trained. 🙂
I love, love this. The suggestions are doable and I appreciate the background given as to preparing for the training. I am certain that at least one of the Tribe of Five will be “trainable”
I went to a cat show and there were many cats on harnesses and all very well behaved – no issues, and the cats they trained did a lot of tricks (with treats) so it was a lot of fun to watch! Clever cats!
I love these! Perfect timing as we have been trying to teach Rosie to sit and shake. She’s starting to get the hang of sit, but hasn’t mastered shake yet – though I had never thought of tapping her paw.
Oh thank mew! We’ve got a new addition to hoard, Fudge and he’s a little lacking in the brains department! The P.A. wants to harness train him and your #4 tip today is great, he’s 9 months old, been a stray until he ended up at the rescue centre and has never worn a collar.
Claire trained us to come the same way you describe, but added a special noise : she says “Viens” once (“Come” in French), and then shakes a small treat box. There are no longer treats but chickpeas in the box (for having always the same noise), but we know that we have to come and we’ll get a treat. She trained us not to go on the table while humans are eating : it didn’t take long to understand that we get a treat (or two) if we stay on the chair ! Purrs
I do all of this, although I’m still not 100% on coming when called! My human was working with my 4-1/2 month old half brother this weekend (his new owner, who is getting him very soon, wants to show him, and he’s a bit shy). By the end of the weekend, she was training him to “stay” for treats!