How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks: Cats are incredibly intelligent animals, and you may be surprised to learn that you can train a cat to do just as many tricks as you can teach a dog. Ever wonder how cats in movies lay and run precisely when they’re supposed to? Cats can come when called and answer commands; you have to learn to teach them their way.
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How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks
Cats don’t respond to negative reinforcement or punishment; it stresses them out and causes an adverse reaction to what you’re trying to get them to do. To train your kitty, the Humane Society notes that you must use positive reinforcement to teach him new tricks. With a clicker, some moist treats, and a lot of patience, you can train your cat to do any of these fun activities!
Kitten learning to shake
Shaking isn’t just a trick for dogs! You can teach your cat to shake using the clicker system, giving a click and bite-sized treat (preferably with a strong odour) to your cat when he performs the requested task.
To teach your cat to shake
Hold the clicker with the treat in one hand and gently hold your cat’s paw on the other side.
Say “shake” as you shake his paw, then click and produce a treat.
Try for five minutes at a time a few times a day so that your cat doesn’t lose interest.
Use the same paw to remain consistent, and click to reward if your cat raises his leg when you hold your hand out.
- Depending on your cat, it may take a few days or a few weeks to get shaking down pat.
- Jump Through a Hoop
- Cat jumping through a hoop
- Yes, you can even teach your cat to jump through a hoop! This activity is the hardest on the list to tackle, but it’s something that your cat can learn with lots of repetition.
- Use Word Association
Choose a word such as “hoop” or “jump” that you use every time he goes through the hoop. Your cat will eventually learn to associate the word with the activity. Once your cat has mastered jumping through the circle with your guidance, you can say the word, then offer a click and a treat once he has dropped through without your supervision. With tons of practice, you can eventually remove the gift and say “hoop” or “jump” to get your cat to jump through.
This trick is sturdy and will likely take several weeks for your cat to master. Stop practising if your cat seems upset or disinterested with the method. Speak to your veterinarian before teaching your cat this trick to make sure that he is in good enough health to jump through hoops.
Training Your Cat
Playtime with your cat is a crucial part of his brain’s development and learning new activities can even make your cat feel more confident. Teaching your cat How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks will allow him to work his mind in new ways while providing a fun and safe activity that you can enjoy together
Never punish
Cats won’t learn from what some owners would consider “discipline.” Worse yet, “punishing” your cat can induce stress, leading to behavioural and health problems—not something you want to deal with in cat training. Remember that patience and positive reinforcement are essential if you’re learning how to train a cat — trying to figure out your cat’s behaviour.
Commonly used as training tools for a wide variety of animals, a clicker will set you back just a couple bucks and help you give positive reinforcement when you’re learning how to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks. (You can also use a regular pen with a clicky button—the important thing is to have a distinct noise you can make instantly.) Most cat training involves offering your cat a treat it likes following a click to mark the desired behaviour. Without the clicker, your cat may be confused about why it’s being rewarded: If it obeys a command, hears the click, and then gets a treat, it’s more likely to catch on.
How to train a cat to Come on command
Cats can learn to respond to a vocal cue and run your way. (The ASPCA notes that you might use this skill to bring your cat in should it dash out unexpectedly.) This step of how to train a cat starts by making a distinct noise before feeding—before you open a bag or can—like vocally call your cat, or click your tongue. Your pet will learn to associate that noise with something positive (food) and will eventually head to you when it hears it. Then, encourage this behaviour outside of regular feeding times. Start from short distances. Make the noise, use your clicker when your cat comes, and then reward your pet with the treat. Over time, call the cat from longer distances. The ASPCA recommends up to two “cat training sessions” a day, for five minutes or less, during which you should repeat the behaviour up to 20 times. If your cat loves boxes, there’s an actual reason why.
How to train a cat to use a toilet
Training a cat to use the toilet takes some work, but think of the benefits: You’ll save on litter and enjoy a cleaner home. First, place a litter box adjacent to your toilet & How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks. Then gradually bring it closer and closer to the top of the seat—you might need a stool to make the process easier on the cat once your pet is accustomed to using a litter box on top of the toilet, the transition to a special litter box that fits within the bathroom itself. (Buy flushable litter, and expect spillover.) Gradually use less and less litter to get your cat accustomed to doing its business without it, and then, remove the litter box entirely.
How to train a cat to Shake hands
This cat training is more straightforward than you might expect: Get a treat ready, then align yourself to the same level as your cat. Tap your cat’s paw while saying “shake,” and use your clicker when it moves its hand. Repeat training until your cat offers its leg in response to the “shake” command without tapping. Like the “come on command” trick, this can take a few training sessions throughout a couple of days. Once this skill is mastered, your cat will be ready to star in internet cat memes.
How to train a cat to Beg
This is similar to the “shake hands” trick. Hold a treat just above your cat’s head and give a “beg” command. Your pet should stand on its hind legs and reach up for the snack; click to mark the behaviour and then give your cat its treat.
Top Cat Litter Boxes Practice until your cat begs on command without needing a gift dangled overhead & How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks. If you want to learn how to train a cat well, make sure you always reward your pet—but never feed your cat milk.
How to Train a Cat to Walk on a leash
Get a harness with a strap that attaches at the cat’s back, not its neck. The ASPCA recommends that before putting it on you leave it out for a few days in areas where your cat goes, like its feeding area or favourite sleeping spot, so that the animal is accustomed to the sight of it. Next, you’ll transition to draping the harness over the cat (without fully attaching it) when giving it a treat. You’ll eventually move to secure the harness around the cat without the leash—leave it on your cat for a couple of minutes at first, then increase the time over days. Once your pet is comfortable with the harness, attach the leash to it, and let your cat wander freely inside with it. After a few days, start holding the leash during training & How to Train Your Cat to Do Tricks. Then: Ease into the great outdoors! Make sure you let your cat take its time exploring a new area, and start somewhere quiet. Now that you know how to train your cat correctly make sure you don’t make these common cat owner mistakes.