Can You Teach a Cat Tricks?

Who says you can’t teach a cat tricks? Believe it or not, a cat can learn almost any trick that a dog can learn. It just takes a little time, patience and communication. Today, we’ll focus on the most basic commands – sitting and standing.

What You Need:

* Your cat before mealtime

* A quiet area where your cat is comfortable

* A table for your cat

* A specific command (in this case, the words “sit” or “stand”), preceded by your cat’s name

* Your positive signal (a clicker, or an upbeat word such as “yes”)

* Your cat’s reward (favorite food or special treats)

Teaching Your Cat to Sit

1. Gently put your cat on the table at the edge nearest to you, and pet her so she is comfortable.

2. Show your cat the reward, then give the command “Fluffy, sit” and move the reward back and over her head.

3. As she tips her head back to follow the food, she will naturally sit to keep her balance. When she sits, hit the clicker (or use your positive signal) and say “sit, good sit”. Immediately give her the treat.

4. Eventually your cat should respond to the command “sit” without you having to dangle food over her head.

5. Once your cat has learned the behavior, you no longer need to place the cat on the table to sit.

In the beginning, if your cat does not sit on her own, you may gently press down on her hindquarters. Then hit the clicker (or use your positive signal) and say “sit, good sit.” Be gentle and patient. If she resists, try again another time. It’s always better to have her sit on her own.

Teaching Your Cat to Stand

Standing is one of the simplest tricks you can teach your cat, as they often assume the position naturally. Your goal is to have your cat stand up on her haunches when you give the command “up” while you hold the reward above her.

Training Steps

1. Put your cat on the table at the edge nearest to you, and pet her so she is comfortable.

2. Show her the reward, then give the command “Fluffy, up” while you hold the food directly above her (but not close enough that she can grab it).

3. When she stands on her hind legs or haunches and reaches for the food, hit the clicker (or use your positive signal) and say “up, good up.” Immediately give her the treat.

4. Eventually your cat should respond to the command “up” without you having to hold the food above her.

5. Once your cat has learned the behavior, you no longer need to place the cat on a table to sit up.

For those who may not think it’s kosher to teach a cat tricks, remember this. Training is all about learning how to communicate and work together, like in every good relationship.

Above all, training should be fun for you — and fun for your feline friend too. Now, go teach your kitty some new tricks!

Related posts:
Cat Behavior Problems – Taming The Wildcat Within

Cat Training: A How To Guide

To Bark or Not to Bark? Debarking a Dog – Is Surgery the Right Remedy?

Cat Talk | valheart | June 4, 2010 10:18 am

1 Comment

By Kate, July 28, 2010 @ 6:36 am

Cat’s really are easy to teach. You just have to do quick 1 or 2 minute sessions and away from other distractors. The movement will help keep their joint lubed as they get older. Fun way to prevent cat joint pain.