4 Tricks You Can Teach a Cat

4 minutes

Last update: 30 July, 2018

Cats can learn commands too, as long as you follow certain instructions. Above all, it’s easier to teach them when they’re young. Therefore, you can form a good relationship from a young age by just training them.

Many believe that cats are not trainable pets. This theory may have been based on the custom of training dogs, and their ability to learn. However, a cat can also learn commands and tricks that will make living with them more enjoyable. Do you want to know what these tricks are?

Before you start, you must keep in mind that if you want to teach your cat something, you must be patient. Of course, every cat has a mind of its own. You must be patient and remember that teaching a young cat is not the same as teaching an adult one. Are you ready?

Tricks you can teach a cat

Can you imagine your cat giving you his paw when you ask for it? Well, you can teach him that trick and other ones as well. Continue reading to find out how!

Shake…

We’ll start with a trick that all pet owners want to teach. Shaking hands with your animal can give you great satisfaction. However, we’ve seen dogs do it, but can you teach cats to do it too? Yes!

Choose the right place and time. Avoid distractions or noises that can distract the animal or even make it nervous.
Choose a command or use a clicker (there is information on this device below). Decide which word you will use to refer to the command: it can be “shake”, “hello” or “paw”.
Choose a reward he likes. Positive reinforcement is the best option to teach a pet. Having a prize to give your cat when he obeys is the perfect motivation for him to keep doing so.
Shake his paw. While teaching your cat this trick, use the word you have chosen as the command or use the clicker, so the animal links the two together.
Show him the reward. If you tell him the magic word, take his paw, and show him the reward, he will associate everything and it won’t take him too long to learn.

Practice these steps for several days, and do it without having a reward in your hand sometimes. The feline will eventually do it instinctively and understand what you want.

Make him come when you call

Choose a treat as a reward
Show your cat the treat as you call her, like you always do. Only this time, she’ll listen to you.
Always use the same command to call your cat. However, don’t give him the reward right away. Let him smell it, then congratulate him for coming, and then give him a prize.
Don’t repeat it for a long time. Animals get tired and bored, and they can’t concentrate for that long. Therefore, do small training sessions with breaks that are twice as long as the sessions, and you’ll see that it works.

Fetch!

Teach your cat to fetch with these simple steps. It’s one of the best tricks you can teach a cat.

Choose a toy you want your cat to fetch and show it to him. Let him smell it and recognize it.
Throw the toy as far as you can. Few cats will resist to go after a toy flying in the air.
He probably won’t catch it, so you’ll have to go get it. If he has, take it away carefully.
Return to the start with the cat and the toy. The feline should know that you have the toy.
If you repeat this a few times, the cat will eventually understand what you want.

You should know that, for a cat, the simple fact that you throw the toy again already provides the necessary motivation to bring it back. Cats really enjoy playing fetch and they will want to play it more often.

Use a clicker

We already discussed how useful this object is in a previous article. It is used as an aid for positive reinforcement. The animal associates a behavior with the noise that it produces, and you can use it to achieve your goal.

If you use rewards with the clicker, you’ll get good results. Use it only for training. If you use it to play, you’ll confuse the animal and you won’t be able to train him.

Now do you believe that there are tricks you can teach a cat? Have you already taken note of the ones you want to teach yours? Go ahead and start training your cat!