When it comes to training animals, cats are not usually the first creatures that spring to mind, but these are extremely intelligent animals and if you have one, training them to do a few cat tricks can be fun for you both. Training your cat can be simple and easy, and by starting with the easy to teach tricks we are going to discuss in this article, your kitty will be complying in no time at all. We are also going to take a look at some great training tips to ensure that teaching your cat tricks is as easy as possible.
If you are not convinced that cat tricks are a thing, just take a look at platforms such as YouTube, where thousands of doting pet owners have showcased their cats performing all sorts of wacky and wonderful things. Your cat is no different. Let’s take a look at some of the things that your feline friend will easily be able to pick up, with a little help from you, of course.
Sit!
One of the most famous and simple commands given to a dog is “sit”, and there is no reason why a cat cannot learn this command too. This is a pretty user-friendly trick for your cat and so is a great one to start off with.
Teaching your cat to sit might be useful when you want to give them a treat, but don’t want them to get used to getting treats for no reason.
High five
Teaching you cat tricks can be especially rewarded when adding in the cuteness overload that something like a high five can bring. It’s a cat trick that’s stimulating and rewarding for your cat, provided that you give them a treat for a successful high five.
Fetch
Just like their canine counterparts, domestic cats are easily able to learn how to fetch an item for their owners. With a little bit of perseverance, your cat will soon be able to follow this command.
The benefit of this cat trick is that your cat will be getting plenty of movement, which can be part of their daily playtime and exercise routine!
Come on command
Most animals will quickly learn their name when adopted by a loving owner. This can be turned into the ability for your cat to come to you on command. This is a very easy trick for your cat to learn and is ideal as one of the first things to teach it when beginning training.
After all, you may want to call your cat downstairs or in from outside.
Stand up
On two legs, of course. Getting your kitty to stand on his hind legs as a party trick is something that will bring you much enjoyment. This is something that can be easily taught to your cat with a little bit of persuasion.
Although there’s no practical benefit from this cat trick, if you manage to teach your cat to stand up, it will show their intelligence; and/or lust for some tasty cat treats!
Treat under a cup
You know the one, the magician hides an item under one of three cups, mixes them up and gets an audience member to select which cup the item is under. This is a simple game that can be taught to any cat by using a small treat like a biscuit. The cat will naturally lock onto where the treat is hidden due to its predatory nature.
Successfully teaching your cat to follow and find treats like this will keep their mind stimulated while giving him or her a reward for their hard work.
Using the toilet
This might sound ridiculous because cats pee and poop in a cat litter box or outside, right? But there have been many accounts of owners successfully toilet training their cats and you can achieve this too!
Kiss me!
Giving your kitty a kiss is one thing, it shows you love them but what if your cat could kiss you back? Well, it can be done. Training your cat to give a kiss is a simple and easy cat trick which many cat owners love to do. Whether your cat does it for love, or a treat, that’s something you’ll have to decide!
Lay down
There may be times that you require your cat to lie down, such as when she is mewing and jumping all over you when you are trying to sleep, or perhaps you just want to be able to show off to your friends that your cat will lay down on demand. Either way, this is a cat trick that can be taught to cats pretty quickly.
Jump!
Cats are naturally inclined to jump anyway so why not make a cat trick out of it? Teaching your cat to jump onto any given surface such as a chair or countertop is one of the most simple cat tricks in any pet owner repertoire. On top of this, I can see plenty of situations in which this cat trick would be useful.
How to teach your cat tricks
It may be all well and good looking at this list of cat tricks, but knowing how to train your cat can really make the difference. Shall we take a look at some effective ways in which you can guide your cat towards performing any one of the tricks we have talked about so far?
- For more intense tricks such as using the toilet, the main swaying point for your cat is going to be actually using the bathroom first. And by this, we mean putting the litter tray in the bathroom, as close to the toilet as possible. You might then place the tray on the toilet itself and continue until your cat is happy to do their business the human way!
- Food is always a great way to convince a cat to do something we want them to do. With cat tricks such as fetch, you might begin by asking them to fetch an item of food to encourage them to take part.
- When attempting something like a high five, it is important to go with the natural instinct of the cat when batting their paw, interact with them with your own hand when they do this and gradually you will be able to turn it into an on demand action.
- For the more simple cat tricks such as sit or lie down, verbal commands should be repeated continuously and praise should be given when the cat complies.
- You could always engage the use of a clicker, this is an exceptionally popular way to teach cat tricks or simply to get your cat to indulge in good behaviors. A clicker is used in conjunction with a reward such as cat toys or cat treats. When your cat does something that is correct, you click the clicker before rewarding them. They are then able to begin to associate the sound of the clicker with a good response and so are likely to act in the same way more often.
Conclusion about cat tricks
There are many advantages to training your cat or kitten to perform a whole host of cat tricks, and this list should serve as inspiration for the things that you and your cat can learn together. Coupled with the training ideas we have discussed, training your cat should be a fun, easy and enjoyable pass time for both of you.
Add Comment