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4 Fun Tricks to Teach Your Cat

The Paw Print

Essential Pet Blog

“You can teach a cat to do anything that it wants to do.”- Anonymous

Cats are known for their agility, intelligence, and uncompromising desire to do exactly what they want to do- and nothing else. Because of this, many people assume that cats are untrainable, or that even if you can train them, you’ll never be able to get them to perform on demand. Contrary to popular belief, cats are capable of learning and performing tricks, and the training process can be fun and rewarding!

Cat training can take time and it does require patience, but with enough positive reinforcement, your cat can learn almost anything you are willing to teach it. The key to successful training is knowing your cat. Are they motivated by food, play, or praise? What kind of an attention span does he or she have? What kinds of things do they like to do? When you know the answers to these questions, you can tailor your training sessions to your cat’s preferences, making training a fun bonding experience for both of you.

Not sure where to start? Give one of these tricks a try!

4 Fun Tricks to Teach Your Cat

1. Sit

Sit is one of the most basic, foundational skills you can teach an animal. Once your cat knows how to sit, you can build upon this skill for other more advanced tricks.

To teach your cat how to sit, simply hold a small treat above her head, and move it slightly back toward the tail. The motion will guide your cat into a sitting position naturally, as your curious critter will want to get a good look at what you’re holding. Reward your cat with the treat every time they perform the motion correctly. Use the word “sit” as she performs the motion, and with enough repetition, your cat will have mastered it’s very first trick!

2. Shake, fist/paw bump, and high five

This one is another fairly simple trick to teach, as it plays on your cat’s natural curiosity and playfulness. When your cat is sitting, hold his favorite toy or treat in your hand, slightly out of reach (but not so far away that they would need to jump or lunge to get it). When he reaches for the treat or toy with his paw, say the command word you want to use for the trick (high five, shake, pound it, etc.), and reward him immediately.

3. Stand up

Once your cat has a solid grasp on the “sit” command, teaching them to stand is a natural progression. To encourage your cat to stand, hold a treat or toy slightly overhead while they’re sitting. Don’t hold the treat too high, or they’ll jump for it. Placing the treat 1-2 inches above their head will be just far enough out of their reach that they’ll want to sit up on their haunches, but not high enough that they’ll try to leap to get it. As they rise up, say “stand” and reward them.

4. Lie down

Cats love to lay down- they spend most of their days doing it! The trick is to get them to associate it with a command. To teach your cat to lie down, have them begin from a sitting position. Place a treat on the floor and cover it slightly with your hand, and entice your cat to investigate the situation. As they reach their head forward to check out the treat, say the command, and reward them.

Another way to teach this trick is to notice when they are about to lie down and give them the command until they associate the words “lie down” or “down” with the act of lying down. Reward them with a treat every time they lie down as you say the command.

When you’re training your cat, it’s important to keep your sessions brief, light-hearted, and fun. Using positive reinforcement and playing to your cat’s natural interests will ensure that training time becomes a fun bonding time that you and your feline friend can both look forward to.

Over to you! Does your cat perform any tricks? We want to hear about it! Share it with our pet-lovin’ readers on our facebook page!

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