How to train a cat? – train your cat to do cool tricks in 6 simple steps!

Cats aren’t as easy to train as dogs. Don’t worry, you can still train them by following these simple steps!

How to train a Cat? This is probably the most common question among many cat owners. Most of them want to know if they can train their cute little furballs to do cool tricks like their canine friends.

Well, obviously it is not as easy as it is in case of dogs because cats are not good in following commands. Cats are free spirits. They want to live their lives on their own terms. That’s why if you want to train your cat, you need to follow a different stretegy as compared to the common training methods used for dogs.

Let’s discuss the method of teaching ant trick to your cat in six simple steps. While reading it, please keep in mind three golden rules of cat training: Patience, Practice, and Persistency.

How to Train a Cat? – Six Basic Steps

1. Choose a Good Time and Place to Start

When you have arranged all the essential tools, the next step is to determine a proper time for the training. The best time to do it is half an hour before the meal time of the cat. A training session should take 5-10 minutes, and it should be repeated 1-3 times a day.

The place of training should be quiet, and there shouldn’t be any distractions around. Especially if you have other pets at home, it is better to start the training in a separate room.

On proper time and place, take the clicker and the treats with you and engage your cat. You should go to the level of the cat either by sitting with it on the floor or by bringing it on the sofa with you. The first option is better because it provides the cat more free space to move.

2. Cat Training: Clicker and Treats

Now offer some treats to your cat one by one and make a clicking sound each time. Keep in mind that you have to press the button of the clicker exactly at the same time when you toss over a treat to your cat. This way, the cat will start connecting the treats with the clicking sound.

Eventually, it will realize that the click means something good is coming. That’s why it is important not to click at any other time. Click precisely when you give the treat, wait for the cat to finish it and look at you for the next one, then offer another one and hit the clicker. Do it multiple times in the sessions of 5 minutes.

Keep noting the behavior of the cat during this process. If she loses the interest in the treats, it is either because she is already full or drained, or the reward isn’t good enough. In this case, you should try at another time when the cat is fresh and hungry, and try a different reward or treat which your cat likes more.

3. Make the Cat Work Harder for Treats

In the first few secessions, the cat will start associating the treats with the clicker. Now, it’s time to make this connection stronger by gradually making the cat work harder for the treats. Toss the treats a little away from the cat and click at the same time.Keep increasing the distance gradually. This will make your cat

Keep increasing the distance gradually. This will make your cat realize that they need to do something to reach the treats. If the cat loses interest along the way, reduce the distance a little and try again.

It is better not to talk to your kitty during this time as it may confuse her. We’ll add verbal cues later in training. For now, we should rely on clicks because they are less confusing and easier to remember for the cat. Once again, the clicks should be clear and precise with the treats.

4. Add The The Target Item Into The Mix

Introducing the target item is the last step among the initials of cat training. A pen or similar object can be used as the target item. This item should be used only at the time of training. Otherwise, it may confuse the cat.

In this step, bring the target item in front of the cat. As soon as it shows some movement towards the target item, hit the clicker and offer the treats. At first, give the treat even if the cat shows the small movement e.g. looks, sniffs or leans towards the target item. Eventually, make it a little bit harder and offer the treats on bigger movements like touching the target or rubbing its face with the target.

Keep the target item hidden while the cat is busy eating. As soon as it finishes the treat, show the target item again and repeat the process. Clicking precisely when the cats engage with the target item makes the cat understand that it did something right. Click means the reward is coming, Remember?

How to Train a Cat? – The Target Item

5. Practice, Practice, and Practice

We’ve covered most of the necessary steps of cat training. The cat now associates the target item, click and the treats with each other. It knows it’ll have to follow the target item for gifts and treats. Now, the only thing it needs is more and more practice.

As the training continues, make it harder by moving the target around different sides of the cat and by increasing the distance between the cat and the target. Encourage your cat to move and turn towards the target and offer the treat (with the click) as soon as it does so. Eventually, the cat will start taking steps towards the target for the reward.

Keep practicing everyday and repeat the procedure several times a day for better results. Training for short time repeatedly across the day give better results in comparison to single longer training session. If you feel the cat is losing interest after some time, conclude the training immediately and try again after some time.

6. Final Step: Introduce the Vocal Cues

The last phase of the training includes the introduction of verbal cues and commands. Making your cat understand the verbal commands is a complex step, and your cat needs to go through all the previous steps properly. If you think your cat is ready, now it’s time to assign different verbal cues to various tricks you want your cat to do for you. For example, you can say “Come” for your cat to come to you, “Sit” for him to sit, or “Dead” for him to play dead.

You can also add the name of your cat before each of these commands. It leads to some other questions, like “Do cats know their own names?” Yes, they usually start understanding it when we call them by their names again and again. But, probably, the bigger question is: Do cats respond to their names? Well, as we discussed, cats aren’t as social as dogs, and they don’t seek to obey commands. So, they may choose not to respond even if they know you are calling them. You have to make them think that they’ll get something good if they follow. That’s what the training is all about.

There are a few things that should be kept in mind during this phase. The most important thing is to work on teaching one trick at a time. Don’t mix things up as it may confuse your cat. Move to the new tricks only when the cat has enough practice of the first one. As you teach new tricks, keep practicing the old ones too. Go on like that, and soon your cat will be expert in many tricks, and you’ll realize you don’t need treats and the clicker anymore.

(Of course, you should still offer your cat some treats occasionally for its good behavior!).

How to Train a Cat? – List of Some Cool Cat Tricks

By follwing the above discussed method, you can teach dozons of cool tricks. Some of them are listed below. If you want to know about any of these in details, just follow the link and it will take you to a saparate page for that trick. Isn’t it cool?

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