How to train a cat
Dear Riley,
Can cats learn tricks?
Sincerely, Tyler
Hi Angel,
I’m Riley’s friend Cali, and I know all about cats and dogs. Many people know that dogs can be trained, but it turns out that cats can, too! The easiest way to train a dog or cat is through clicker training with rewards. A clicker is a little tool with a button that makes a click! sound when you press it. You can buy a clicker at most pet supply stores. For training a cat, you’ll want to use a clicker with a quieter sound. The louder clickers can scare cats.
Here are the steps to clicker training your cat!
Step 1: Teach your cat that the click! sound means they’re going to get a reward. Press the clicker button and then immediately give your cat their favorite treat. Do this a bunch of times over the course of a week or two until your cat looks excited when they hear the clicker.
Step 2: Pick what you want to train your cat to do! Start with behaviors cats do naturally, like sitting or looking at you. Let’s use sitting as an example.
Step 3: When your cat does what you want them to do, press the clicker and then give them a treat. In our example, you should press the clicker right when your cat’s bottom touches the ground.
Step 4: Choose a command or hand gesture for this behavior. For our sitting example, you could choose to say “sit,” or point down. Try to say or do your command right before your cat does what you want them to do. If your cat does it, then follow up with the clicker and treat like before.
Before you know it, your cat will be sitting on command, or whatever else you train them to do! You can train cats to have better manners, or to do fun things that help keep their brains active. Training can even help cats in animal shelters feel more comfortable and outgoing.
For lots of tips on training cats, check out this guide from the Jackson Galaxy Cat Pawsitive project. It talks about the training that PAWS is doing with some of our cats!
Thanks for being a champion for animals, Cali
